Thelma Golden: How art gives shape to cultural change

Prevodilac: Adisa Ejubovic Lektor: Ivana Korom

The brilliant playwright, Adrienne Kennedy,

Brilijantna dramaturginja, Adrijen Kenedi,

wrote a volume called

je napisala delo

"People Who Led to My Plays."

"Ljudi koji su doveli do mojih predstava".

And if I were to write a volume,

Ako bih ja napisala delo,

it would be called,

zvalo bi se:

"Artists Who Have Led My Exhibitions"

"Umetnici koji su doveli do mojih izložbi"

because my work,

jer je moj rad,

in understanding art and in understanding culture,

kroz razumevanje umetnosti i kulture,

has come by following artists,

proizašao tako što sam ja pratila umetnike

by looking at what artists mean

uzimajući u obzir šta to znači biti umetnik,

and what they do and who they are.

šta oni rade i ko su oni.

J.J. from "Good Times,"

Dž.Dž. iz serije "Dobra vremena",

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

significant to many people of course

drugim ljudima poznat

because of "Dy-no-mite,"

po svojoj frazi "dinamit",

but perhaps more significant

ali možda značajniji

as the first, really, black artist

kao prvi, pravi crni umetnik

on primetime TV.

u udarnom terminu na TV-u.

Jean-Michel Basquiat,

Žan-Mišel Baskijat,

important to me because [he was]

meni bitan jer je bio

the first black artist in real time

prvi crni umetnik u stvarnom životu

that showed me the possibility of

koji mi je pokazao mogućnosti onoga

who and what I was about to enter into.

u šta sam tada zakoračila.

My overall project is about art --

Moj ceo projekat je o umetnosti,

specifically, about black artists --

preciznije o crnim umetnicima,

very generally

a generalno

about the way in which art

o načinu na koji umetnost

can change the way we think

može da promeni naše razmišljanje

about culture and ourselves.

o kulturi i nama samima.

My interest is in artists

Mene zanimaju umetnici

who understand and rewrite history,

koji razumeju i ponovo oblikuju istoriju,

who think about themselves

koji razmišljaju o sebi

within the narrative

u okviru diskursa

of the larger world of art,

koji je veći od sveta umetnosti,

but who have created new places

ali koji su stvorili i nova mesta

for us to see and understand.

koja možemo da vidimo i razumemo.

I'm showing two artists here, Glenn Ligon and Kara Walker,

Prikazujem vam dva umetnika: Glena Ligona i Kerol Voker,

two of many who really form for me

dvoje od mnogih drugih koji za mene stvarno formiraju

the essential questions that I wanted to bring

suštinska pitanja koja sam ja, kao kustos,

as a curator to the world.

htela da stavim u prvi plan.

I was interested in the idea

Mene je zanimala ideja

of why and how

toga kako i zašto

I could create a new story,

bih mogla da stvorim novu priču,

a new narrative in art history

novi narativ u istoriji umetnosti

and a new narrative in the world.

i novi narativ u svetu.

And to do this, I knew

Kako bih to uradila, znala sam

that I had to see the way in which artists work,

da sam morala da vidim kako umetnici rade,

understand the artist's studio

shvatim studio umetnika

as a laboratory,

kao laboratoriju,

imagine, then,

i zamislim

reinventing the museum as a think tank

muzej kao ekspertnu instituciju,

and looking at the exhibition

a izložbe

as the ultimate white paper -- asking questions,

kao beli papir, postavljanjem pitanja

providing the space

i stvaranjem prostora

to look and to think about answers.

kako bi se pronašli odgovori.

In 1994,

Godine 1994.

when I was a curator at the Whitney Museum,

kada sam bila kustos u muzeju Vitni,

I made an exhibition called Black Male.

napravila sam izložbu "Crni muškarac".

It looked at the intersection

Obrađivala je ukrštanje

of race and gender

rase i pola

in contemporary American art.

u savremenoj američkoj umetnosti.

