THE GAZE OF OTHER, August
1999

Beirne Bill

August 27
18.00

Bill Beirne, an artist from New York, and Yuri Leiderman from Moscow will present a joint performance at the space of "TV Gallery" within the framework of the program of Russian-American art project "Cross Currents". The role of each artist will be defined by problems, style and genre characteristic of their art. Studying the correlation between the private and the social in man.s life, Bill Beirne uses survey cameras in his street performances and video installations. Yuri Leiderman works actively with the text, entering boundary territories of its influence upon the audience both from the viewpoint of meaning and emotions. The viewers will be able not only to watch direct interaction of the artists, but to get involved in the action themselves.


Bill Bierne, American video artist and performance-maker. Born in 1941 in Brucklin, lives and works in New York. Teaches TV skill at New York municipal school and New York University. His works are well-known, exhibited at Franklin Furnace, New York; The Kitchen, New York; Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx; Santa Fe Fine Arts Museum, New Mexico; Contemporary Art Museum, New York; P.S.1, New York; A Space, Toronto; Witny Museum of American Art, New York. Yuri Leiderman, born in 1961 in Odessa. Lives and works in Moscow. Since 1982 participated in the exhibitions arranged in Odessa and Moscow flats. 1987 - graduated from Moscow Chemical and Technological Institute. 1987-1990 -- a member of the group "Medical Hermeneutics". His works were exhibited at Moscow galleries "School", "Regina", "1.0" and others, Warsaw Fine Arts Academy, Krings-Ernst Gallery (Cologne), Vita Nova Gallery (Minsk), ART3 (Valence, France), FRAC Champagne-Ardennes (Reims) and others. Participated in Istanbul Biennial (1992), Venice Biennial (1993), Manifesta 1 (1996) and other festivals of contemporary art.




CROSS CURRENTS

The project "Cross Currents" is initiated by Leanne Mella, American curator. In the framework of the project there had been held and are yet to be organised a number of meetings of famous American and Russian artists, and also a series of their joint exhibitions in Moscow and St.Petersburg. In future the materials of the project are supposed to be presented to the American viewer either.

There are various media projects, from cinema, video, photography and installations to assemblage, collage and painting. The artists working with "specific character of the place" were chosen for the project who take an active part in art life and are bright representatives of contemporary art.

Adam Bartos, MaryLucier, Judith Barry, Jeak Lerner, Bill Beirne, Stan Duglas participate in the project from the American part. In Russia they will cooperate with Sergei Bugaev, Vadim Fishkin, Vladimir Kustov, Dmitry Gutov, Yuri Leiderman and Eugeny Yufit.

Two working meetings were held in Russia in 1999. Adam Bartos and Mary Lucier visited Moscow and St.Petersburg in April. In St.Petersburg, Adam Bartos and Sergei Bugaev organised a joint exhibition at the Museum of Astronautics History ( Branch of the State Russian History Museum in Petropavlovskaya Fortress, former Gasodinamic Laboratory). In Moscow, Mary Lucie r and Vadim Fishkin held a master-class in the framework of an educational project of Contemporary Art Center and Institute of Contemporary Art.

In June Judith Barry and Jeak Lerner visited Moscow and St.Petersburg. They worked together with Dmitry Gutov and Vladimir Kustov and participated in meetings with the public, presenting their art and participating in discussions.


The project is being effected with the assistance of American Information Agency, the USA Embassy in Russia, and also with the help of the grants given by New York Foundation for the Arts, Trust for Mutual Understanding and Contemporary Art Soros Center (St.Petersburg). The organizers of the project in Russia: State Contemporary Art Center (Moscow) and magazine "Cabinet" (St.Petersburg). The assistance in project organisation was rendered by the Museum Center of State Russian Humanities University, Soros Contemporary Art Center, Institute of Contemporary Art, Art Media Center "TV Gallery" . in Moscow; State Russian Museum, State Russian History Museum, State Russian History Museum in Petropavlovskaya Fortress, Museum of Astronautics and Rocket Techique . in St.Petersburg; Nizhny Novgorod Branch of State Contemporary Art center; CEC International Partners (New York).

A famous American curator Leanne Mella is the project initiator and its Art Director. In Russia the project is curated by Konstantin Bokhorov (Moscow) and Olesya Turkina (St.Petersburg).

The site has been created with the assistance of the "Open Society Institute" (Soros Foundation). Russia