Arkadi Kotanjyan is a kind of catch-me-if-you-can artist, who organizes art inventions and other fleeting events for a limited audience. Remote from the hustle and bustle of the Moscow gallery scene, he participates in both the Venice Biennial and the “Archstoyanie” festival and certainly knows how to evoke the viewer’s surprise and excitement. DEL’ARTE columnist Evgeniy Naumov has something to share with the reader about the artist and his strategy of remaining independent of the commercial art world.
Banana equivalent dose or BED is a term which is used to describe the capacity of a radioactive source by comparing it with the activity of potassium-40 that can be found in an average banana. Such comparison is usually made in the situation of leakage at a nuclear power plant; the goal is to evaluate the risk of the leakage.
The first thing to thank modernism
for was the right to become an artist without
any approval of the Academy of Arts
So now anyone can call himself an artist and start generating any art he/she wants. However, that neither promises blessing from professional circles, nor guarantees recognition as artworks for those items. So what makes art Art? How should we distinguish between something mediocre, bizarre, and random, on the one side, and a real piece of art, be it a painting, a documented performance, or an installation, on the other side? The audience definitely needs a framework through which they can look at art… According to Arthur C. Danto, art theories perfectly serve as ones. Before the early 20th century, average lovers of fine arts had considered the gilded museum frames as reliable guardians of high culture items. As modernism came into play, art galleries became the new framework for art, believes Brian O’Doherty, the author of the book “Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space”.
Arkadi Kotanjyan. “Disciplinary I”. 2023.“Species specific traits” exhibition, Moscow Museum of Modern Art.
Section: ART Written by Evgeniy Naumov Translated by Julia Kryshevich © Photo by Evgeniy Naumov
The next important step for modernism is to win the right to become an art gallerist without the approval of the professional community.
Basically, it is about the right to generate art by putting it on display within the frame of one’s own gallery. That’s what the “Bannana Gallery” (with two “n”, no mistake here) by Arkadi Kotanjan exactly does: it presents this right to anyone interested.
To avoid being tedious, it is worth saying that Arkadi experienced the authoritative pressure of the institutional monopoly himself, the first time while preparing for the final exhibition project at Free Workshops, MMOMA, in 2023. The artist intended to showcase a silicon copy of himself, suspended from the ceiling with his tongue. This image should have served as a metaphor of tacit censorship, which penetrates the world’s entire cultural space. To give an example, the works by the Algerian artistic group Archives des Luttes des Femmes en Algérie, which were centered around the topic of national struggle against European colonialism, caused resentment of the audience at last year’s Documenta.
An exhibition opening inside the “Bannana Gallery”. CCI Fabrica © Photo by Evgeniy Naumov
However, Arkadi’s project was rejected, so he decided to create another version of the figure, a bit altered though. The new copy stood at attention upside down, with its head facing the pavement, which was meant to symbolize its subordination to the institutional system. Ironically, the final exhibition project of Free Workshops’2023 at MMOMA failed to open due to some technical issues, whereas the museum website was cleared of any information about the would-be exhibition… Anyway, the idea to set up the “Bannana Gallery” was already present in the artist’s mind at the time.
Arkadi Kotanjyan. The “Bannana Gallery” © Photo by Evgeniy Naumov
In August 2023, Arkadi presented his “Bannana Gallery” pop-up project in the parking lot not far from Taganskaya metro station. It was the first step towards transforming the art gallery into a work of art through the detection of its necessary minimum. That minimum literally included: a) the walls (the ceiling was not compulsory), b) some works of art inside the walls (no labeling needed), c) a signboard and d) a cocktail reception. The latter was probably the most important part of it all, since making art is primarily about communication. Enjoying a glass of champagne together is a particular form of interaction between the artist, the gallerist and the viewer, who seek to communicate on equal terms and just get along under the influence of some good bubbly.
An attentive reader may be wondering why I didn’t mention the figure of an art critic here. Well, the art critic is like an experienced viewer, and so are the gallerist and even the artist in person. The difference is that the artist is the most experienced viewer among them all.
