This exhibit has been postponed due to COVID-19. We are working to reschedule Gluklya's campus visit, but in the meantime, enjoy this interview which was recently conducted by our alumna Dianne Beal (BA REES '79), curator and art advisor of Galerie Blue Square: https://youtu.be/QHO-gCuWQjY.

In "Brodsky on the Horizon" Gluklya will show the video from her latest project, "Carnival of Oppressed Feelings," which was last exhibited in 2019 at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Several examples of her "Utopian Clothes," previously used in performances and workshops, works on paper and other selected videos will be displayed as well. These works will visualize the artist's personal connection to Joseph Brodsky’s poems and writings. The exhibit will also depict Joseph Brodsky's time at the University of Michigan, through reproduced photographs from the Ardis Records in Special Collections of the Hatcher Library.

Gluklya (Natalia Pershina-Yakimanskaya) is a visual and performance artist. Her manifesto states: “The place of the artist is on the side of the weak.” She uses clothing, installations, video, participatory projects, text, and research to develop a concept of fragility. For Gluklya, fragility is interpreted not as “delicate beauty” but as “invisible strength.” Her work explores topics of social exclusion, untapped intuitive knowledge, mind-body connections, violation of human rights, and stereotypes. Considered a pioneer of Russian performance art, Gluklya is a co-founder of the Factory of Found Clothes (FFC) and the group Chto Delat (What is to be done?). In 2012, FFC became the Utopian Unemployment Union, a project that unites art, social science, and progressive pedagogy to give people from all social backgrounds an opportunity to make art together. Today, the artist participates in many international shows including the 56th edition of the Venice Biennale (2015) and Positions #4 at the Van Abbemuseum in the Netherlands (2018-19). She has been awarded numerous art prizes and grants, including a fellowship from the Joseph Brodsky Fellowship Memorial Fund in 2014 and support from the Mondriaan Fund for recent projects.

Presented in partnership with the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series.

If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend this event, please reach out to us at weisercenter@umich.edu at least 2 weeks in advance of this event. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.