 
event. image. clone interpretation of free-graphics and crossed the boundaries of the genre, although remaining faithful to the principles of the printed image, repeatability, and possibility of reproduction. a more flexible definition of graphics is probably no longer possible, and this is not so much the fault of the triennial's organizers as 20. century culture itself, which in terms of images is always repeatable. from here on the conceptual threads unravel themselves, in contemporary culture as well as my proposed curatorial project. everything is repeatable in terms of image though not events. graphics, that is, printing and mechanical reproduction have, according to walter benjamin, played a critical revolutionary role. the revelation that original proofs from the press may be repeated results in genetical cloning throughout our culture. i think that this development from the perspective of graphics can be set out as event-image-clone. the first should be an original and the second a copy, on afterthought, however, we find that the difference is only chronological, the original is reproducible without loss and also, in the digital environment it is possible to do so endlessly. clones are born. graphic proofs begin to operate like pop-culture clichés. the graphic genre becomes itself a model for the whole of contemporary pop-culture; it is quite another matter whether anyone wishes to view it from that particular perspective. the current curated project attempts to do that with the assistance of the afore-mentioned conceptual triplets; "event", "image", "clone". these concepts are definable through each other, - no metaphysical importance is sought for in them at the moment - but they help us to comprehend that "at the very beginning of the row there was likewise a copy". this is walter benjamin's basic starting point which also helps to examine productively contemporary visual culture and arrive at the comprehension that every event exists in the world of images and that, in telecommunication culture, the image is the only event. the more the images, the bigger the event. to assist in this discourse we might utilize the graphic image as standing for the whole of contemporary culture. although it would be a little too much to expect from just one exhibition. i think that it would be more profitable to define pop-art as graphic art, since both of them multiply themselves in the same way – through repetitions. to pick out those works which are free of "the original aura" and of the "touch of the master's hand" and have assumed supreme mobility and popularity in present-day visual culture - this may well be the twelfth tallinn print triennial's objective. there exists in our art a multitude of things which justify their existence only through their good visibility and dissemination. these things all need to be collected together and made so visible that they would feel naked. this would be basically progress since to be naked means to be too visible, to be transparent. the power of the image over the viewer is here replaced with the possibility to see choices which preceded the creation of the image. the recognition of this possibility would be honest in every respect for those who have eyes in their head. the cognitive values ofthis possibility should however be pretty obvious.
translation paul rodgers, krista mits |
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