It sought to express

Težila je da izrazi

the ways in which art

način na koji umetnost

could provide a space for dialogue --

može da stvori prostor za dijalog -

complicated dialogue,

komplikovan dijalog,

dialogue with many, many points of entry --

dijalog sa mnogo tačaka gledišta -

and how the museum could be the space

i kako muzej može da bude prostor

for this contest of ideas.

za borbu ovih ideja.

This exhibition included

Izložba je uključila

over 20 artists

preko 20 umetnika

of various ages and races,

razne dobi i rasa,

but all looking at black masculinity

ali se fokusirala na crnačku muškost

from a very particular point of view.

iz posebne perspektive.

What was significant about this exhibition

Ono što je bilo bitno u ovoj izložbi

is the way in which

je bio način na koji

it engaged me in my role

me je ona angažovala u ulozi

as a curator, as a catalyst,

kustosa i pokretača

for this dialogue.

ovog dijaloga.

One of the things that happened

Ono što je bilo veoma upečatljivo

very distinctly in the course of this exhibition

u toku ove izložbe

is I was confronted with the idea

je činjenica da sam se sučelila sa idejom

of how powerful images can be

koliko jake slike mogu da budu

in people's understanding of themselves and each other.

u ljudskom razumevanju sebe i drugih.

I'm showing you two works, one on the right by Leon Golub,

Ovo su dva rada. Sa desne strane je delo Leona Goluba,

one on the left by Robert Colescott.

a sa leve delo Roberta Kolskota.

And in the course of the exhibition --

U toku izložbe,

which was contentious, controversial

koja je bila sporna i kontroverzna,

and ultimately, for me,

i za mene je predstavljala

life-changing

životnu prekretnicu

in my sense of what art could be --

u mom poimanju onoga što bi umetnost mogla da bude,

a woman came up to me on the gallery floor

jedna žena mi je prišla u galeriji

to express her concern about the nature

kako bi izrazila zabrinutost oko toga

of how powerful images could be

kako jake neke slike mogu da budu

and how we understood each other.

i kako mi razumemo jedni druge.

And she pointed to the work on the left

Uperila je prstom na delo sa leve strane

to tell me how problematic this image was,

i rekla mi je kako je ova slika problematična

as it related, for her, to the idea of

jer je, po njoj, ona prikazivala

how black people had been represented.

kako su crnci bili predstavljani.

And she pointed to the image on the right

Onda je pokazala sliku sa desne strane

as an example, to me, of the kind of dignity

i istakla da je to primer dostojanstva

that needed to be portrayed

koje treba da se prenese

to work against those images in the media.

kako bi delovalo protiv slika iz medija.

She then assigned these works racial identities,

Onda je ovim slikama dodelila rasne identitete,

basically saying to me that the work on the right,

rekavši mi da je delo sa desne strane

clearly, was made by a black artist,

očigledno naslikao crni umetnik,

the work on the left, clearly, by a white artist,

a delo sa leve belac.

when, in effect,

Međutim, stvar

that was the opposite case:

je obrnuta:

Bob Colescott, African-American artist;

Bob Kolskot, afro-američki umetnik;

Leon Golub, a white artist.

Leon Golub, belac.

The point of that for me was

U tom prostoru i trenutku za mene je poenta

to say -- in that space, in that moment --

toga bila ta

that I really, more than anything,

da sam više od svega

wanted to understand

želela da shvatim

how images could work, how images did work,

kako slike mogu da funkcionišu i kako su zapravo funkcionisale

and how artists provided

i kako umetnici snabdevaju

a space bigger than one

prostor veći

that we could imagine in our day-to-day lives

od onog kog mi zamišljamo u svakodnevnom životu

to work through these images.

kako bismo interpretirali ove slike.

Fast-forward and I end up in Harlem;

Motamo film unapred i sada sam u Harlemu,

home for many of black America,

domu mnogih Afro-amerikanaca,

very much the psychic heart

u takoreći, vidovitom srcu

of the black experience,

crnačkog iskustva.

really the place where the Harlem Renaissance existed.

