«Everyone is an artist»

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

For the first time ever Moscow is hosting a long term «do it» series exhibition, which includes 120 artists, architects, composers, writers, choreographers and other professional groups representing some 32 countries. A docent at the «Garage» museum of modern art Daria Ostratenko gave an overview of the history of this project, while the students of «Art management and gallery business» program took an active part in the performances. 

The «do it» project was conceived by the curator Hanz-Ulrich Obrist back in 1993 in Paris, when Hanz met with two french artists Christian Boltanski and Bertrand Lavier. All three were interested in finding ways to diversify the exhibitions and making them more flexible. As a result, the conversation evolved into a proposition to have an exhibit which would incorporate the plot and suggestions of each participating artist, this way each consecutive show would assume a different interpretation. The big question was how would one artist's idea be changed if it was implemented by another? Initially this project started out with only12 artists: their instructions were translated from 9 different languages which were then issued in print and diligently recreated in Kunsthalle Ritter, Austria. Soon after the «do it» exhibitions were running all around the world: from Reykjavik to Siena, from Bangkok to Mexico.

Today, «do it» is officially the longest running exhibition in the history of the world. Each consecutive reincarnation is amended with the new instructions, which, up to date, are totaling 400, and each one is offering a vast array of artistic opportunities to anyone who is implementing them. Both creative and democratic by it's nature, the project allows an institution to research the new ways of engaging a wider audience with the world of modern art, which is one of the main goals of «Garage».