| Igor Zabel, co-ordinator of the Manifesta 3 |
| Interview, 13. 6. 2000 |
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| Ever since the meeting on Prušnikova that took place at
the end of 1998, I have not really changed my expectations as regards the
influence of Manifesta 3 on the Slovene space. At the time I was of the
opinion that Manifesta 3 is an opportunity for the existing potentials to
become even more activated. I expected that M3 will cause a directed
localisation of energy, which will give additional momentum to the
formation of the local network. I think that the influences will be positive, the consciousness as regards contemporary art among the young generation will be on the rise and in the media the recognition of contemporary art will also improve. In such a way a class of people who are interested in contemporary art, together with supporters and collectors will be on the rise. Undoubtedly Manifesta has its cultural and political dimension. The fact that the state and the town with the state apparatus have interceded for a cultural event such as Manifesta, which is relatively open, is not to be neglected; the fact that they did not try to copy some sort of a biannual (like for example the Venice one) but they reached a decision to adopt a flexible and experimental event, which brings a high level of risk, is of great importance. I never expected for Manifesta to change the cultural policy overnight or that it will ensure a drastic improvement of the art infrastructure in a second. At the same time we must not overlook the fact that a lot of funding and energy was inputted in the organisation of Manifesta 3 and I hope that this also shows the direction of the new cultural policy. Such a thing always takes a lot of time, for an entire system must develop. On Prušnikova I have foreseen co-operation between M3 and the local scene, however I could not foresee the form of this co-operation. Later on the curators made a few attempts to link with the Ljubljana scene, which should, on the other hand, be more active by itself. In this point of time I am of the opinion that the local scene is not taking enough advantage of M3. Certain actions are in preparation, but in my opinion, this is not enough. On the other hand, Manifesta could also try harder. |