Ovo je mesto gde je postojala harlemska renesansa.

Harlem now, sort of explaining

Harlem danas objašnjava

and thinking of itself in this part of the century,

i razmišlja o sebi u ovom delu veka,

looking both backwards and forwards ...

gledajući unazad i unapred...

I always say Harlem is an interesting community

Uvek kažem da je Harlem zanimljiva zajednica

because, unlike many other places,

jer, za razliku od drugih mesta,

it thinks of itself in the past, present

on razmišlja o sebi u prošlosti, sadašnjosti

and the future simultaneously;

i budućnosti u isto vreme.

no one speaks of it just in the now.

Niko o njemu ne priča isključivo u sadašnjosti

It's always what it was and what it can be.

nego u kontekstu šta je on bio i šta može biti.

And, in thinking about that,

Razmišljajući o tome,

then my second project, the second question I ask is:

moj drugi projekat, drugo pitanje je:

Can a museum

može li muzej da bude

be a catalyst in a community?

pokretač u jednoj zajednici?

Can a museum house artists

Može li muzej da pruži utočište umetnicima

and allow them to be change agents

i dozvoli im da budu agenti promene

as communities rethink themselves?

dok se zajednice menjaju?

This is Harlem, actually, on January 20th,

Ovo je Harlem 20. januara,

thinking about itself in a very wonderful way.

koji razmišlja o sebi na divan način.

So I work now at The Studio Museum in Harlem,

Sada radim u muzeju Studio u Harlemu

thinking about exhibitions there,

i razmišljam o izložbama tamo,

thinking about what it means to

razmišljam o tome šta znači

discover art's possibility.

otkriti potencijal u umetnosti.

Now, what does this mean to some of you?

Šta ovo znači za neke od vas?

In some cases, I know that many of you

U nekim slučajevima, znam da su mnogi od vas

are involved in cross-cultural dialogues,

uključeni u međukulturalne dijaloge,

you're involved in ideas of creativity and innovation.

bavite se idejama kreativnosti i inovacija.

Think about the place that artists can play in that --

Pomislite o ulozi koju umetnici mogu da igraju u tome -

that is the kind of incubation and advocacy

to je vrsta inkubacije i predstavništva

that I work towards, in working with young, black artists.

prema kojoj ja delujem, sarađujući sa mladim, crnim umetnicima.

Think about artists, not as content providers,

Mislite o umetnicima ne kao o proizvođačima sadržaja,

though they can be brilliant at that,

iako oni mogu da budu briljantni u tome,

but, again, as real catalysts.

nego kao o pravim pokretačima.

The Studio Museum was founded in the late 60s.

Muzej Studio je osnovan krajem '60-ih.

And I bring this up because it's important to locate

Ovo govorim jer mi je bitno da pozicioniram

this practice in history.

ovu praksu u istoriji.

To look at 1968,

Setite se 1968.

in the incredible historic moment that it is,

ovog neverovatnog istorijskog trenutka

and think of the arc that has happened since then,

i pomislite o zakrivini koja se desila od tada,

to think of the possibilities that we are all

pomislite o mogućnostima

privileged to stand in today

koje su nam dostupne danas

and imagine that this museum

i zamislite da je ovaj muzej

that came out of a moment of great protest

koji se rodio u trenutku velikog protesta

and one that was so much about

koji se puno ticao

examining the history and the legacy

ispitivanja istorije i nasleđa

of important African-American artists

bitnih afro-američkih umetnika

to the history of art in this country

za istoriju umetnosti ove zemlje,

like Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis,

poput Džejkoba Lorensa, Normana Luisa,

Romare Bearden.

Romera Birdena.

And then, of course,

Naravno, sada

to bring us to today.

dolazimo do sadašnjosti.

In 1975, Muhammad Ali

Godine 1975. Muhamed Ali

gave a lecture at Harvard University.

je održao predavanje na Harvardu.

After his lecture, a student got up and said to him,

Posle ovog predavanja, jedan student je ustao i rekao mu:

"Give us a poem."

