Hidden Life

The main focus of the group’s research is the hidden or private lives of artists whose life is mostly unknown and invisible both to the public and artistic community. What about other social roles of artists – being a son/ a daughter, a wife/ a husband, a mother/ a father etc.? What is the conditions of their everyday life? The aim of the group is to deconstruct the stereotypical overview that the Belarusian society has about being an artist and to present a non-public image of the cultural worker. The poor economical situation in the art field will be reflected through analysis of the work the artist performs that is not related to art but which generates the main income for artists and creates the opportunity to make art in the first place. That activity mostly is hidden and not presented in artistic CVs and bios because the forces of the art market could consider this as a ‘shameful’ part of their biographies that undermines the sparkling figure of ‘real’ artist. The group Hidden Life will also touch on concepts of work and labor in Post-Soviet and  Capitalist societies. The work of the group includes research, text-based, and visual contributions.

Contributors:

Tania Arcimovich, Maksim Sarychau