LOOKING FOR KUKARKIN
On Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas’ Split nik
Tracey Warr
Helter Skelter, Sokolniki Park, site of the 1959 Kitchen Debate between Nixon and Khrushchev. Photo: Nomeda Urbonas.
In June 2011 I travelled to Russia for the first time, carrying preconceptions largely formed from Martin Cruz Smith novels.
I joined Lithuanian artists Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas and their Russian assistant, Anna Kotova, in an attempt to track down Alexander Kukarkin, an elusive Russian writer from the Cold War era. Our researches became as contorted as the Helter Skelter in Sokolniki Park where Nixon and Khrushchev had their famous 1959 Kitchen Debate.[i] See the full text account of our research, looking for Kukarkin, on http://traceywarr.wordpress.com
Our resulting art project, Split nik, is showing at the Moscow Biennale
23 Sept – 30 Oct 2011
at the Tsum Art Foundation, Tsum Department Store, 2 Petrovka str., Moscow
Open Mon–Fri: 10:00–22:00, Sat–Sun: 11:00–22:00
Nearest Metro Stations: Tverskaya, Teatral’naya.
http://4th.moscowbiennale.ru/en/
We are inviting participation in dialogues about the Cold War and its legacies now, particularly in relation to the role of artists, writers and books. We invite your Future Casts. You can participate in person in the Split nik installation in the Moscow Biennale, or participate by commenting online:
Split nik on Facebook: http://vkontakte.ru/splitnik2011 [Russian]
Or comment on http://www.vilma.cc/splitnik [English]
Or comment here on http://traceywarr.wordpress.com [English]