"Date nam pesmu."

And Mohammed Ali said, "Me, we."

A Muhamed Ali je rekao: "Ja i mi."

A profound statement about the individual and the community.

Vrlo snažna poruka o individualnosti i zajednici,

The space in which now,

prostoru u kome sada

in my project of discovery, of thinking about artists,

u mom projektu otkrića promišljanja umetnika,

of trying to define

pokušaja da se definiše

what might be

šta bi to mogao biti

black art cultural movement of the 21st century.

crnački umetničko-kulturalni pokret 21. veka,

What that might mean

šta bi to moglo da znači

for cultural movements all over this moment,

za kulturne pokrete u ovom trenutku.

the "me, we" seems

"Ja i mi" ima

incredibly prescient

vidovita svojstva

totally important.

i itekako je bitno.

To this end,

Do sada,

the specific project that has made this possible for me

projekti koji su

is a series of exhibitions,

ovo omogućili za mene

all titled with an F --

je niz izložbi, naslovljene

Freestyle, Frequency and Flow --

Slobodan stil, Učestalost, Tok

which have set out to discover

koje teže da otkriju

and define

i definišu

the young, black artists working in this moment

mlade, crne umetnike u ovom trenutku

who I feel strongly

za koje smatram

will continue to work over the next many years.

da će nastaviti da rade još mnogo godina.

This series of exhibitions

Ovaj niz izložbi

was made specifically

je specifično napravljen

to try and question

kako bi se stavila pod upitnik

the idea of what it would mean

ideja toga šta bi značilo

now, at this point in history,

u ovoj tački u istoriji

to see art as a catalyst;

videti umetnost kao pokretač;

what it means now, at this point in history,

šta u ovoj tački u istoriji znači,

as we define and redefine culture,

dok mi pokušavamo da definišemo i redefinišemo kulturu,

black culture specifically in my case,

u mom slučaju crnačku kulturu,

but culture generally.

ali i kulturu u širem smislu.

I named this group of artists

Na osnovu ideje koju sam ja istakla

around an idea, which I put out there

nazvala sam ovu grupu umetnika

called post-black,

post-crnački umetnici.

really meant to define them

Htela sam time da definišem

as artists who came and start their work now,

umetnike koji su došli i počeli sa svojim radom sada

looking back at history but start in this moment, historically.

gledajući u prošlost, ali počevši u sadašnjosti.

It is really in this sense of discovery

Kroz ovaj osećaj otkrića

that I have a new set of questions that I'm asking.

imam novi niz pitanja.

This new set of questions is:

Taj novi niz je:

What does it mean, right now,

šta u ovom trenutku znači

to be African-American in America?

biti Afro-amerikanac u Americi?

What can artwork say about this?

Šta umetnička dela kažu o ovome?

Where can a museum exist

Gde muzej može da postoji

as the place for us all

kao mesto

gde svi možemo da vodimo ovaj razgovor?

to have this conversation?

Really, most exciting about this

Najuzbudljiviji deo u ovome

is thinking about the energy and the excitement

je energija i uzbuđenje

that young artists can bring.

koje mladi umetnici unose.

Their works for me are about,

Njihovi radovi, za mene,

not always just simply

nisu uvek samo

about the aesthetic innovation

o estetskoj inovaciji

that their minds imagine, that their visions create

koju njihovi umovi mogu da zamisle, i njihove vizije stvore

and put out there in the world,

i predstave svetu,

but more, perhaps, importantly,

nego je, još važnije, možda,

through the excitement of the community

uzbuđenje u zajednici

that they create as important voices

koje stvaraju kao važni glasovi

that would allow us right now to understand our situation,

koji bi nam dozvolili da razumemo našu situaciju sada

as well as in the future.

kao i u budućnosti.

I am continually amazed

Uvek me oduševi

by the way in which

način na koji

the subject of race

se tema rase

can take itself in many places

može naći na mnogim mestima

that we don't imagine it should be.

za koje ne možemo ni zamisliti.

