Radical art and institutions: Interactions, contexts and conn ections

Abstract

The article explores the problem of interaction between radical art and institutions. The problem of the Radical as such is examined, taking into account the complexity and ideologization of the term. The authors try to trace how exactly the Radical was implemented in contemporary art practices, who exactly and why resorted to radicalization of their own artistic language, and by what social shifts and contexts was this radicalization conditioned. First of all, the connection of the problem with the history of institutional critique is analyzed — new contexts are proposed for scholarly engagement with the legacy of institutional critique as such, given its a priori radicality assumed by its creators. Next, attention is paid to the problem of theorizing subcultural groups working at the intersection between rock and industrial music and radical art. For further analysis, the authors consider three examples illustrating three different forms of interaction: COUM Transmissions with ICA London in the UK of the 70s; the art group “Voina” with the state prize “Innovation” in Russia in the first half of the 2010s; Antonina Baever and Dmitry Fedorov with an unnamed museum in Russia in the second half of the 2010s. Accordingly, the authors distinguish static, maneuverable and allergic interaction.