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"MANAGEX is an idea very much in the temper of the art gallery scene today"
- Ellen Dissanayake, author of "What Is Art For", "Homo Aestheticus: Where Art Comes From and Why", and "Art and Intimacy: How the Arts Began"
"MANAGEX fits within a dialog that is happening in the contemporary world... it is unique in its conception"
- Brendan Davis, editor in chief,
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MANAGEX Moscow: Russian National Centre for Contemporary Arts
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Exhibition Of Living Managers (MANAGEX) art project by Alexander Kaffka and Elena Shmatko artists' statement |
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Profession as art
Can profession become an art object? I think so. Professions unite humans, while a human being has constantly been focal point of arts.
photo A.Morkovkin
Managers as art objects
If there is certain mystery in every profession, managers are definitely the secret masters who hold the keys to the modern universe… I think that’s the only explanation of their proliferation in the world today. They proliferate so widely this profession becomes not just social, but a cultural phenomenon. So, if there are doubts about managers as art objects, why don’t we go and see with our own eyes?
Participants of MANAGEX
"I like the idea of MANAGEX especially in terms of the productive role that the work brings to managers as 'objects' to be exhibited"
- Joshua Sofaer, artist and writer, www.joshuasofaer.com
welcome to join in, if you:
- are a manager or programmer interested in participation in upcoming MANAGEX / PROGRAMEX events
- wish to visit a MANAGEX / PROGRAMEX event and want to stay informed
- would like to help in organization of a MANAGEX / PROGRAMEX in your city
- are a gallery owner, an art critic, or representative of media
submit your e-mail address to:
<List @ managex.info> [please delete intervals around "@" to avoid spam]
Exhibition
of living managers (MANAGEX) is an art project which started
in Moscow at National Centre for Contemporary Arts. Real, employed managers
became art objects of this event –
those who wished to get away from office routine for two days and take part
in this exhibition, which somewhat resembles the television
reality-shows. In contrast to reality-shows, there are no strict
requirements for the participants: they only must be employed
full-time as managers of any level, have some interest for the
contemporary art, and have patience needed to serve as an exhibit
for several hours. The
organizers make the participants’ life as easy as possible.
Everyone is comfortably seated, and is completely free to talk
to visitors or be silent. Next to each participant there is a nameplate
with information, just like at any gallery exhibition. Participants are free to provide either true or fabricated information (such as name,
employer, position, salary, etc.), or to provide no info at all and
leave the nameplate blank, if they prefer so. go
to Moscow page
play
video
Attention: our newest project Exhibition of Living Programmers (PROGRAMEX) will put yet another global profession in the spotlight - computer/IT professionals.
The role of the artist
To allow the public view the exhibition, the artist, as always, has done all the dirty work in his studio. Once the project concept had been elaborated, the main task was to identify potential participants. Wishing to be as objective as possible, the author only selects volunteers who showed interest his announcement posted at professional managers’ forums in the Internet. It implies the exhibits are not average, but rather art-starving managers. By placing them in the spotlight, the authors complete a twofold mission: not only to grow the art dimension of managers’ order for the general public, but to cultivate the art-oriented agents within the managers community.
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