By Mikhail Matievsky
Photos of street art from such geographically remote locations as Warsaw and Tbilisi are on show in Minsk, explains the curator of the exhibition, Wiktor Krzysztoporski. He tells us, “We wanted to show that a pattern on a wall is an absolutely free creation, without borders or nationality. We’ve deliberately put aside political and historical themes in order to have universal appeal. Patterns are an integral branch of street art and, being relatively easy to achieve, can serve as a form of artistic expression for everyone.”
The artists are nameless — from Warsaw and Tbilisi — with the original exhibits reproduced by plastering the walls. While the two cities seem completely opposite at first sight, some similarities are obvious.
Art critics differ in considering street art to be worthy of admiration, notes Leonid Khobotov, Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Union of Artists. He asserts, “What we are dealing with today is not street art but conceptual art. Simple signs on the wall, hooliganism or absolute freedom (which street art implies) have acquired form and idea. Perhaps, this is a great opportunity for a new trend in art to be recognised.”