Marina Goryacheva. Art intervention in the “Bannana Gallery” © Photo by Evgeniy Naumov
The “Bannana Gallery” looked like a small pavilion made of some cardboard banana boxes. Above the exit one could see a shiny neon sign, whilst inside the gallery there was a gigantic Chupa-Chups lollipop composed of some silicon tongues along with a dozen art world professionals including artists, journalists, theoreticians (and the author of this text in person), sharing some strong drinks and savoring fresh bananas. The space of the “Bannana Gallery” was immediately filled with art interventions, which only made Arkadi happy. The idea behind the project was to help those who wanted to become artists to find their path on the way. Creativity was just running wild, avoiding the rules set by the auction houses, museums and art markets.
Arkadi Kotanjyan. The “Bannana Gallery” © Photo by Evgeniy Naumov
The artist explains the choice of banana boxes through the fact that they are universal, accessible, convenient in storage and assembly. Even the market workers prefer to shift fruits and vegetables into banana boxes. Born in the Krasnodar region, Arkadi recalls his childhood years, when his father, a talented architect and philanthropist, was forced to transport local fruits to Tula in order to support his family. Small Arkadi helped his dad with collecting banana boxes and even made friends with the packages.
Viewers exploring the “Gigantic Chupa-Chups” at the opening of the “Bannana Gallery” © Photo by Evgeniy Naumov
Banana boxes also remind us of the famous Brillo boxes appropriated by Andy Warhol as pieces of art and later replicated for different exhibitions in the US and Europe. Can we see the “Bannana Gallery” as a continuation of pop-art practices? Pop art inherits after pop culture, after all. Warhol’s art was primarily addressed to the mass audience who had regressive understanding of high art. Even the poorest US residents in the 1960s knew that art of the past was stored in the art museums, whereas the commercial galleries showcased some works by talented contemporaries. However, people didn’t recognize illustrated magazines, TV advertising, bright packaging and other products of daily consumption as anything noteworthy. Pop art sought to challenge the gap between the “unique” and the “mainstream”, teaching people to notice the beauty of the mundane. Just like Andy Warhol, Arkadi is addressing the widest possible audience via using the most recognizable and at the same time neglected images of their daily lives, namely, banana boxes.
Arkadi Kotanjyan at the opening of the “Bannana Gallery”. In front of the RAMEN Cafe © Photo courtesy of the artist
The next period of existence for the “Bannana Gallery” fell on WIN-WIN, the autumn contemporary art fair run by Winzavod CCA, again in 2023. Arkadi constructed a light
version of his project near Winzavod. Inside the gallery, four out of eight full-length double- sided images of the artist himself were exhibited, which served as a reference to Warhol’s Elvis Presley series. Arkadi added ambiguity to his figures. The front side of the figures depicted a crying Armenian man, whose arms were thrown behind his head, in an openly rebellious manner. The view from the other side, however, didn’t expose the vividness of the character’s expression: only his legs-apart, hands-behind-his-back posture, which made the figure look like a prisoner.
Nadezhda Lisovskaya, at the opening of the “Bannana Gallery”. Behind the RAMEN Cafe © Photo courtesy of the artist
That day, WINZAVOD authorities decided to shift the avant-garde artist’s gallery to a dump. The official claim was that the former blocked the view of ARTMOSPHERE, an authorized street art venue. Funny enough, an authorized summer terrace of the fancy RAMEN Cafe, which shared the space with the “Bannana Gallery”, wasn’t accused of the same thing. That’s how Arkadi faced the monopoly of cultural institutions.
The “Bannana Gallery” on San Marco Square. Venice, Italy © Photo courtesy of the artist
It has been more than a century since modernists started to oppose the hegemony of the Academy, museums and just that of “good taste”. However, both the Academy and the museums continue to attract their audience, despite going through some moments of crisis. Likewise, the idea of “good taste”, no matter how conditional it is, keeps on influencing people’s minds. Are the viewers ready to reject the power of cultural institutions? To find it out, Arkadi came up with a project for the Venice Biennial, one of the world’s biggest and most credible contemporary art exhibitions. This year, the Biennial’s topic sounds like “Foreigners Everywhere”. Isn’t it an ideal pretext for an artist of Armenian origin who created his art logo out of a long-distance-trade container to take part?
