In her artistic research in Büchsenhausen entitled In Ruins/“In Search of Identity”, Tatiana Fiodorova-Lefter explores the complexity and diversity of her identity through decolonial discourse and writing. As an artist from the region of Moldova, born and raised in South-Eastern Europe/Bessarabia/Soviet Union, she faces many questions about her identity and belonging, given by historical contexts like the influence of various empires on cultural traditions, as well as the ideological factors that have shaped public consciousness in this region.

In the framework of the Büchsenhausen Focus Weeks 2024, Tatiana has invited two guests to reflect on these issues: the Romanian philosopher and writer on critical social theory and decolonial thought Ovidiu Ţichindeleanu and the queer curator, researcher, and writer Sasha Baydal will relate to her work in two public events, including her interest in the corn and nettle plants, which according to her build and represent a link between people, land, and traditions of the Bessarabian region, serving also as a connection with the ancestors.

 

Opening Horizons: For Another Relation to Culture in Eastern Europe and Europe at Large

Talk and discussion with Ovidiu Ţichindeleanu

THIS IS A HYBRID EVENT. You can either participate in the event on site at Künstler:innenhaus Büchsenhausen or follow the event online, via Zoom and Facebook. You will receive the Zoom link after registering via Eventbrite.

More than a decade ago, Ţichindeleanu wrote a series of texts pleading for the necessity of a comprehensive rethinking of the relation to culture in Eastern Europe and Europe as a whole. Among them were Where Are We, When We Think in Eastern Europe?, and Decolonizing Eastern Europe: Beyond Internal Criticism. Since then, the same concerns have arguably intensified and have become more urgent. In the lessons to be learned from the democratic reclaiming of roots, one can discern an opening of horizons, instead of the sense of doom and gloom and closing down of possibilities induced by recent times. In his talk, Ţichindeleanu will evolve around these topics.

As an introduction, host Tatiana Fiodorova-Lefter will provide an overview of her project and engage in a discussion of various theorists’ perspectives on the imperial and colonial aspects relevant to her work. This discussion aims to contextualize her artistic exploration within broader theoretical frameworks that examine the influences of empires and colonialism on cultural identities and experiences.

Ovidiu Ţichindeleanu is a Romanian philosopher, translator, educator and culture theorist, writing on critical social theory, decolonial thought, international politics, and cultural history. His work foregrounds cultural activism on transnational, transperipheral and intercultural connections as well as political journalism in Romanian platforms Indymedia, CriticAtac, regional and international outlets LeftEast, Cross-Border Talks, or East European Context. He is also editor of the Romanian journal of contemporary art and critical theory IDEA arts + society, and collections coordinator at IDEA publishing house.