NSK - Neue slowensiche Kunst, or New Slovene Art - has been challenging the status quo in art and politics for more than 20 years. It's a collective of artists in many fields, a philosophical and political perspective, a virtual country - and now the subject of an exhibit at the Frye Museum. Although well known in industrial/techno music circles throughout the United States and Europe, the collective is off the radar screen for much of the general public. The Frye exhibit will delight existing fans and offer insights to the rest of us.
But some background first. Slovenia lies south of Austria and west of Hungary. It was once part of the Hapsburg Empire, and there's a long and sometimes unpleasant history with the "Germans." Slovenia became part of the Yugoslavian state after World War II. Despite the firm hand of Tito, it developed a lively intellectual underground, which quickly blossomed after Tito's death. In 1991 Slovenia became an independent state; it's now a member of the UN and of the EU.
The NSK strand of Slovenian intellectualism includes music, visual arts, graphics, theater and philosophy. Among this aggregate, the music is best known. The musical arm of NSK is Laibach, a band known for its militaristic sound and its distorted cover versions of numbers by more mainstream groups such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Queen.
Laibach has been in trouble practically since it started. The name itself was originally offensive to many Slovenians because it is the German word for the Slovenian capital city, Ljubljana. The band was banned from performing in Slovenia with that name in the early '80s, so it did tours outside the country and thus increased its following.
After Yugoslavia began to break apart, NSK established its own country ... a virtual country. It has no land, no borders, no taxes, no citizenship requirements, but it has had embassies and consulates. These have been set up temporarily as venues for European happenings. There are also NSK passports - so realistic that some have been used successfully at national borders. One was even stamped by U.S. Immigration. Let's assume that was before 9/11.
Laibach members have been accused of being fascists because of the militaristic cadence of their music and their costumes that resemble Nazi uniforms. They deny it. As their lead singer said, "We are fascists as much as Hitler was a painter."
What they try to do is to project the mannerisms and symbols of the fascists and state power in such an exaggerated way that it borders on parody. In the process, they address some of the most sensitive issues facing Europe (and us) today, issues like immigration, monetary policies and power plays.
The visual arts branch of the NSK collective is called Irwin. Irwin, too, uses fascist symbols, among others, in works that its members call "artifacts," not paintings. As does Laibach, they also appropriate conceptions from artists of previous years. Appropriation is a hallmark of NSK. Key to their philosophy is the idea that strategic recycling of images of the past is a method of envisioning the future.
Other central concepts relate to authorship and originality. Not one of NSK's works is signed by the person who made it. They don't believe there is singular genius. The collective members collectively produce the music, the artifacts. Whether or not one picks up a brush or an instrument, each member is part of the creative process. If there is a single creator, it can only be the unknowable God.
NSK members believe that in Slovenia, which is situated geographically between the Eastern world and the Western world, East and West mix. So, too, in their work, concepts of East and West are brought together through their collective energies.
In the Western world authorship and originality are of critical importance. Not so in the East. Think of the Eastern Orthodox process of making icons. The artist who creates an icon doesn't stray from the existing form; he is merely a vessel through which God works. And, NSK asks, where are you going to find originality in a world of hi-tech communications and shared images?
"The RetroFuturiStic UniverSe of NSK" with its intersection of art, philosophy, politics and history is not for the casual visitor. There's a lot going on here, and it's the intellectual content that demands most attention. This is revealed through "artifacts," album covers, costumes, graphic arts and videos of the group's theater performances, band concerts and happenings. There is much to see and much to think about. Plan on spending some time.
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"The RetroFuturiStic UniverSe of NSK" continues through July 31 at the Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave. Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays until 8 p.m., Sundays noon to 5 p.m. 622-9250. Free parking and admission.[[In-content Ad]]
