Artists of the early century. Moscow Contemporary Art 2000–2003
The second year of the WAM journal marks a combined issue titled «Artists of the Early Century.» This edition differs from others in both form and content: it is bound and dedicated entirely to contemporary art.
First and foremost, the journal was originally conceived as an experimental field. Therefore, it can take on completely different forms—becoming a book, transforming into a poster, a newspaper, or a CD—either complementing or deliberately contrasting with the published material. Our publishing project has surprised readers time and again.
Secondly, we have always postulated a distinction between genius and lack of talent, but we have never claimed that classical and contemporary art are inherently antagonistic. Contemporary art functions as a thermometer—a gauge of the physical, metaphysical, and moral condition of the artist and the society in which they live. If this art also addresses eternal questions, it passes through the filter of time, converts into classical art, and endures in history. Otherwise, it transforms into an object of material culture or a mere antique oddity.
WAM No. 8/9 is a book-journal gathering over fifty names without whom the contemporary Moscow art scene would be unimaginable. This publication is absolutely essential—not only for interested readers—it is perhaps the first large-scale publication of current early-century Moscow art—but also for the art itself, which is currently in a less-than-favorable position.
In the event of isolation from its studio, contemporary art risks «going stale”—even in a museum, quite often, and sometimes literally, like the putrefied shark Damien Hirst prepared. Large corporations that commission or collect contemporary art often sterilize it, disregarding its critical fervor. Gallerists constantly feel the impulse to drag their artists into the opportunistic games of the art market. Journalists aware of the issues facing contemporary art often avoid giving them public coverage, brushing them off with jokes and lighthearted columns.
In this situation, the book—or book-museum—becomes an effective tool for objectively documenting current artistic processes and serves as another attempt to overcome their isolation, integrating Moscow’s contemporary art from 2000–2003 into a global and historical context. Within the context of WAM.