General
overview
The Balkan Region is a melting
pot of bright colors, ethnic patterns, bed time stories and legends ready to
explode across Central and Eastern Europe. The Balkans is virtually unknown to
the Western world, rooted in an aura of mysticism, misunderstood ethnic
traditions and threatening people. In reality, the Balkan culture, ethnicity
and peoples are as culturally unique and rich as in any other part of Europe.
Balkan artists are traditionally ignored by the world in part due to geographical
separation as well as cultural and prior political barriers imposed on them by
past communist and socialist leaders. In many cases aspiring Balkan artists
were simply not able to travel to the west to exhibit their work and limiting
the spread and influence of Balkan artists. Conversely, the few western artists
whose art was influenced by their travels through the Balkans were able to make
some splashes in the hermetic, corporate western art world. It is more obvious
than ever that Western Europe treats Balkan artists like second class
citizens.
Definition in The Socio- Political Context
The Balkan Expressionism
Movement is a response to this situation with a goal to be an umbrella and
unifying voice for painters,
writers, sculptors, architects, musicians, and poets from a society with a low level
of international respect, but with a great deal of genuine talent.
Collecting centuries of
ethnic, aesthetic tradition flowing throughout South-Eastern Europe, this new
artistic movement is slowly making its way to the surface of popular western
culture, entertaining the masses, the new proletarians. Movies like “Black Cat,
White Cat”, bands like Gogol Bordello, or simply gypsies playing music in
numerous city streets, piazzas, parks and squares demonstrate the public
interest in this culture. Many creative people have recently begun to share the
same aesthetics, building a strong audience for this type of artistic
manifestation.
At the moment Balkan
Expressionism gathers musicians (Taraf de Haidouks, Rona Hartner to name few),
painters (Paul Hitter, Marina Obradovic), cinematographers (Kusturica) as well as anonymous traveling
artists who uninhibitedly express themselves in a loud, colorful, joyful
manner.
However, the brutal reality is that, quarter century
after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Europe as much as the rest of the world, remains
ignorant to the art and artists from the Balkans. This is why many artists sharing this Balkan aesthetic are now challenging
the world to accept artistic values that are ethnographically and sociologically
different than typically accepted in the West.
Many of us agree that art is
not limited to business, money and corruption as it has lately been made. The general
public has realized that true art does not fit the pattern established by
corporate museums, compromised curators and meaningless brand name artists. In fact
most people are searching for an alternative to this state of affairs, and no
longer trust the „underground art” that has become a household name itself! We
believe that the Balkan Expressionism Movement is a vehicle for a change to
this paradigm and therefore a good reason for everyone in the art business to
fear. In order to become a strong voice in the art world, the Balkan
Expressionist artists must become united and willing to shake up a system that
ignores them!
Facts prove that there are
tons of creative, artistic ideas, and many of the artists who possess these
ideas would join this “ship of fools” here in the Balkans. In reality, there is
so much substance in the Balkan folklore, in the urban stories, in popular
design; enough to feed creative from all over the world.
Who Are We!
Despite the attitude of the
West, we, the Balkan Expressionists, welcome outsiders in our pool of
genes. We know there are artists dreaming
of being involved in an art movement that might shake up the world as we know
it. We offer them an opportunity to take issues in their own hands and spit on
false rules of the so called “art market”.
Many of us have been cheated
by the EU policy on arts that helps Eastern European artists in name only, but
actually serves to block the development of regional art. EU funds for art are
provided only through local governmental and non-governmental organizations,
not to the artists themselves. This means that the local established art
organizations control the requesting and distribution of art funds and
routinely direct these funds to artists who meet their preferences and
objectives. The funds are not provided to artists who possess the best aesthetics
or to encourage new art movements or to under-represented segments of the local
art community. Unfortunately, the art business is not immune to the ‘good old
boys’ network, where those who have connections end up with the bulk of the art
funding and artists who do not know someone in the local art, establishment,
regardless of their abilities, end up with nothing. Without the support of the
establishment, their work receives no exposure, no significant exhibits and
therefore is likely to remain obscure and short lived.
The time of „art hooliganism”
has come! As long as we’ve been pushed
to become the outlaws of European art, we are ready to take to the fight with
nothing to lose. Every artist who joins The Balkan Expressionist Movement,
results in the ”established art” and so called „post modern" art losing
its breath. The good news is that a breath of fresh air is coming that smells
like freedom – The Balkan Expressionism. Let’s not forget that our countries
are the only ones capable of Revolutions and wars, so our artists can do the
same!
