TO MOSCOW, MY SISTERS, TO MOSCOW?

EDITORIAL

European literature and theater are full of intrepid adventurers trapped in miserable towns while life is happening elsewhere - without them. Anton Chekhov's play Three Sisters is about three young women suffocating in a Russian province. Its most famous line is this editorial's title, yet the audience never sees the sisters leaving or arriving in Moscow. Did they ever leave their provincial town?

Long before Covid-19, many artists had begun moving from big cities to smaller towns because they were unable to afford the high cost of living in these urban centers. The pandemic made these metropolises even less attractive; the lack of space and risk of contamination, cancelation of events, and revenue losses increased the pressures on freelancers.

Landscape photo by Christoph Ziegler

The periphery, however, had ceased to exist a long time ago. Creating in one place and selling in another is a common practice among creatives. The internet is instrumental in helping keep up with trends. Zoom meetings and shows have become indispensable; they are cheap, user-friendly, and reach new audiences. Using the potential of technology creatively expands a show's radius and the artist's reputation.

A few weeks ago, Deichtorhallen, a major art institution in Hamburg, opened Tom Sachs's exhibition Space Program: Rare Earths with the addition of an innovative feature: the staged interaction with the public next to physical exhibits. Virtual visitors viewing from home thus enjoy different perspectives of the ongoing project. The current cover of SMCK Magazine features Sachs's own landing on the Vesta asteroid, courtesy of Deichtorhallen, Hamburg.