Monument to the Brilliant and Victorious NATO General Dr. Freud
2000
Manifesta 3: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Borderline Syndrome: the Energy of Resistance
I conceived this work in 1995, at the moment when the war in Chechnya began. The idea was extremely simple: I wanted to stage a performance in front of the Ministry of Defense by rolling a relatively light artillery piece toward the building and inserting its barrel into a sewer manhole. I attempted to organize this performance several times, but each time, just as the project was nearing realization, it collapsed.
Over time, the idea underwent a series of transformations and was eventually realized at Manifesta 3. In this new version, the object was titled Monument to the Brilliant and Victorious NATO General Dr. Freud and was intended to be installed in the center of Ljubljana.
Originally, in 1995, the work was conceived as a vivid performative spectacle: a group of people would roll the gun toward the Ministry of Defense through Old Arbat and, amid shouting and jeering, force it into a sewer manhole. In this sense, nearly half of the work’s expressive power lies in the very process of installing the object. During the installation in Ljubljana, an unexpected comic effect emerged: several dozen people, assisted by a crane-mounted vehicle, were pushing an Italian anti-tank gun into the sewer.
Numerous practical difficulties arose and were resolved on site. Because the installation took place in an urban public space, many passersby became spontaneously involved, offering advice and engaging in endless discussions about how the task should be carried out. Given the Slavic inclination toward conversation, one can easily imagine the atmosphere that developed.
At a certain moment, distancing myself from this bustle, I realized that the artwork was taking place precisely then. What was actually happening? Several dozen people, largely uninterested in the meaning of the action, were enthusiastically—almost like ants—engaged in a collective act of absurdity. For this reason, the performance effectively took place two days before the official opening.
Anatoly Osmolovsky
