GAGARIN the Artists in their Own Words
S.M.A.K. going GAGA
Saturday, March 13, 2010


Until March 14th, the Museum of Contemporary Art S.M.A.K. in Ghent, Belgium, runs the comprehensive exhibition ìGAGARIN the Artists in their Own Words ñ The first Decadeî. On show are the complete artistís writings published in GAGARIN and a selection of artworks by the same artists from the museum collection and special loans. GAGARIN the Artists in their Own Words is a recent international art magazine, entirely dedicated to the publication of original writings of artists who are now working, anywhere in the world. Recently, the complete GAGARIN oeuvre was acquired by the MoMA, the Guggenheim and the Thomas J. Watson Library of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, all in New York, and the Getty Foundation in Los Angeles. To celebrate its unique concept and the 20 issues published since 2000, S.M.A.K. will now organize the special GAGARIN event with the alarming title ìS.M.A.K. going GAGAî on Saturday, March 13th, the next-to-last day of the exhibition.

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S.M.A.K. going GAGA
Saturday, March 13, 2010

11:00 am ñ 12:30 pm
GAGARIN: out of orbit into the museum
This presentation and ensuing panel discussion will examine originality when the pages of GAGARIN are removed from bound gatherings and displayed across gallery walls. Concepts of originality in GAGARIN the Artists in their Own Words will be discussed, assessed, and put to work analyzing artistís texts as they appear transposed from a journal to an exhibition. The members of the panel are:
Simon Deakin (University of Leeds, UK). He is now doing doctoral research on GAGARIN the Artists in their Own Words. He is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art , the Slade School of Fine Art, and Goldsmiths College.
Olaf Nicolai, artist. His work was on view at the 3rd RIWAQ Biennial in Ramallah, ìAnimismî at MuHKA in Antwerp & ìLa Boule de Yoyanteî ñ a narration performed in 10 episodes (May-December) at 10 not art-related places: Venice, Budapest, Rome, Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, Sipan (Hr.), Paris, Palermo & Santiago de Chile.
Jonathan Lahey Dronsfield, Reader in Theory and Philosophy of Art at the University of Reading UK, and sits on the Executive Committee of the Forum for European Philosophy at the London School of Economics.
Asja Szafraniec, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. She studied at the Warsaw University, the University of Amsterdam, the SUNY at Buffalo and the Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of the book ìBeckett, Derrida and the Event of Literatureî (Stanford UP 2007).

2:00 pm ñ 5:00 pm
GAGARIN: reading marathon
The panel discussion will be followed by a new ground breaking ìreading marathonî with artists who have contributed to GAGARIN. They will read their GAGARIN text or eventually another text of their own, before a live audience. The artists who will take part in the reading marathon are: Boris Achour, Guillaume Bijl,
Pierre Bismuth, Jota Castro, Adam Chodzko, Michel FranÁois, Joseph Grigely, Kati Heck, IngridMwangiRobertHutter, Suchan Kinoshita, Job Koelewijn, Gabriel Kuri, Bernd Lohaus, Mark Manders, Ria PacquÈe, Philippe Van Snick, Berend Strik, Jennifer Tee, Danh Vo, Franziska & Lois Weinberger.

5:30 pm ñ 6:30 pm
Voodoo-Faust (Crash Opera) by ManfreDu Schu
The GAGARIN event will conclude with a unique and breathtaking musical performance of his Voodoo-Faust (Crash Opera) by ManfreDu Schu & friends. ManfreDu Schu took part, along with Juan MuÒoz, Maria Serebriakova, Guy Rombouts, Marlene Dumas and Stephan Balkenhol, in the very first edition of GAGARIN the Artists in their Own Words (vol. 1 #1, May 2000) with his contribution: ìDeinetwegenî Theatrale Philosophie / Akt II ìTHE BLACK-MOUTHî (OPERA-PHILOSOPHIA-THEATRALIA) #1wlwkLFS

Disillusion, a strategic cardboard game for two players created by David Morato, will be played from 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm & 5:00 pm - 5.30 pm on the spot at the "GAGARIN the Artists in their Own Words - The first Decade" show on the ground floor of the museum. Volunteers who want to take part in the tournament are most welcome.

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entrance fee 6 | 4 | 1

S.M.A.K. Museum for Contemporary Art ñ Citadelpark - B-9000 Gent
T +32 (0)9 221 17 03 - museum.smak@gent.be - http://www.smak.be

GAGARIN | GAGA vzw | Wilfried HUET - Oosterweelsteenweg 3 - 2030 Antwerpen
T +32 3 2130013 - gagarin@skynet.be - www.gagarin.be

GAGARIN the Artists in their Own Words is supported by the Museum of Contemporary Art S.M.A.K..
S.M.A.K. going GAGA is co-produced by S.M.A.K., GAGA vzw and AIR Antwerpen.

AIR Antwerpen - international residency in Antwerpen. www.airantwerpen.be