I am always amazed

Uvek me oduševi

by the way in which artists are willing

način na koji su umetnici spremni

to do that in their work.

da to urade u svom radu.

It is why I look to art.

Zato ja gledam prema umetnosti.

It's why I ask questions of art.

Zato ja postavljam pitanja umetnosti.

It is why I make exhibitions.

Zato ja organizujem izložbe.

Now, this exhibition, as I said,

Kao što sam rekla, u ovoj izložbi je učestvovalo

40 young artists done over the course of eight years,

40 mladih umetnika u periodu od osam godina,

and for me it's about considering the implications.

i za mene se ona tiče implikacija;

It's considering the implications of

implikacija o tome

what this generation has to say to the rest of us.

šta ova generacija ima da kaže nama.

It's considering what it means for these artists

Tiče se toga šta ovim umetnicima znači

biti u svetu, jer njihovi radovi putuju,

to be both out in the world as their work travels,

but in their communities

ali i u zajednicama,

as people who are seeing and thinking

jer su oni ljudi koji gledaju i razmišljaju

about the issues that face us.

o stvarima sa kojima se i mi susrećemo.

It's also about thinking about

Ona se tiče razmišljanja

the creative spirit and nurturing it,

o kreativnom duhu i negovanju istog

and imagining, particularly in urban America,

i zamišljanju, pogotovo u urbanoj Americi,

about the nurturing of the spirit.

o negovanju tog duha.

Now, where, perhaps, does this end up right now?

Kuda sve ovo vodi?

For me, it is about re-imagining

Za mene, do novog zamišljanja

this cultural discourse in an international context.

kulturalnog diskursa u međunarodnom kontekstu.

So the last iteration of this project

Zadnja faza ovog projekta

has been called Flow,

se zove Tok,

with the idea now of creating

čija je ideja stvaranje

a real network

prave mreže

of artists around the world;

umetnika širom sveta

really looking, not so much

koji ne gledaju samo

from Harlem and out, but looking across,

iz Harlema ka napolje, nego gledaju kroz sve delove,

and Flow looked at artists all born on the continent of Africa.

a Tok gleda na umetnike koji su se rodili u Africi.

And as many of us think about that continent

Dok mnogi od nas razmišljaju o tom kontinentu

and think about what if means

i razmišljaju o tome šta nam on znači

to us all in the 21st century,

u 21. veku,

I have begun that looking

ja sam počela da gledam

through artists, through artworks,

kroz umetnike, kroz radove

and imagining what they can tell us about the future,

i zamišljam šta nam oni mogu reći o budućnosti,

what they tell us about our future,

šta nam govore o našoj budućnosti

and what they create in their sense of

i šta mogu da stvore u smislu

offering us this great possibility of watching

kroz poziv za ovu veliku mogućnost da gledamo

that continent emerge as part

kako ovaj kontinent izranja

of our bigger dialogue.

kao deo većeg dijaloga.

So, what do I discover

Šta ja otkrivam

when I look at artworks?

dok gledam dela?

What do I think about

O čemu razmišljam

when I think about art?

kada mislim o umetnosti?

I feel like the privilege I've had as a curator

Osećam da privilegija koju imam kao kustos

is not just the discovery of new works,

nije samo vezana za otkrivanje novih dela,

the discovery of exciting works.

otkrivanje uzbudljivih dela.

But, really, it has been

Više je vezana

what I've discovered about myself

za otkrivanje sebe same

and what I can offer

i onoga što mogu da ponudim

in the space of an exhibition,

u prostoru izložbi,

to talk about beauty, to talk about power,

kako bih pričala o lepoti, o moći,

to talk about ourselves,

kako bismo pričali o sebi

and to talk and speak to each other.

i jedni sa drugima.

That's what makes me get up every day

To me diže iz kreveta svaki dan

and want to think about

i želja da razmišljam

this generation of black artists and artists around the world.

o ovoj generaciji crnih umetnika i umetnika širom sveta.

Thank you. (Applause)

Hvala. (Aplauz)