WIDE BOY* EXPEDITION FROM BRUSSELS TO MOSCOW

An art project as part of the “Qui Vive?” Moscow International Biennale for Young Art” – Final Performance 31 July at the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve, Moscow.

Wide Boy* will visit Latvia, Riga: 16th July 18:00 at Naive Art Museum of Latvia (Andrejsala, Andrejostas street 4, LV-1045, Riga).

Over the course of July, visual artists Anne Schiffer and Lauren von Gogh will be realising the project Wide Boy* as part of the “Qui Vive?” Moscow International Biennale for Young Art, making their way overland from Brussels to Moscow. On course, seven political borders will be crossed, passing through Germany, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia before entering Russia and arriving in Moscow.

‘Wide Boy’ is a British term coined by the media in the 1940s referring to a wheeler-dealer or sort of black-market trader. On this expedition Schiffer and von Gogh have organized gatherings either in outdoor public settings or local art spaces at each destination, inviting artists, writers, critics and curators, and extending an open invitation to the general public. The project is intended to gather a collection of objects made and collected, which reference relevant daily interactions and intricacies of each place in relation to recent history of the countries in this region. The accumulated artworks (using this term in the broadest sense) will become a mobile collection, transported in their luggage, with the artists then becoming a product of the expedition, creating a new relationship with contemporary history. This range of art works will be displayed at a market-style exhibition stand, forming part of the Moscow International Biennale for Young Art.

The aim within this framework is to point out the challenges faced by an artist working internationally due to financial and commercial constraints within the art market, exemplifying how freedom of movement is often restrained, whether politically, geographically or financially. By offering artists a ‘free ride’ for their work to reach Moscow, undeclared in the luggage on an overland bus, Schiffer and von Gogh try to highlight and defy some of the customary obstacles of physically transcending borders.

About the artists:

Anne Schiffer
Born in Dueren, Germany, in 1980, Anne Schiffer earned her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with honours at the Utrecht School of the Arts and did a postgraduate in Fine Art at the Dutch Art Institute. For the last two years she has been a candidate-laureate at the HISK. Anne Schiffer lives in Rotterdam (The Netherlands).

Lauren von Gogh
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1984, Lauren von Gogh earned her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with distinction at the Univerity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and is currently a candidate-laureate at the HISK. Lauren von Gogh lives in Ghent (Belgium).

“Qui Vive?” Moscow International Biennale for Young Art (1 – 31 July 2010)
“Qui Vive?” Moscow Biennale for Young Art is one of the largest and most ambitious projects, realized on the Moscow art scene in the field of contemporary art at present. The Biennale unites artistic initiatives of the whole Russia, the countries of near and far abroad. Leading art centers of Moscow in collaboration with regional and international partners take part in its preparation and realization.

For more information:
Visit our facebook page: Wide Boy* or visit the website of the Moscow International Biennale for Young Art: http://www.youngart.ru/en

Remark for the redaction:
For further information, images or interviews please contact Wide Boy*
Anne Schiffer +31 642330347 or contact@anneschiffer.com