INSIDE OUTSIDE
Art on location by Iris Honderdos
St. Petersburg, 2002
Publication in Actual Art

Dutch artist, Iris Honderdos, has created an installation of socially conscious art, entitled, "Inside Outside." This project involved conducting short interviews with people of all different ages in St. Petersburg parks, courtyards and markets. The goal was to collect views on contemporary life in Russia. Participants, which included homeless people, teenagers, children, grandmothers and artists, wrote their opinions and wishes on the art objects, created by Ms. Honderdos.

The installation can be seen at Gallery 2000 and consists of seven half-moon-shaped objects, made of thick plastic, two meters high, and framed in metal.

The outside of each object has been glued with newspapers and has a single black tire track, representing the harshness of the outside world - society. By contrast, the inside has a soft, pinkish-lavender background, representing the magical world of wishes and dreams.

Participants in the project wrote, in red letters, on the outside of the object, their impressions about contemporary life in Russia. In gold letters, within the dream-like interior, wishes were written.

Gallery 2000, located on the third floor of the Planetarium, is itself the realization of what was once merely a dream - a dream of a Dutch artist, Thea Linshoten, to create an art gallery in Russia, allowing a contemporary art exchange between the two countries.
Ms. Honderdos, in the process of "Inside Outside," has interwoven her own artwork with Russian reality and dreams.

On August 21st, 2002, in yet another cultural exchange, a younger generation of Dutch, Russian and German students will gather at Gallery 2000, as part of a youth exchange program. They will then fill the seventh, and final, art object with their own impressions of Russian life as well as their hopes and dreams. This final act of cooperation marks the completion of "Inside Outside."
Gallery 2000 and "Inside Outside" are examples, not only of real cultural exchange, but also of dreams that have become reality. May these projects of Dutch/Russian cooperation serve as a model for similar exchanges between other cultures!

Maria Rausse

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