ANITA BECKERS

Victor Alimpievs videos are founded on such enduring elements of Russian culture as music, dance and theatre. In WETTERLEUCHTEN (SUMMER LIGHTNINGS), young girls, all dressed identically, are sitting at a table drumming their fingers loudly and with concentration, following an invisible instructor. Only in the loop does it become clear that the irregular rhythm matches the rumbling of a summer thunderstorm which sometimes becomes visible in the lower part of the screen. Alimpiev draws a delicate picture which, in his Russian homeland, might represent the training of effort and discipline, but also takes as its theme the mutual dependence of people and nature.

Also thanks to Videonale’s early engagement, video art is now an established medium of contemporary art production. The organisers must be thanked for their engagement in this young artistic medium and their success in the past and at the present day in creating a platform which not only presents the works but also organises theoretical events in parallel. Kunstmuseum Bonn is therefore an ideal exhibition venue because it lets the visitors experience the diversity of media in one place. For me, Videonale is an up-to-date standpoint and is as such indispensible.