Concrete brain of Homo Sovieticus

Whielki Krasnals "Concrete brain of Homo Sovieticus / based on the work of Monika Sosnowska". 2008. Oil on canvas. 90 x 100 cm

Recent activity of the Polish artist Monika Sosnowska inspired us for reflections about Homo Sovieticus.
The artist, who succeeded in the Venice Biennale 2007 and has just her show in Schaulager in Basel, contributed to rising one of the most aggressive fractions of commerce in Polish contemporary art. She uses our sad history and grey PRL (previous socialistic system) past refering to socmodern aesthetics only for career and money reasons.
For western art institutions this is just attractive and exotic because they didn't experience that reality. And for us this is socialistic kitch.

Whielki Krasnal "Concrete mask of socmodern Polish contemporary art/ from the Great Poles series / Monika Sosnowska". 2008. Oil on canvas. 50 x 60 cm

From Wikipedia:
"Homo Sovieticus (pseudo Latin for "Soviet Man (human)") is a sarcastic and critical reference to a category of people with a specific mindset that were allegedly created by the governments of the Soviet bloc. The term was coined by well-known Soviet writer and sociologist Aleksandr Zinovyev as the title of his book of the same name. [1] A similar term in Russian slang is sovok (Совок), which is derived from Soviet but also means scoop.

The idea that the Soviet system would create a new, better kind of person was first postulated by the advocates of the Soviet system; they called it the "New Soviet man". Homo Sovieticus, however, was a term with negative connotations, invented by opponents to describe what they said was the real result of Soviet policies. In many ways it meant the opposite of the New Soviet man, someone characterized by the following:
Indifference to the results of his labor (as expressed in the saying "They pretend they are paying us, and we pretend we are working"), and lack of initiative.
Indifference to common property and petty theft from the workplace, both for personal use and for profit. A line from a popular song, "Everything belongs to kolkhoz, everything belongs to me" ("все теперь колхозное, все теперь мое"), meaning that people on collective farms treasured all common property as their own, was sometimes used ironically to refer to instances of petty theft. The Law of Spikelets, which made stealing from the collective punishable by ten years’ imprisonment, was a failed attempt to break this attitude.
Isolation from world culture, created by the Soviet Union's restrictions on travel abroad and strict censorship of information in the media (as well as the abundance of propaganda). The intent was to insulate the Soviet people from Western influence; instead, "exotic" Western culture became more interesting precisely because it was forbidden. Soviet officials called this fascination "Western idolatry" (идолопоклонничество перед Западом).
Obedience or passive acceptance of everything that government imposes on them (see authoritarianism). Avoidance of taking any individual responsibility on anything."

Wow! How NICELY is here / Georgia 2008

Whielki Krasnal "Wow! How NICELY is here! / Georgia 2008". 2008. Oil on canvas. 40 x 55 cm

Based on the frame from the video "Wow! How NICELY is here! / Georgia 2008" realized by The Krasnals in September 2008 by The Krasnals in Georgia.
We all watch the hot news about Georgia. Polish position is defined.
For us the situation in Georgia is particularly close. In September 2008
we realized the video which was the inspiration for the painting of
Whielki Krasnal "Wow! How NICELY is here! / Georgia 2008". We can't see
there bloody victims of the attack of Russian tanks. However in the
overtone and in the context of all the news about this difficult, tensed
up situation, the tragedy is present.

fragment

Przemysław Gosiewski

Krasnal Halabala "Great Poles/Przemysław Gosiewski - adin, dwa, tri...". 2008. Acrylics on hardboard. 55 x 46 cm
Member of the Polish right party PIS
http://www.prawica.net/node/13610

Zbigniew Brzezinski - Out of control

Zbigniew Brzezinski, from the interview in The Huffington Post on 10.08.2008: "Fundamentally at stake is what kind of role Russia will play in the new international system. Unfortunately, Putin is putting Russia on a course that is ominously similar to Stalin's and Hitler's in the late 1930s. Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt has correctly drawn an analogy between Putin's "justification" for dismembering Georgia -- because of the Russians in South Ossetia -- to Hitler's tactics vis a vis Czechoslovakia to "free" the Sudeten Deutsch."

Krasnal Bansky. “USA – Poland – Russia - Out of control / Zbigniew Brzezinski”. 2008. Akrylic, stencil on canvas. 70 x 60 cm

Whielki Krasnal’s painting – from the exhibition Olympic Fine Arts 2008 to the museum in Beijing

Painting exhibited:
Whielki Krasnal “Propulsion”. 2008. Oil on canvas. 120 x 160 cm

Whielki Krasnal was invited by International Olympic Committee, Chinese Ministry of Culture and the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Fine Arts 2008 to take part at the exhibition Olympic Fine Arts 2008. As the only one he represented Poland.
The formal exhibition opened in Beijing on August 11 Li Changchun; member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, Jacques Rogge, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president and Juan Antonio Samaranch, the IOC honorary president, attended the opening ceremony in the China International Exhibition Center.

The artist received official letter with acknowledgement from the chairman of Olympic Fine Arts - He Zhen Liang, certificate, Olympic Torch from Torino 2006, designed by Pininfarina – designer of Ferrari. Whielki Krasnal is one of the few artists that supported Olympic Games.

The artist presented the painting “Propulsion”, which is the travesty of Rodchenko’s work for Russian Car. He believed in strict connection with the strong body and healthy spirit. The concept is based on avant-garde tradition in which the power of development, strength and futuristic ideas were the most valuable.

The exhibition will last till the end of September, at the International Exhibition Center in Beijing.
After that it will be shown in Switzerland, Greece, United States, and finally situated at the new Museum for Olympic Fine Arts at the Forbidden City.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - Krasnal Bansky in Kislovodsk

Krasnal Bansky. „ГУЛАГ Щ - 202 / Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.” 2008. Oil on canvas. 45 x 54 cm

After the death of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Krasnal Bansky goes to Kislovodsk, the city where the writer was born. He found there the people who remember times of Stalinism and were its committed activists. The artist referred to the times and role they played then and painted their socrealistic portraits. There are representatives of culture sphere on the paintings – two families who till now profess Stalin, they were supporting grand communistic ideas with passion.


Krasnal Bansky. „Painter and writer. Socrealistic portrait of the family Nadhezda and Grigorij Fedoseevi / Kislovodsk”. 2008. Oil on cardboard. 70 x 100 cm (diptych)


Krasnal Bansky. „Painter and writer. Socrealistic portrait of the family Olga and Alieksieij Prokoffievi / Kislovodsk”. 2008. Oil on cardboard. 70 x 100 cm (diptych)


Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn „Russia under Avalanche (Россия в обвале,1998; political pamphlet) – fragment translated by The Krasnals:
“In 20s and 30s thousands of new Soviet intellects were strongly connected with communism and engaged In working In its machinery, mainly In propaganda. They were engaged in writing books, creating muddling songs and movies about the nation; painting huge socrealistic paintings.”

Analogy to our times:
- Great ideologist of new left tendencies - Slavoy Zizek
- Great, eager for Power Polish agitator - Sławomir Sierakowski
- Polish performer of propagandistic paintings, distinguished national artist – Wilhelm Sasnal (the director of the Polish National Gallery Zachęta Agnieszka Morawińska pronounced that this is each Polish citizen’s duty to see his exhibition)
- Great Polish left publishing house - Krytyka Polityczna

Currently in Romania over 30 % of students pronounce for the return of communistic dictatorship. In spite of they didn’t experience it by themselves, they are convinced that the education was on the higher level, life was easier and better, people had better quality of life.
Young people listen to the fantastic theories of the top philosophers like Slavoy Zizek, who produces tones of books as it was for party’s order. It’s a shame that Poland gives place and possibilities for the continuators of the so hated period.

Solzhenitsyn In 1945 was exiled and tortured on Soviet concentration camp by his kind of people, wearing just different kinds of cloths. Contemporary valets of communistic power are the same ruthless and aggressive, they just work In different field.
Nowadays agitators exactly like In past destroy contemporary intelligence, repress the talent, promote the propaganda on the big scale. But this time it’s covered by art market mechanisms and influential art institutions.

Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, for common people

On 9th and 10th August we could see in all Chinese media only glorious articles of big Opening Ceremony of Olympics. It would be everything perfect if we didn't experience on ourselves something else.
The croud of enthusiastic people waiting nearby the great mall, in front of big telebim was waiting for 4 hours for the opening at 8. Euphory was acompanied by Chinese national colours, flag stamps and stickers, animators were warming the atmosphere for common fun. But the screen of the telebim was black before 8 and it stayed black after. Nobody responded on people's screaming "switch on the screen!!!".
At 8.08 we could see from the distance traces of light comming from the Bird's Nest... Everybody disappoinded moved calmly towards the street do see from behind the trees small frames of fireworks.
People frustrated, but disciplined, gathered in 5 minutes all garbage and newspapers they were sitting on. After a while they left the place and moved to their houses. At least there was not so big traffic jam when the Opening Ceremony finished and the official spectators were leaving the Bird's Nest. Maybe that was the concept?

"Viva Beijing Olympic Games 2008!"

Art shouldn't be valued depending on propaganda it supports.

Art and media world generally stands against China – the country which organizing Olympic – symbol of peace and friendship – doesn’t respect basic human rights. The matter of ‘Tibet – China’ is treated by viewers from outside similarly like ‘Kosovo – Serbia’. It’s just comfortable to show the problem clearly, black and white.
Propaganda is the kind of incredibly strong advertisement, which uses art to its aims. Sometimes artists to make their art concepts more attractive, choose the subjects referring to this or that propaganda. But are they really creating masterpieces, because they run on proper politics?
Thinking about this question, Krasnal Bansky made the painting in the convention of Olympic propaganda, in kitsch aesthetics, pathetic and idealizing. Famous Chinese actress Zhao Wei runs with the Olympic torch. It occurs that artisticly it doesn’t stand far from works disapproving Olympics, using primitive symbols as chains, barbed wire or handcuffs. But concerning proper politics, these works are estimated as more valuable. But actually they have the same level as artworks using peace pigeons, Olympic torches or five circles.

Continuing the subject of propaganda, the times that it used its power have passed and now it can’t be as strong and influential as years ago. Besides, China passes by gigantic revolution which demands at least few dozens of years. For example western kind of legislative system was pioneered in big scale just between 70s and 80s.

Different kinds of propaganda function in politics and art, but art value actually doesn’t depend on the fact what kind of propaganda supports. Just compare the pictures attached.

Viva Beijing Olympic Games 2008 !!!

„Impossible is nothing”
Against opponents to the Olympics.

The fashionable topic, where artists manifests their opposition to the Olympics, is most often taken up mindlessly, flat, only because it'is hot news. The bodies surrounded with chains, Olympic rings on fire, made of barbed wires or as handcuffs, are trivial and not very ambitious artistic proposal. It becomes the same banal as colorful rings symbolizing 5 continents living in peace.

„Impossible is nothing” - we are watching lofty sports commercials in the streets of Beijing. Next to it, the banners with the inscription: „Poznań stawia na sport” („Poznań wagers on sports”) are turning up.
Poznan is one of the cities in Poland, where the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship will take place. The local advertising slogan, written In Polish, is turning up at places, which support the issue of beeing fit, or in main, strategic city points.

According to advertisements - Poznań city is supporting Olympics, uniting with Chineses in a sport spirit, following the next this year's Olympic motto „One world, one dream”.

Our action following the occurrences connected to sport in the Beijing took place on the 14 – 22 of July.

All slogans mentioned above have their practical accomplishment in the form of Beijing crowds, who with the passion train in parks tai chi, dances, aerobics.
We observed, as every morning from the dawn till the noon and durring the evening on squares in front of the forbidden city, museums, or in parks, inhabitants are dancing, practising the aerobics, playing badminton, exercising or even they walk back to front.
A normal view is when one of the pensioners, who is talking to friends, at one of the town's high streets, is keeping her leg leaned on the parapet to the level of chest.
We can meet also an old man, climbing with a grin to the next point on The Great Wall.

Chineses are a model of caring for the fitness. They aren't fat, their spines are straight and joints working till old age.
Irrespective of the economic status of each of them, their quality of life is definitely growing because of beeing fit.
The tradition of the Confucian culture with Taoist make them easy to adapt to conditions. They are enyoing everyday life and they find themselves easy in opened strongly developed social relationships.

The list of their interests, apart from sport, is long. In parks we also met groups of people practising singing just for pleasure, playing on traditional instruments, playing cards, practising Chinese calligraphy on asphalt with wetted in the water brush.

There is everything available for everyone for free. That's the result of good intentions and the initiative of participants.

Suprisingly, there is no need for alcohol to be drunk durring the evening public parties and discos.

'One world – one dream'… The satisfaction and pride are dominating on the faces, taking photo with Olympic mascots, in front of the portrait of Mao on the Tienanmen square.

As the silly season has last, we are attaching series of photos to documentation of our artistic action from China.