The “Bannana Gallery” at the preview of the Venice Biennial © Photo courtesy of the artist
The guests at the biennial demonstrated a failure to distinguish between art and garbage, unless the recognized gallery explained the difference to them. It even reached the point when the audience threw crumbled packaging and leftovers inside the banana boxes. Well, that’s what art is, the garbage of civilization. A century ago, modernist artists called on society to degrade into the state of a child who creates art not out of necessity, but following one’s instinct. Children never distinguish between art and non-art, unless their parents help them with it. Likewise, children never label something as junk, because they play with everything, be it a piece of wood, a piece of metal or any other unexploited artifact. Art, for them, is fun, so any items will do for this game.
Garbage left inside the banana box by the viewers. The Venice Biennial, 2024 © Photo courtesy of the artist
It is the lack of usability that one considers as the main trait of art today. It migrates from the category “Feces in a can” into something like “Art market and art institutions practicing ironic critique” through the mutual effort of artists, institutions, the audience, and other “creators”. Viewers who lined up to enter the Arsenal failed to recognize a couple of banana boxes and Arkadi’s full-length portrait as art. The artist himself was probably perceived by the audience as another migrant who landed in Venice to earn some money — nothing honorable or exotic.
One of the “Bannana Gallery” openings at the “Archstoyanie” festival © Photo courtesy of the artist
However, the most surprising thing for Arkadi turned out to be his sudden understanding of the art world as a get-together. While crowds of tourists stormed the Biennial pavilions to see something they had a very vague idea about, those who were better aware of the exhibited content seemed to take no interest in it. They attended the openings in order to have a good chat, drink together, make new connections and discuss financial issues. This lightbulb moment inspired Arkadi to continue transforming the “Bannana Gallery”.
Nikita Makeev presenting the “CV line” award to the participant of the “Bannana Gallery” exhibition program. The “Archstoyanie” festival © Photo courtesy of the artist
So, if, for the mainstream audience, visiting an art gallery means trying to define what art is (not), what does it mean for artists? The answer is too commonplace here: artists attend the openings for fun and also for prestige (another line in their CVs). The more exhibitions an artist is related to, the more chances they have for success on the art market today. That’s what Arkadi meant as he demonstrated his “Bannana Gallery” at the “Archstoyanie” festival this year. Free to be filled with any works of art ever, the space hosted a rich buffet and some cocktail pauses and, no less importantly, it guaranteed a plastic, laminated “CV line” award, so cherished by many artists. The project was a success, both among its authors and the festival organizers.
The “Bannana Gallery” at the “Archstoyanie” festival © Photo courtesy of the artist
In the future, Arkadi hopes to develop the franchise of the “Bannana Gallery” worldwide. To get the franchise, one needs to meet Arkadi personally and prove their aptitude to him, after which they will be free to continue the banana project on their own, defining what art is (not). Franchisees will be handed special instructions on how to set up their own exhibition venues out of some banana boxes, following the recognizable IKEA style.
The main exposition of the “Bannana Gallery” at the “Archstoyanie” festival © Photo courtesy of the artist
Starting from the late 19th century, modernist art has opposed commodity fetishism, on the one hand, and the authority of the self-proclaimed cultural elites, on the other hand. One of the avant-garde modernist aspirations was eliminating art as a particular field of human activity, thus establishing an available method of making art for everyone. Mondrian, Tsara, Rodchenko, Breton, all of them strove for that. Making art was meant to re-emerge as an enjoyable game, not a marketable project. However, all avant-garde projects failed, facing the oppression from the state and commercial bodies. What Arkadi suggests here is to take the courage to define art on one’s own. If every person becomes a gallerist, what kind of gallery will prevent avant-garde from being? How can art critics and art historians comment on the leakage of pure art through the galleries’ foundation?
Copy of Arkadi’s full-length portrait next to the Biennial’s logo © Photo courtesy of the artist
The “Bannana Gallery” is a breach in the wall of the cultural industry monopoly. It ensures the leakage of art into the world.
Everything is art. Rejecting the authority of art galleries, a person gains freedom to independently judge what art is (not).
At the same time, nothing is art. If any item or event can be potentially called art, this definition simply loses its meaning.
Every banana box you face on your way is a kind of gallery. Just have a look inside. Can you see something impressive hidden there?
Galleries do not really exist. They function like subjects of agreement, thus, can be canceled at any moment.
Only the viewer decides. Artist is just an experienced viewer who recognizes art in their own work.
