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"GeoPhotoPolitical WEEapon"
By (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov • with Vladislav Mamyshev-Monro
at the exhibition Geopolitika, Museum of Ethnography, Leningrad / St. Petersburg (1991)

Read Andrey Khlobystin's account on "Geopolitika", published in Arzamas Journal on 9 December 2019 >>

Geopolitika
A video by (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov, 1991


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GeoPhotoPolitical WEEapon
A "Pirate Television“ video by Yuris Lesnik, 1991

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For the exhibition "Geopolitika" at the Museum of Ethnography, Leningrad / St. Petersburg (1991), (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov conceived the idea of a "GeoPhotoPolitical WEEapon" which was to be operated by Vladislav Mamshev-Monroe on the day of the opening, February 18, exactly between 16.30 and 16.45.

Kozlov wrote a manifesto for Mamyshev's performance, stating that this "unique GeoPhotoPolitical WEEapon corresponds to the tasks and ideas of the Geopolitical exhibition and the present political situation in the world". The manifesto was displayed on the front side of a wooden construction created in the shape of a pistol – the "GeoPhotoPolitical WEEapon", from which Mamyshev would "shoot" at visitors with Kozlov's camera.


Geopolitical ObjEEct Photo: (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov, 18.4 x 23.8 cm, 1991, vintage print.
Geopolitical ObjEEct
Photo: (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov, 18.4 x 23.8 cm, 1991, vintage print.


In order to stress the geopolitical importance of the performance, a poster with Yury Gagarin, the first man in cosmos, was placed under Mamyshev's feet. Evgenij Kozlov intended to assemble Mamyshev's "Geopolitical Portraits" at the finissage of the exhibition, on the walls of the Museum of Ethnography, "with GeoPhotoPolitical materials made in a GeoPhotoPolitical way from the GeoPhotopolitical WEEapon" . However, the film seems to have been lost.

(E-E) Evgenij Kozlov  “ГеоФотоПолитическоЕЕ ОружиЕЕ” / "GeoPhotoPolitical WEEapon" Marker, paper, 60 x 38.3 cm, 1991 Part of the installation at the exhbition "Geopolitika", Leningrad / St. Petersburg, 1991

(E-E) Evgenij Kozlov

“ГеоФотоПолитическоЕЕ ОружиЕЕ” / "GeoPhotoPolitical WEEapon"
Marker, paper, 60 x 38.3 cm, 1991
Part of the installation at the exhbition
"Geopolitika", Leningrad / St. Petersburg, 1991

The following is a transcription of the manifesto:

    ГеоФотоПолитическоЕЕ ОружиЕЕ

    Любаяя географическая точка, любая политическаяя ситуацияя, в том числе любой «объект» Геополитической выставки может быть зафиксирован Геополитическим оружиЕЕм.

    ЕдинственноЕЕ в своем роде ГеоФотоПолитическоЕЕ ОружиЕЕ отвечаЕЕт всем задачам и идеям Геополитической выставки и настоящей политической ситуации в мире.

    ГеоФотофиксированиЕЕ «Объектов» (т.е. любого посетителя или участника выставки) будет производиться только в день Открытияя выставки.
    Marilyn MonroEE:
    с 16:30 до 16:45 мин.
    (т.е. в течениее 15 минут).
    Непосредственно из самого ГеоФотПолитического ОружиЯЯ.

    В день закрытия Геополитической Выст. в стенах Этнографического Музеяя будет РАЗВЕРНУТА ГеоФотоПолитическаяя выставка Геополитических портретов, смонтированнаяя на основЕЕ ГеоФотополитических материалов, сделанных ГеоФотополитическим способом из ГеоФотоПолитического ОружиЯЯ.

The reduplicated letters EE and ЯЯ at the end of a word, pronounced "yeh-yeh" and "yah-yah", respectively, are a visual, phonetic and rhythmic wordplay, which Evgenij Kozlov adapted and integrated into his own art at the end of the 1980s. A well-known example is the name he chose for his studio, "RusskoEE PolEE" or "Russkoee Polee", The Russian Field. He has later made "EE" an adjunct to his name — (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov — and now uses it as his only signature for his artwork. more >>

Two videos document Vladislav Mamyshev's performance at the opening of the exhibition, on 18 February, 1991. One is by Kozlov and the other one by Yuris Lesnik, filmed for "Pirate Television” more >> and more >>. Both are in Kozlov's video archive.

Below: film stills of Vladislav Mamyshev's performance from Evgenij Kozlov's video "Geopolitika"
film stills of Vladislav Mamyshev's performance from Evgenij Kozlov's video "Geopolitika" film stills of Vladislav Mamyshev's performance from Evgenij Kozlov's video "Geopolitika"
film stills of Vladislav Mamyshev's performance from Evgenij Kozlov's video "Geopolitika" film stills of Vladislav Mamyshev's performance from Evgenij Kozlov's video "Geopolitika"

Evgenij Kozlov's video "Geopolitika" presents the opening "Geopolitka" as a major social event for the younger generation of Leningrad / St. Petersburg artists, art critics, curators, musicians, DJs and their supporters, establishing themselves as important actors in the post-perestroika art territory (see also "Neoacademism” opening on 6. April 1991 >>). The curators of "Geopolitka" Andrey Khlobystin, Alla Mitrofanova, Viktor Mazin and Olesya Turkina have long been considered experts in the field of contemporary Russian art.

