I am not toilet paper
Conversation with Moldavian artist Tatiana Fiodorova
Kundry Reif
30th April 2020
How does it feel when respected and influential media misuse one's artistic voice? How could one oppose unfair and inaccurate labelling, which may cost their friendships, future projects, and reputation? Well, someone actually got to taste that. In this interview, Tatiana Fiodorova, an artist from Moldova, drawing on her personal experience shares with us her concerns on how the country is positioned in the global art world, and how she finds her ways to fight exoticization and false inclusion.
Kundry Reif
Let’s start with the 58 Biennale di Venezia which just closed. You did a performance piece there as a response to the absence of Pavilion of Moldova, could you share with us what you did exactly?
Tatiana Fiodorova
The lack of financial support of contemporary art by the state of Moldova led me to focus on the presence - or rather absence - of Moldovan art in the contemporary discourse, therefore, spurring me to create an intervention at the Venice Biennale. Being concerned with marginalization of the country and lack of its visibility during the opening of the 58th Venice Biennale, I simply wrote “I AM NOT TOILET PAPER” on a whole roll of toilet paper.
Kundry Reif
Your performance was unauthorized, how did the public and the curators of the Biennale react? Do you think you managed to start a conversation or a discourse on the absence of the Pavilion of Moldova?
Tatiana Fiodorova
That’s right, my performance was unauthorized and took place in Giardini della Biennale across different locations near the British pavilion (referring to the early performance I WANT to LONDON. Are you afraid of me?, 2009), the French pavilion and the Romanian pavilion. The last part of the performance was the exit from the Giardini (here you can watch the same performance showed in Prague 2012), where I shared gifts with my audience: a piece of toilet paper with inscription “I AM NOT TOILET PAPER, made in MOLDOVA.”
I was fortunate to be seen by the public from all around the world, people would often approach me, take photos, and inquire about the meaning of my performance. Oftentimes, I would perform in a place full of people queuing to access the French, British or Japanese pavilions. People could be standing in line and watching my performance at the same time (for instance, after the performance I had to queue up for 40 minutes in order to visit the French pavilion). Besides, I was able to speak with curators and also journalists while handing out my gifts to them.
Just to give you an idea: I had a wonderful meeting and constructive discussion with a curator from Holland, and a journalist from German radio. However, if you try to google any information on my performance, you will be able to find almost nothing, except for some details on my website or Moldovan media. Although I actively disseminated information and photographic documentation across many leading international art magazines and online platforms, none of them took time to acknowledge it. No one cares about the context of Moldovan contemporary art - for the majority, it is too marginal and insignificant. Yet there was an immediate response to an unauthorized performance by Banksy, and all the media was sharing the identical information about it. If one would analyse what type of information is being published by the majority of art media, one could see that there is no diversity - only the same names.
The exact same thing happened to me with a scandalous French film directed by ARTE in which I participated. Hardly anyone published any information concerning this incident. Only Romanians supported me in that situation, probably because they know me quite well - once in a while, I show my works there. The article on this film will be published in Kajet, a magazine about art in Eastern Europe, in May.
Kundry Reif
Why do you think is it essential for Moldova to be represented on a European art show? There is a lot of critique existing in the art world about the national pavilion concept on the international biennale, which is undermined by many curators in a way of artist exchange or partial denial of nationality principle. Why is it important for Moldova to participate in it?
Tatiana Fiodorova
Despite the prevailing criticism towards the concept of national pavilions, the Venice Biennale played a pivotal role in the formation of contemporary art during the second half of the 20th century. Biennale di Venezia is one of the oldest and prestigious phenomenons on the global art scene. Even now, the whole art world gathers in Venice, and this event is a great opportunity to meet various contemporary artists and see friends from all over the world. Therefore, I think that the platform of this kind provides me with a chance to speak about my subject and Moldovan contemporary art for the greater audience. We exist within different contexts and environments, and for me, it is fascinating to perceive all of these through the different layers of our universal experiences including the one of national identity. Despite the absence of Moldova at the Biennale in Venice during the Soviet times (I conducted research on the past participants from the USSR), it managed to leave a permanent footprint in the form of the Pavilion of Russia. The pavilion was constructed by the famous Soviet architect Alexey Shchusev in 1914. He was originally from Chișinău, today the capital of Moldova. Later in life, he developed a master plan for reconstruction and renovation of Chișinău in the years after the war, and he was the one who designed Lenin’s mausoleum.