The Principles of Balkan Expressionists
Balkan Expressionisms open to
anyone who accepts its simple principles:
- Many
of us in The Balkans are restricted, as artists, from travelling due to
visa requirements. We consider that freedom of expression should be based
also on freedom of travel and performing anywhere in public places.
Romanian and Bulgarian artists experienced the inconvenience of travel
restrictions prior to becoming a member of the EU. Now artists from
Macedonia, Bosnia, Serbia, and Albania suffer from this same problem.
Either they want to study, create art, document or simply visit art
establishments worldwide, but they simply cannot do it! The legal
procedures and the bureacracy to obtain visas should not apply to artists!
·
If you're
not brainwashed, don't wait for success to catch you, pursue your success and
make it happen. Do not waste time waiting for State or EU funds to support your
work, as the funds are dedicated to a pre-set artistic “elite”.
The method and complicated mechanism of European funds
distribution as well as the insufficiency of these art funds creates a situation
where these funds are very difficult to obtain. It is well known that artists
do not deal with bureaucracy very well. Applying for these funds requires more
than common sense when it comes to paper work. On top of this, most of the
state and EU funds are designed for NGO or Foundations, and are distributed
only to artists who are “part of the system”, so those without the right
connections will not have access to funds.
Generally
speaking, anything that is too loud or too much in your face should actually be
accepted and nomadic artists should be allowed to perform in public places
without city permits.
Yes, people
like you, that truly have to make a living out of their art should go out and
perform, play, paint and exhibit their work in public places all over the
world. As a matter of fact, no authority should treat a free artist badly! An
artist should not be required to obtain permits to show their art, because they
are a service to their communities, educating and stimulating the masses,
without doing anything wrong. Even selling your art on the streets should not
be an issue for taxation as far as we are concerned. No artist selling its
original work on the street is creating fiscal distress to the society.
·
That surviving through art does not necessary mean selling your art in
„proper” artistic venues as much as showing and selling it on the streets to
the people that truly appreciates it and do not consider it merchandise.
Take in
consideration that today, fewer and fewer people enter galleries and museums
around the world. Most of the population is busy working to bring bread to the
table so fewer are in the mood to visit galleries. True artists should be
proactive and show their art to the working class, the ones that truly
appreciate it and do not see it as an investment or merchandise. If you, as an artist of any medium, feel the need to
set you artistic spirit free and revolted against the artistic embargo set by
governments and corporations, go out and show your art to the world.
·
Personal development and the rising of the awareness of the public should
be the main purpose.
Believing in
yourself and struggling continuously for your beliefs is the number one
condition on the path of success no matter what your background is. The truth
is that an artist obsessed by success loses his creativity. For most of the
people in the Balkans success has a different meaning than in the West. Success
is more just a form of appreciation that does not necessarily require financial
gain. Success sometimes means just the fact that an audience gathers around you
and tries to understand your art. It is sometimes enough that people
participate and share your joy and do not hesitate to show it to you.
·
Art
should not be just a way of fun for the elites!
If you feel
that there are too many unwanted compromises on the path leading to success, if
you feel that you stand alone in the jungle of the art world; then just get
together, finding roots in the simple facts of life- the low life, the poor,
the folklore, the urban legends should be the inspiration.
·
Individuality
and spirit of brotherhood.
Balkan Expressionist artists should help fellow
artists from immigrants to refugees, from renegades to rebels. As all artist
fight on the same ground an struggle with the same basic needs, why not
thinking of the poor, most unfortunate. What about the artists that had to leave
their families, their countries due to war or religious persecution? The
Balkans offer many examples of refugee artists seeking shelter in other
countries because of these issues. Who’s helping them? These are people with
less than us, having no one to ask for help.
Balkan
Expressionist movement invites artists to be part of new history (part of new
art history), to join a life time experience, exclusively based upon freedom of
their souls. You can subscribe to this statement by simply sharing it on your
social media outlets and by calling yourself a Balkan Expressionist Artist
Note: This
Manifesto is the result of a thinking process of visual artist Paul Hitter, art
curator and gallery owner Eugene Al Pann and art collector and art critique Steven
Thompson.
