Autumn Salon 2022 – A puzzle without elements, elements without a puzzle
An exhibition and sale of works by young Belarusian artists "Autumn Salon with Belgazprombank" has opened in Minsk at the Palace of Arts. The history of Minsk salons begins in 2015, so, this autumn, the event is held for the eighth time.
Most of the works will be available for purchase on the online platform for selling art Artcenter.by. Every visitor can not only purchase the works they like, but also support the artists by filling out the voting form. The artists with the most votes will be awarded prizes from the project partners.
The conditions for the participation in the "Autumn Salon" are quite simple: young artists (under 40 years of age) present their works created in various types of fine arts over the past three years. Anyone, regardless of their background, can bring their art object. However, only those works that were selected by a professional jury were included in the exhibition as exhibits.
Thus, the curator of the salon, Alyaksandr Zinkevich, had only to hang up the selected works. This event has no particular name or concept.
This year, the composition of the participants was almost half updated: there were many unfamiliar names, since many artists exhibited their works for the first time — both students of art universities and just self-taught artists.
It would seem that this is an ordinary salon — an exhibition and sale of works, which should be of interest not to specialists and artists, but only to those who like to decorate their walls with unique art objects.
However, the fact that the exhibition is loudly held within the walls of the Palace of Arts and is opened by the heads of the Creative Union, draws attention of other artists and even critics to the vernissage.
To be precise, something else is attracting attention: the expectation of the discovery of new names, because young art for many is associated with the concept of novelty. Both creators and art historians want to see an attempt to renew themselves and break out of the vicious circle of the same visual solutions and theoretical constructions.
This year, this formula (young = new) did not work again. In fact, it hasn't worked here for a long time already. Mainly because we do not have a professional education that is not based on the academic school. And the academic school has been in need of modernization for a long time – in response to the dynamic challenge of the time, and not just the introduction of a separate subject on which graphic designers get acquainted with computer art.
It was clear from the exhibition that young people are immersed in and reflect a very different visual environment than their academic teachers, no matter what level of education they are at. Perhaps that is why it was not easy to distinguish a student from an amateur at this exhibition: a student of the Belarusian Academy can move in contemporary art with the caution of a “green” beginner, because they are fundamentally not trained in the contemporary visual thinking and theory, they have no practice of conceptual work. And there is a need: from the works on the walls, one can see running waves of the desire to be modern and respond to the challenges of the time through a new form. Do these artists have real teachers? Probably no. What are their sources for learning? Pictures from the Internet – at worst, foreign schools or online courses — at best.
So we have found the main problem of the young people at this exhibition: the discrepancy between the education and the requirements of the time and the demands of the new generation.
As for the art market... The very concept of "the art of young creators" is a very well-selling and very fruitful marketing strategy. It's like an inscription on a label — new, previously unknown, and therefore unique, and it’s quite possible that investments here will pay off, as evidenced by the entire history of art of the twentieth century.
At the same time, in the English-speaking context, youth is no longer considered that way, the expression “an emerging artist” is popular, and an emerging artist can be even 70 years old. By the way, the promotion of such artists is also quite successful. The artist is a profession in which there should be no age. Although it is possible to start doing art in retirement, it is very difficult to push the boundaries established by the institutional system. Also, in recent years, even decades, young artists very often use only those visual strategies and ideas that they were taught at the local art school: there they receive a ready-made set of tools and use it in their further practice. At the same time, everyone is waiting for young artists to come up with something new, but nothing like this, most often, happens.
Despite all the criticism, the "Autumn Salon" perfectly fulfills its function, although famous names have practically disappeared from it. And this function is the legitimization of young artists who will get a serious start in their creative biography, the fact of sale — all this can contribute to their career. At the same time, the participation of an intermediary between them and their viewer is minimal — in the form of a jury that sifts out only very poor works. By the way, this year, out of 789 applicants, 246 artists aged 18 to 40 were selected. Thus, 430 works appeared at the exhibition, and, taking into account the fact that the exhibition expanded to the Art-Belarus Gallery, the number of the participants increased to five hundred.
What topics are on the minds of these young people today?
The human face - a portrait and a self-portrait — as a tool of self-knowledge acted as the leading subject. A lot of glamor, which is most often presented in an ironic form. However, most of the works are picturesque and formal searches without a deep cultural and social context, just educational exercises. Critical works can also be found, albeit few. The most exemplary - a printed reproduction of Shishkin's landscape with the inscription "I hate art" in English - is quite an exhibit for a serious art exhibition. There were also a few installations, with the exception of the painting by Iryna Kotava arranged together with a theater curtain.
However, it is impossible to draw conclusions about the interests of the young generation from an ordinary, albeit large, exhibition and sale. The Autumn Salon is just an exhibition and sale. However, it is important that young people are picked up — that they are invited to more serious projects. The works need to be pulled out of this mess and fit into a well-thought-out strategy of some gallery.
Will it ever happen? Apparently, under the current conditions, it is unlikely. In the modern world, young art is very closely connected with institutions. Endless student competitions, foundations, awards, exhibitions in galleries... Everything revolves around the new generation, because they largely determine what art is.
Alesya Skarabagataya. Forest. Oil paint. 2022
Ales Bagdanau. Triptych The Cycle of Life. Oil paint. 2022
Dzmitryi Veska. Hide these Props in the Pantry. Mixed techniques. 2020
Iryna Kotava. Isolation. Canvas, oil paint, thread. 2022
Katsiaryna Filipava. Past and present. Oil paint. 2022
Maryia Syrakvash. Izdag. Paper, sauce. 2022
Mikita Vaylupau. "People 3" Series. Acrylic paint. 2022
Iryna Kotava. Isolation. Canvas, oil paint, thread. 2022
Photo: ArtContextby
