THE FRONTLINE EAST

exhibition by Tanel Rander

13.01. - 30.01.2015 in LCCA, Riga

There are two different types of transformation in Eastern Europe: 

a) post-Socialist transformation as the basic difference of Eastern Europe;
b) transformation from biopolitics to necropolitics while being part of the Global West's peripheral and militarized frontline.

In the book “Necropolitics, Racialization, and Global Capitalism” (2014) Marina Gržinić and Šefik Tatlić write about “the former East” as one of the dark sides of European Union and the West. They relate the dark side mostly with migration and labor politics of Europe, but since 2014 “the former East” occurs as the strategic military frontline, constituted by the regions that have borders with Russia.

The exhibition gives overview of my artistic activities during the past years until 2014, when a new paradigm started.

Those activities included collaborations with the artist Karolina Kubik and the artist group 10x10m. 

The exhibition of part of my artistic research on decolonial rearticulation of the discourse of Eastern Europe. 

The earlier research-based exhibitions were:

- “Decolonize This” (2012, Y Gallery, Tartu), more info: http://decolon.blogspot.com

- “No Borders – No Difference?” (2013, Tartu Art House), more info:

http://nobordersnodifference.blogspot.com

The current exhibition has an educational program, based on the following events:

Lecture/seminar “Three Displays of Eastern Europe” (Tanel Rander), 14^th of January at 18.30 (LCCA)

Lecture “Unlearning Eastern Europe” (Magdalena Radomska from Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland, and Tanel Rander), 27^th of January at 18.30 (LCCA)

Thanks: 10x10m, Indrek Grigor, Estonian Culture Endowment, Kaisa Eiche, Karolina Kubik