 Vladislav Mamyshev-Monro "Выдающиеся ученые Монрологи" "Eminent Scholars of Monrologia". Installation at "Geopolitika" with 9 works from Evgenij Kozlov's collection,

Vladislav Mamyshev-Monro
"Выдающиеся ученые Монрологи"
"Eminent Scholars of Monrologia".
Installation at "Geopolitika" with 9 works
from Evgenij Kozlov's collection, see below
Vladislav Mamyshev-Monro "Члены политбюро" "Members of the Politbureau" mixed media, offset print, paper 1989 or 1990. Gift to Evgenij Kozlov by the artist. Photo: Hannelore Fobo, summer of 1990

Vladislav Mamyshev-Monro
"Члены политбюро"
"
Members of the Politburo"
mixed media, offset print, paper
1989 or 1990.
Gift to Evgenij Kozlov by the artist.
Photo: Hannelore Fobo, summer of 1990
Russkoee Polee, studio Evgenij Kozlov
Leningrad / St. Petersburg
more about the works >>

Among the visitors were (in order of appearance) Sergei Bugaev, Vladislav Gutsevich, Rinad Achmetchin, Alla Mitrofanova,Gleb Bogomolov, Vadim Ovchinnikov, Viktor Mazin, Andrey Khlobystin, Oleg Kotelnikov, Babi Badalov, Timur Novikov, Ekaterina Andreeva, Ivan Chechot, Denis Egelsky, Gabriel Vorobev, Olesya Turkina, Andrey Medvedev, Enver, Sergey Kuryokhin, Yuri Tsirkul, Vladimir Sorokin, Ivan Sotnikov, Mikhail Trofimenkov, Alexei Haas, Bella Matveeva, Yuris Lesnik, Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe, Ivan Movsesyan, Kostya Mitenev, Valery Alakhov, Konstantin Goncharov. Speeches were hold by art historians Alla Mitrofanova and Andrey Khlobystin.

The second half of Kozlov's 22 minute video is dedicated to Vladislav Mamyshev and his performance inside the "GeoPhotoPolitical Object". We also see works by Mamyshev-Monroe belonging to his "Monrologia" project. They include a series of re-painted posters from his famous "Politburo" series (a gift to Evgenij Kozlov originally displayed at Kozlov's studio "Russkoee Polee" more >>) аnd objects connected to the theory of a "Vacuum blister". According to Mamyshev's theory, even an apparently harmless balloon is in fact a "lethal weapon"; a claim explained in the video "Monrology" ("Monrologia", Pirate television), which was presented on a TV screen next to the installation.
more >>
In the exhibition catalogue from 2014 "Жизнь замечательного Монро" (The Life of remarkable Monroe), Olesya Turkina and Viktor Mazin refer to this part of the exhibition in detail (pp. 105-108).
Also shown was Venclova's video clip "Death of Monroe", filmed at Russkoee Polee a few weeks prior to this presentation. more >>

The "Pirate Television” video by Yuris Lesnik is a short interview with Vladislav Mamyshev and Evgenij Kozlov on their joint project, filmed on the marble gallery of the superbly designed imperial "State Museum of Ethnography of the Peoples of the USSR", now "The Russian Museum of Ethnography." Mamyshev's last sentences were spoken from inside the "pistol”.

Below is the transcript of the interview. It is not clear whether this fragment was actually broadcast as part of a larger "Pirate Television” programme.

В.М.: Давай. […]Сделаем небольшую передачу. Здравствуйте, дорогие друзья! Вот мы, наконец‭, на этой выставке «Геополитика» в Музее этнографии. Много художников здесь собралось со своими объектами. Вот мы видим [татарский] домик Сергея Бугаева (Африки) и Сергея Ануфриева. Вот сооружение «Некрореалистов». Вдалеке, где телевизор, стоит объект Владика Мэрилин-Монро. Вон «Пистолет» Евгения Козлова. Знаменитый «Пистолет», который [остался] недостроенным, поэтому я веду свой репортаж сейчас с выставки, а не из «Пистолета», и вы не можете мне звонить по телефону 223-332-22. Сейчас мы подойдем к художнику Евгению Козлову и спросим его, что же он приготовил для нас на этой выставке. Пожалуйста, Евгений.

Е-Е: Владик, конечно я все приготовил для тебя, чтобы ты […] в объект, отснял там всех самых хороших художников города Ленинграда, равно как и других прекрасных людей, а потом в этом объекте устроил какую-нибудь акцию. Какую, Владик? Расскажи мне, пожалуйста, для кино, что ты там хочешь сделать.

В.М.: А-а, находясь в «Пистолете», я буду фотографировать события, происходящие на выставке. Ну, наверное, надо этим и заняться.

Мы ведем репортаж из «Пистолета». Сейчас я нахожусь внутри того самого «Пистолета», о котором мы говорили. Я веду свой репортаж.


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Last updated 2 April 2022