Kundry Reif
Let’s talk about the show Red Urbex: Ghost Buildings of the Eastern Block. Could you share some insight into the whole situation with us? Did the creators of the show tell you about the concept of the series? How did they approach you and present their request?
Tatiana Fiodorova
Initially, the woman from a local organization reached out to me to help her analyse and study the problems associated with the development of the urban environment in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. I assumed that the organization is possibly a partner of the project. She said ARTE, a French television network, planned to direct a series about abandoned modernist buildings across the Post-Socialist countries which would include an episode dedicated to the building called “Romashka” (Camomile). The local partner said she was familiar with my project which I started ten years ago, and suggested to French contact me. Later I sent additional information to make sure the topic suits them.
The French side got back to me saying they liked my project and inviting me to film. When I met the French director, she talked about the concept for the series: their plan to make 8 episodes celebrating 30 years since the Fall of the Berlin Wall. At that point, I didn’t sense any downside to this. She seemed genuinely interested in the architecture of the Soviet modernism, and mentioned the buildings she would want to film for the project; she even mentioned the architectural construction in Moscow. Eventually, I didn’t see any of that. She sparked my interest to the point where I believed we can make it work. She didn’t mention that the series had a name but told me that every episode had its own protagonist which somehow was tied to the unique story of each building that would appear in the episode.
Kundry Reif
So there are eight short films presenting eight different buildings, and every film has a protagonist who tells us the story of each building - and you are one of them. Have you been in touch with any other protagonists, have they had similar experiences with ARTE or the directors of those films?
Tatiana Fiodorova
No, I haven't been in touch with any of them.
Kundry Reif
This short film series is a documentary with the elements of horror. Why do you think the exoticisation of communist remnants takes place?
Tatiana Fiodorova
It was a painful surprise for me to discover that the channel about art, not even a tabloid, reinforces the anti-communist stereotypes, which one could understand back in the 90s due to the existing political propaganda but not today. The film was edited with no prior consultation with me; they cut out random sentences which were in no way indicative of my ideas, inserted frightening footage, which was clearly taken not in the same building, added horror sound effects, and came up with a passable name. Even their naming is predictable. The most common adjective used to describe the architecture of the Soviet modernism is ugly. I felt as a walk-on, as a person from a local environment used in order to pursue their interests. The idea in the core of my project is completely opposite to their concept and execution: it deals with rethinking and revival of the architectural heritage of the Soviet modernism. Following my complaints, they renamed the film into The Colossal Communist Tower instead of The Ugliest Building in the World. I am certain the exoticisation of the Post-communist spaces is still relevant due to the recent tensions with Russia, especially owing to the complications in the Crimean region in 2014. We’ve seen the continuous imposing of economic sanctions against Russia that reach beyond the economic sector affecting the cultural relations.
Kundry Reif
You filed an official complaint to ARTE asking to remove the video. Has ARTE responded to you already?
Tatiana Fiodorova
The local community has supported me, and I am incredibly grateful to them. Owing to my friends, I was able to get in touch with the French lawyer and prepare the necessary set of documents for my appeal. It seemed that this was some kind of mistake, and maybe my vision didn’t match the vision of ARTE. Later I have received an answer from them saying that every creative person has the right to self-expression, and they won’t remove the film.
Tatiana Fiodorova was born and is based, in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. She is a Moldavian artist, curator, and educator. Her artistic exploration focuses on the lost Soviet identity and formation of a new identity for a Moldovan woman facing social, political, and economic problems. She works with social practice, installation, live performance, public art, video and artists’ books, photography.
Her website: https://tatianafiodorova.wordpress.com/
Translated by Tamara Khasanova, edited by Kundry Reif