Opinion & reviews

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• Czech Cinema's Post-Revolution Mediocrity and Notable Directors Analyzed opinion-review

  Czech cinema faced challenges in originality during the 1990s after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, as noted by Stanislava Padna. Commercial trends and American influences heavily…

• Review of Mikhail Berg's 'Literaturocracy' Examines Power Dynamics in Russian Literature opinion-review

  In his 2000 publication, 'Literaturokratiia: Problema prisvoeniia i pereraspredeleniia vlasti v literature,' Mikhail Berg examines the contest for power within Russian literature…

• Ben Laden, la mode et l'art : icônes croisées après le 11 septembre opinion-review

  Dans un article d'artpress de janvier 2002, Lydie Pearl analyse les intersections entre terrorisme, mode et art après le 11 septembre 2001. Elle rapporte qu'un amateur d'art a…

• Czech Art Scene Grapples with Feminist Suppression and Gender Politics in Post-Socialist Era opinion-review

  Despite the growing presence of women artists, feminism remains sidelined in Eastern European art. In 1993, the Czech publication Výtvarné umení released a special issue focusing…

• Sollers' Mysterious Mozart: A Literary Immersion opinion-review

  In a review of Philippe Sollers' book "Mystérieux Mozart," Jacques Henric explores Sollers' unique approach to understanding Mozart's life and work. Henric argues that Sollers…

• Eric Rohmer's 'L'Anglaise et le duc' Defends Anti-Terrorism Through Sadean Irony opinion-review

  In a 2001 essay for artpress, the author defends Eric Rohmer's film 'L'Anglaise et le duc' against accusations of being reactionary and politically incorrect. The film, set during…

• Greil Marcus's Mythic Reading of American Popular Music opinion-review

  Christophe Kihm's review examines Greil Marcus's books "Mystery Train" (1975) and "The Invisible Republic" (1996), recently published in French by Allia and Denoël respectively.…

• Salman Rushdie's 'Fury' Examines Modern Schizophrenia and Violence opinion-review

  In a review published in artpress, Olivier Renault analyzes Salman Rushdie's novel 'Fury' (Furie), exploring its themes of rage, possession, and societal breakdown. The novel is…

• Russia's Struggle for Voice in Postcolonial Discourse Explored by Art Historian Ekaterina Dyogot opinion-review

  In an article released on November 2, 2001, Ekaterina Dyogot, an art historian from Moscow, delves into the cultural friction between Russia and the West. She observes that…

• Post-Soviet Russian Films Reassess Historical Tyranny Through Modernist Techniques opinion-review

  Alexei German's 1998 film "Khrustalev, My Car!" depicts the final days of Stalin's rule through a nightmarish aesthetic of darkness and repulsion, shot predominantly in…

• Andrej Nekrasov's 2001 film 'Love and Other Nightmares' explores Russian women's plight through metafilm and sci-fi opinion-review

  The 2001 Russian film 'Love and Other Nightmares,' directed by Andrej Nekrasov, merges metafilm elements with a science fiction storyline. It centers on Alex, an English-speaking…

• Sergei Soloviev's 2001 film Tender Age examines Soviet youth during collapse opinion-review

  Sergei Soloviev directed the 2001 Russian film Tender Age, which was produced by TriTe, the production company of filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov. The screenplay was co-written by…

• Crisis of Testimony and Voyeurism in Contemporary Photography opinion-review

  This essay examines the erosion of photographic testimony's credibility in the age of media manipulation and spectacle. It traces the shift from the heroic war…

• Morimura's Kahlo Series and Kulik's New Paradise: A Critical Review of Paris Gallery Openings opinion-review

  The article reviews several photography exhibitions in Paris galleries in September-October 2001. Yasumasa Morimura's series "An Inner Dialogue with Frida Kahlo" at Galerie…

• Raymond Depardon: Distance and Complicity in Photography opinion-review

  Raymond Depardon explores the relationship between distance and intimacy in his photographic work. He establishes a complicity with the place and the person being photographed,…

• The Illusory Opposition Between Aesthetics and Ethics in Documentary Photography opinion-review

  An article published in artpress in November 2001 argues that the dichotomy between aesthetics and ethics in documentary photography is false. The author contends that the…

• Scholars Debate East-Central European Art's Identity Post-Communism at College Art Association Panel opinion-review

  During the College Art Association Conference in Chicago, a roundtable led by Susan Snodgrass focused on both contemporary and historical viewpoints of Central and East European…

• FIAC 2001: The Hunt for Young Collectors opinion-review

  A 2001 investigation into under-40 collectors in France reveals a generation that blurs traditional boundaries between art, design, and multiples, often prioritizing lifestyle…

• Critical Review of MoMA's 1998 Rodchenko Retrospective Catalogue opinion-review

  The 1998 exhibition catalogue produced by The Museum of Modern Art for Aleksandr Rodchenko's inaugural major retrospective in the United States has drawn criticism. Edited by…

• Le graphisme : Penser le design graphique — un appel à la réflexion opinion-review

