Klara Kemp-Welch's 'Networking the Bloc' Recasts Eastern European Experimental Art as Transnational Network
In her 2019 publication, 'Networking the Bloc: Experimental Art in Eastern Europe 1965-1981,' Klara Kemp-Welch disputes the notion of artistic seclusion within the Iron Curtain by analyzing the movement of individuals, objects, and concepts throughout the Cold War era. The work redefines 'dissident' as 'experimental' and is organized around themes of mobilization, passage points, and convergences, featuring case studies from Poland and Czechoslovakia. Notable illustrations include the mail art network and Klaus Groh's 'Aktuelle Kunst in Osteuropa.' The book emphasizes collaborations with Western artists and artist-run spaces, promoting a 'translocal' viewpoint. It probes whether experimental art emerged from global influences or local contexts, seeking to broaden the understanding of Eastern European art.
Key facts
- Klara Kemp-Welch's book 'Networking the Bloc: Experimental Art in Eastern Europe 1965-1981' was published by The MIT Press in 2019.
- The book challenges the idea that experimental artists in the Soviet bloc operated in isolation during the Cold War.
- It uses a methodological approach based on 'minor narratives' and a transnational perspective.
- The terminology shifts from 'dissident' to 'experimental' to avoid reducing art to political engagement.
- The book is structured around three concepts: mobilization, points of passage, and convergences.
- It draws on archival materials including images, letters, press releases, and testimonies.
- The research aligns with other transnational studies like 'Art Beyond Borders' and 'Globalizing East European Art Histories'.
- Kemp-Welch applies a version of Bruno Latour's actor-network theory to the art field.
Entities
Artists
- Klara Kemp-Welch
- Klaus Groh
- Kwiekulik
- Jiří Kovanda
- Petr Štembera
- János Brendel
- Jaroslaw Kozlowski
- György Galántai
- Carlfriedrich Claus
- Robert Rehfeldt
- Ruth-Wolf Rehfeldt
- Alex Mlynárčik
- Chris Burden
- Tom Marioni
- Shirley Cameron
- Roland Miller
- George Maciunas
- Dick Higgins
- Robert Fillou
- Goran Đorđević
- Cristian Nae
Institutions
- The MIT Press
- De Appel
- Foksal Gallery
- Akumulatory 2 Gallery
- Balatonboglár Chapel Studio
- Artpool
- Remont Gallery
- I. B. Tauris
- CEU Press
- Routledge
- Flash Art
- ARTMargins Online
Locations
- Cambridge, MA
- Eastern Europe
- Czechoslovakia
- Poland
- France
- West Germany
- United States
- Paris
- Amsterdam
- Warsaw
- Devon
- Köln
- Japan
- Latin America
- Hungary
- East Germany
- Yugoslavia
- Bratislava
- London
- New York
- Budapest
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —