Page 45 - Studio International - June 1972

rewrote the text to suit their own taste and in and more critical in modern art. This art arose without great historical events —it is a
such a way that the plot is finally lost. Without from a feeling of crisis in European culture, in `gesunkenes Kulturgut' as the Germans say—
really thinking about it, they shifted a banal a conscious or unconscious departure but these events stop here, and there remains
play into new dimensions of theatrical fantasy. from it. It was an attempt to find a new way only ordinary and very genuine life.
But while the opening of Demartini's exhibition of thinking, feeling, living. At the same time, In this respect, Milan Kínzák is the most
dissolved quite naturally into a village dance if it was to live in this world and influence it, radical and consistent. He began as a painter,
which was joined by the local people, the it had to find a way of establishing contact but soon moved on to organizing game-
performance of The Count of Monte Cristo with it. As soon as it succeeded, however, it ceremonies. Alan Kaprow included him in his
was attended by the Prague cultural public and could hardly prevent itself from continuing book Assemblage, Environments and
this shifted its significance in quite another with the old art under the guise of new Happenings in 1966. After several varied
direction. Its connections with popular culture forms : art-as-luxury-goods, art-as- attempts, failures and transformations,
were broken. It was not that joyful release that representation, art-as-ornament, Knízák simplified his 'activities' as he calls
we had experienced in the country pub; they art-as-propaganda, art-as-entertainment. them, so that they became as pure, immaterial
were not playing together with their public, It was precisely this feeling of crisis of values and introspective as possible. While he was
but to it; all at once they found themselves in a which drove young Czech artists in the fifties living in Prague, he too consistently avoided
position where they were performing in front of back to modernism in art, even though it was a `art society' and turned to the simple people of
the others. Just as with Dada, and more recently long and uncertain struggle to have this art even his city with his work. Now he lives outside of
with happenings, an attempt to rescue art from temporarily given a place in public life. Over the Prague, once again surrounded by young
routine ended in the routine of formal public years and under these circumstances they people for whom any artistic ambition
entertainment. developed their own conceptions. On the one whatsoever is foreign. He composes music for
This is a problem which is becoming more hand the work of art, albeit unpublishable or them, and plays and sings with them. The music
unsaleable, developed an autonomous value : is partly rock, partly protest songs, partly Cage;
the artist works with extraordinary care and and for some of them he organizes his simple
makes exceptional sacrifices to achieve his ceremonies. The most recent one took place in
ends. On the other hand, it gives the artist the the fall of last year. It was called 'Instant
impulse to play, to create a radically different Cathedrals' and the event is best described by
world, a kind of Jarryan 'supplementary the scenario : 'Circles are constructed of stones
universe', an embryonic microcosm quite apart in the bottom of an abandoned quarry.
from the macrocosm of disintegrating values, Each person works on his own. Then everyone
and in this he seeks a new justification for his stands silently in his circle, sits down and
life as an artist. He does this precisely because draws his own magic sign in the ground inside
he can find in society no place for his work. But the circle. Then, with a quiet, monotonous
the problem returns. Where is the place for humming, he goes with the others to the rocks
this game ? above the quarry, where he observes the stone
The works and activities which constitute circles left on the quarry floor. The time
modern art arise, one might say, continually intervals may be established beforehand, or be
outside the historical context, in solitude and given by a set of pre-arranged signals, or by a
poverty, in the anonymity of everyday lives. megaphone from the top of the quarry.' The
This is not so much out of revoltagainst the various jobs of the participants are interesting:
great contemporary world as out of indifference a stoker, a charwoman, a warehouse hand,
to it. If the artist is to continue to work, it an engineer's assistant, a plumber, a factory
would probably be best for him if he could worker, a few students from a technical school,
remain humble and unknown. It is probably a chauffeur.
a very precise instinct which leads the artist `The great artist of tomorrow will go
into the subculture of urban people. This underground,' said Marcel Duchamp in 1961.
subculture, it is true, could not have arisen
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