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American beauty
Susann Whittier "Rolling Hills", Sun J. Park "Spiritual Sculpture"
4.10.03 - 26.10.03
KvadraT Art Gallery
St. Petersburg

"KvadraT" art gallery presented two installations - "Rolling Hills" by Susann Whittier and "Spiritual Sculpture" by Sun J. Park as parts of The Baltic Mist, the big American half-yearly project, which took place during the city's 300-years anniversary celebration.
   The main advantages of the gallery, which started off in April 2003, are a wide scope of exhibited art works, whether they are "old school" classical or brand new contemporary, and the open-mindedness of its director, Olga Thomson. Artist's talent, visuality and rich content of the objects are the only demands. In spring and summer of 2003 the gallery presented few worth noticing flash-art and video projects. Recently it has focused on the art of St. Petersburg's "high priests".
   The Baltic Mist is the gallery's first big project, made possible due to the support of "St. Petersburg art-project" (USA), the "Russki Album" Foundation (Russia) and "School 33 Art Center" (USA). The main aim of the project was to present a wide range of trends in contemporary art of Baltimore.
   Quite often the concept and success of an exhibition depend on its title. "Baltic mist" was a great name to choose. On the one hand "baltic mist" is a thing St. Petersburg is usually associated with. On the other hand "baltic" is a derivative of Baltimore. Therefore the mythological, mystic, Baltic soul of St. Petersburg was united with the tactile, material, industrial "body" of Baltimore by the title and the art works.
   Most of the exhibited objects appeared to be simple in form, delicate, visual and "friendly" so to say. In May, June and July 2003 "KvadraT" presented "Record, Record…" by Liza Moren, "Plaza, Piazza, Площадь" by Ruth Pettus and "Olfactory Factory" by Laure Drogoul. The closing exhibitions of the Baltic Mist project took place in the gallery in October 2003.
   The installation "Rolling Hills" by Susan Whittier was made of differently cut bottles. When being put together they recalled green rolling hills. Instead of philosophical "high thinking" the artist wanted the viewers just to enjoy the "glass nature", its beauty and that's it. "Rolling Hills" seemed to quote David Mach's installation "Thinking about England" as well as the works by Anselmo and Penone who had used raw, "poor" materials to animate and poeticize nature. However, in terms of Whittier's installation exceedingly feminized nature was turned into industrial natura-genitrix with green glass hills serving as symbols of femininity.
   "Spiritual Sculpture" by Sun Jay Park was a delicate coda of the Baltic Mist project. While other participants tried to render exterior, physiological and physiognomatical qualities of St-Petersburg and Baltimore, Sun Jay Park united "spirits" and "bodies" of these cities. She presented two objects. One "spiritual sculpture", made of vinyl plastic, was filled with her breath. The gallery's air penetrated and enveloped the other one made of fine metal wire. Therefore the artist managed to "capture" and shape "an abstract spirit taken from things and notions". Even though Park's objects bore a strong resemblance to Oldenburg's "coats", they had nothing to do with neo-pop-art trend. The artist animated these "spiritual clothing" and turned them into a depositary of breath, into the cities' soul asylum.
   Not withstanding its mystical, strange name, The Baltic Mist project explicitly presented the best works made by Baltimore artists. There were hardly any discoveries, new ideas or examples of cold grand Hi-Tech art. The exhibited works were animated, delicate, warm and cozy. The Baltimore artists reconstructed the images of two cities and proved that Baltimore and St. Petersburg have different facades but common essence, common soul in which "les parfums, les couleurs et les sons se repondent" (Charles Baudelair).
  
Olga Khoroshilova