IRWIN's EAST ART MAP Publication Challenges Western Narratives of Eastern European Art
The 2006 work 'EAST ART MAP: Contemporary Art and Eastern Europe' by IRWIN offers an extensive overview of post-war artistic developments in Eastern Europe, drawing on insights from local theorists and curators from 23 nations. This 527-page book, which is part of a larger initiative that includes a website and an exhibition, aims to transcend Western-centric narratives like the 1997 Stockholm exhibition 'After the Wall'. It strives to define Eastern Europe as an artistic domain shaped by local perspectives. Contributors from countries such as Albania, Poland, and Russia identified key artists and events, resulting in approximately 300 entries. Essays by thinkers like Rastko Močnik and Eda Čufer challenge Western cultural narratives, exposing inconsistencies in how post-war art histories are perceived across the region.
Key facts
- EAST ART MAP was published in 2006 by IRWIN as an Afterall Book from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
- The project includes a 527-page volume, website (eastartmap.org), exhibition (East Map Museum), and East Map University Network
- 23 contributors from Eastern European countries selected about 300 artists, projects, and institutions
- The publication critiques Western exhibitions like 'After the Wall' (1997, Stockholm) for imposing frameworks
- Theoretical essays analyze Cold War cultural politics, institutionalization, and identity construction
- Contributors show divergent definitions of 'post-war' art history across regions
- The project reveals fragmentation and lack of internal dialogue within Eastern European art scenes
- IRWIN had over 15 years of artistic research and networking experience before this publication
Entities
Artists
- IRWIN
- Igor Zabel
- Neo Rauch
- Iara Boubnova
- Inke Arns
- Sylvia Sasse
- Ana Peraica
- Edi Muka
- Nermina Zildžo
- Rastko Močnik
- Roger Conover
- Eda Čufer
- Slavoj Žižek
- Susan Buck-Morss
- Andreas Spiegl
Institutions
- Afterall Book
- Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
- University of the Arts London
- ARTMargins
- Venice Biennale
- MoMA
- Soros Foundation
- East Map Museum
- East Map University Network
- Šempas Family
- OHO
Locations
- Stockholm
- Sweden
- Germany
- Albania
- Kosovo
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- East Germany
- Estonia
- Hungary
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Moldova
- Poland
- Republic of Macedonia
- Romania
- Russia
- Serbia
- Montenegro
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Sarajevo
- Venice
- Italy
- Moscow
- St. Petersburg
- Skopje