"Departure"/ actoin

It is worth noting that in a state where the formation of contemporary art institutions and their integration into the global context was being envisioned for the first time, there was simply no budget and no funding. Consequently, the first squats, private galleries, magazines, ad-hoc exhibitions, and gatherings emerged on a purely volunteer, grassroots basis. In our case, amidst the economic default, our resources were limited to whatever we carried with us or found at hand. The solution to this precariousness was the engineering of a fictional, conceptual shell named the "Fiction Gallery Expedition" (FGE). Naturally, within the conceptual dimension of freedom, this entity could encompass not only our squat but the entire globe, or even the cosmos—an idea that resonated with us deeply.

Ideas arrive through trial, error, experience, and, of course, "magic chance"—that sudden "abruptness" one never expects. While walking our habitual route from the Art Institute dormitory to the studio on Olegivska Street, we noticed a naval longboat abandoned near the intersection of Lukianivska and Olegivska streets. By that time, a "point of assemblage" was maturing, yet one puzzle piece was missing: the specific site for its "Departure."

And so, on Mount Shchekavytsia (one etymological theory links the name "Shchek" to the Old Slavic word for nightingale), in the benevolent weather of May transitioning into summer, we gathered to embark on a journey into the unknown. Each participant seated their body duplicate—their avatar—in the boat, in the exact spot they wished to occupy themselves. A television set with a VCR was placed in the center of the vessel, with power illicitly drawn from a nearby utility pole. The video screened was a documentary chronicle revealing the mysteries of the "avatars’" genesis.

It was precisely this "genesis" that served as the leitmotif of the entire event. The "birth" was, in essence, that of an anthropological gallery-as-artwork—distinct from the artwork-as-artifact—because, instead of a fixed form, it possessed duration in time and space, akin to human life itself. Therefore, the "departure" of the boat should be viewed not as a discrete form (or action), but as the inception of the FGE’s path toward its own self-actualization.

The "Departure" commenced traditionally, with the christening of the boat by smashing a bottle of "Soviet Champagne" against the hull. The bottle only shattered on the second attempt. At the time, people joked that we should have used imported champagne—the glass is thinner. Perhaps that is why the "surfacing" of the FGE proved to be such a prolonged process, extending all the way into the early 21st century.

To be continued ... >>>

Konovalov Igor.