  Bruce Mau Design's 1999 recruitment ad in Toronto asked 41 questions testing visual culture, seeking designers who think and read. Mau's ties to intellectual circles are evident:…

• French Art World's Global Irrelevance Laid Bare by Quemin Report opinion-review

  A report by sociologist Alain Quemin, commissioned by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and released in May 2001, quantifies the marginal presence of French artists in…

• Music as Spatial Art: The Rise of Sonic Environments opinion-review

  An article in artpress argues that music has shifted from a temporal art form to a spatial one, focusing on the creation of stratified sound environments that account for…

• Quebec as a Model for Electronic Arts opinion-review

  Quebec has emerged as a promising hub for electronic arts, offering a dynamic and pragmatic approach that contrasts with France's more centralized model. The article argues that…

• Dmitri Meskhiev's 'Mechanical Suite' reviewed by Birgit Beumers in ARTMargins Online opinion-review

  Birgit Beumers reviews Dmitri Meskhiev's film 'Mechanical Suite', noting his shift from experimental to commercial projects in the late 1990s. In 1998, Meskhiev released 'A…

• Film 'Moscow' by Alexander Zeldovich Analyzes Post-Soviet Language and Cultural Void opinion-review

  Alexander Zeldovich's 2000 film 'Moscow', based on a script co-written with Vladimir Sorokin, diverges from its literary source to explore a tragic absence of cultural language in…

• Kira Muratova's 2001 film 'Minor People' explores death through absurdist narrative and meticulous visual detail opinion-review

  Kira Muratova's 2001 film 'Minor People' delves into themes of mortality through a deceptive storyline. The narrative opens with a doctor attending to a terminally ill patient,…

• Leon Golub's Retrospective at Brooklyn Museum Critiqued for Violent Imagery and Artistic Limitations opinion-review

  Leon Golub's retrospective exhibition, 'Leon Golub: Paintings (1950-2000)', was on view at the South London Gallery and Albright Knox in Buffalo before concluding at the Brooklyn…

• IKEA's Moscow store as a cultural phenomenon and capitalist Gesamtkunstwerk opinion-review

  In 2001, IKEA's presence in Moscow represented more than a furniture retailer; it functioned as a civilizational enterprise addressing post-Soviet realities. The store, located…

• Austrian Cultural Resistance Fizzles One Year After Haider's Rise opinion-review

  The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) entered Austria's government on February 4, 2000, provoking widespread outrage across Europe. Artists spearheaded the resistance against Haider,…

• M/M (Paris) and the Strategic Blurring of Design and Art opinion-review

  Since establishing their studio in the early 1990s, the French graphic design pair M/M (Mathias Augustyniak and Michaël Amzalag) have seamlessly intertwined design with…

• MOCA's 2001 Awareness Campaign Criticized as Conceptual Stupidity opinion-review

  In 2001, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles launched a large-scale advertising campaign in collaboration with TBWA/Chiat/Day to boost its brand image. The…

• Belphégor: Claude Barma's TV Masterpiece on Artpress opinion-review

  In a 2001 article for Artpress, critic Philippe Sollers praises Claude Barma's 1965 television adaptation of "Belphégor," arguing it transcends the thriller genre through its…

• Damien Hirst's discursive ready-mades at Académie de Lagado opinion-review

  The article examines Damien Hirst's oeuvre, arguing that all his work tends toward the ready-made, but a discursive ready-made that generates meaning by pointing to illness and…

• Art as Risk in the Age of the Eclipse of the Artwork opinion-review

  An article in artpress argues that art must be a risk-taking endeavor, and that current artistic practices demonstrate the necessary resistance to produce works both against and…

• Slavoj Žižek's Nationalist Turn and Laibach's Role in Yugoslav Dissolution Analyzed opinion-review

  In his 1996 publication 'The Indivisible Remainder', Slavoj Žižek emphasizes Slovene national identity during the disintegration of Yugoslavia, portraying ethnic affiliation as a…

• Jérôme Bel's Choreography of Disappearance and Language opinion-review

  Jérôme Bel's choreographic works construct a device of disappearance, driven by an obsession with language that interrogates codes of representation. The article from artpress,…

• David Salle's 'Pastoral' Exhibition at Gagosian Gallery Challenges Critic's Longstanding Dislike opinion-review

  David Salle's exhibition titled 'Pastoral' at Gagosian Gallery, which is open until March 3, 2001, prompted a critic to reconsider their previous dislike for his art. Situated at…

• Censorship in France: Political Motivations Behind Aesthetic and Ethical Pretexts opinion-review

  A new form of censorship is proliferating in France, hiding behind pretexts of prevention, aesthetics, or ethics. These prohibitions are driven by political motivations, as…

• Photography's Handmade Sets Persist in Digital Age opinion-review

  Despite widespread digitalization, photography continues to employ handcrafted sets and models, a self-critical practice that has evolved into a distinct genre. The article…

• Yves Klein and Jean-Luc Godard: Aesthetic Crossroads on Rue Campagne Première opinion-review

  The article examines the critical influences and aesthetic exchanges between modern art and cinema, focusing on Yves Klein and Jean-Luc Godard on Rue Campagne Première. It argues…