NSK State News for October, featuring retrospective coverage of citizen organized events in Leipzig and New York City.

To mark the publication of the book on the First NSK Citizens’ Congress, a series of events will be held in Britain, Germany and Slovenia with further dates to be announced. Join the editor and contributors to discuss the issues raised in the book and the ongoing development of the NSK State.

Confirmed Dates:

• 25.10 – London @ The Horse Hospital, 19.30
  Alexei Monroe, Avi Pitchon, Alexander Nym
• 28.10. – Leipzig @ Galerie KUB, 20.00
  Avi Pitchon, Alexander Nym
• 29. & 30.10. – Nuremberg @ Galerie Armer Teufel
  Avi Pitchon, Alexander Nym
• 31.10. – Munich @ Galerie traversée, 19.00
  Avi Pitchon, Alexander Nym
• 3.11. – Ljubljana @ Galerija ŠKUC, 19.00
  Alexei Monroe, Haris Hararis (Followed at 20.00 by the opening of the NSK Folk Art exhibition)
• 4.11. – Berlin @ Ballhaus Naunynstrasse, 21.30
  Alexei Monroe, Avi Pitchon (DJs: Codex Europa, Avi Pitchon)

Ordering information and a downloadable preview of the book can be found at  Ploettner’s website. There is a 10% discount for NSK Citizens on production of a valid passport number.

The Nuremberg events take place in the framework of a special exhibition by local NSK Citizens and activists and selected NSK Folk Art works will also be displayed at the Berlin event which will be followed by a party.

Ploettner Verlag anad Poison Cabinet Press will shortly release the book “State of Emergence” which explores what did happen, what could have happened and what may happen following the Congress. The book comprises ca 250 pages and includes images from the Congress as well as the accompanying NSK Folk Art and Congress Poster Competition exhibition, as well as documentation of the first post-Congress citizen-organised events.

Also included are a range of eye-witness accounts from delegates, facilitators, observers and others, giving multiple perspectives on the events. In addition, there are essays on the Congress and the NSK State from a range of theorists including Eda Cufer (NSK founding member & international curator), Regina Roemhild (Institute for European Anthropology, Humboldt University Berlin), Yannis Stavrakakis and Kostis Stafylakis.
As is the case with many of NSK’s works, the true meanings and significances of the Congress may not be clear for some time, but “State of Emergence” will analyse and contribute to the interpretation and decoding of an event whose implications touch on the key artistic, political and social dilemmas of our time.

“State of Emergence intensively documents and analyses the unique NSK State in Time project, opening up radical new perspectives on the collectivity of NSK and on many of the key artistic and cultural questions of our time. This is an important collection of thought-provoking texts and artwork that is invaluable for navigating this evolving territory.”
Catherine Wood, Tate Modern Curator of Contemporary Art and Performance.

Ordering information can be found at Ploettner’s website.

The future of the NSK State is dependent on citizen involvement. Citizen involvement is dependent on communication. The NSK State News fulfills both these requirements. Using this framework the citizens of the state will now be able to communicate with each other, while maintaining a unified front to the rest of the world. This is just the beginning.

Program:

NSK New York and MomentaArt are pleased to present NSK Rendez-Vous New York. Founded in 1992 by Slovene arts collective Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK), the NSK State in Time emerged at a time when a radical rethinking of the nation state was necessary. As events in the 1980’s accelerated towards the collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of Yugoslavia in war, the NSK collective (comprised of the groups Laibach, IRWIN, Noordung, New Collectivism and The Department of Pure and Applied Philosophy), emerged as a multi-faceted entity that reprocessed nationalist, socialist and fascist iconography and the language of the early twentieth century avant-gardes. Taking the idea of the state as a Duchampian Readymade, NSK virtually seceded from newly independent Slovenia in 1992 to become a ‘virtual’ state, existing in time and without borders – a utopian social sculpture embodying a symbolic transcendence of the nationalism engulfing the region. Shortly after its founding, the state began to issue passports and open temporary embassies in a number of locations, including Moscow, Sarajevo, Berlin, Ghent, Glasgow and Dublin. In October 2010 citizens gathered at the first NSK Citizens’ Congress in Berlin to discuss the proliferation of the complex and often provocative ideas represented by this transnational entity, which describes itself as ‘the first global state of the universe’. Presented by congress delegates and facilitators, the NSK Rendez-Vous New York provides an overview of the NSK State in Time and an opportunity for discussion on recent NSK initiatives.

Contact: nsk.newyork@gmail.com

Directions to MomentaArt: Take the L Train to the Morgan stop in Bushwick. Exit at Bogart Street. The gallery is opposite the subway entrance.

NSK STATE LIPSK & Zonic-Kunst present

“S.C.L.S.: State – Society – Landscapes – Society”
June/July 2011 – Leipzig/Germany
03.-05.06. / 09.-13.06. / 08.-10.07. 2011

Featuring works by NSK STATE collective, Jonathan Evans (AUS) & Veronica Moto (MEX), Barbara Lamoot (SK), Bettina Tita (ROM), Holger Karas (Leipzig), Laetitia Mantis (Leipzig) and others.

A small sensation!

NSK STATE section Leipzig in cooperation with the culture magazine Zonic is reopening an important venue in Leipzig’s art history: The original gallery space of famed German art group EIGEN+ART, located on Bornaische Strasse 31 (Tram 11, stop Pfeffinger Strasse) – possibly the final opportunity to tread these historical grounds.

During the opening hours of the exhibition, NSK state opens a consulate handing out visas for visitors and offering devotional objects from the state of art founded in 1992 as a non-physical, temporal entity. The collective presents the exhibition “It’s a beautiful country” which features images of anonymous, decontextualised landscapes which reflect the state’s universalistic approach as well as its imperial artistic tactics. Become a citizen of the first global state in the universe! The NSK passport office will be at your disposal during opening hours; everyone can apply to become a member of the NSK state in time.

In addition to the “Beautiful Country” exhibition, Australian Industrial artist Jonathan Evans (known for his work with “Last Dominion Lost”) and Mexican artist Veronica Moto present the video installation and performance “The second Death of Reason”, Slovak artist Barbara Lamoot explores the symbology of “landscape in philosophical predigestion.” Romanian born artist Bettina Tita offers insights into post-communist landscapes of her former home now lost, and Leipzig-based artist Dr. Laetitia Mantis documents several periods of her photographic work covering the connections between nature and culture in the theme of birth, while her images from “Kutna Hora” and Sintra/Portugal offer insights into the morbid beauty of humanity and make clear that there are still magical places if one has the ability to recognise them.

The exhibition opens on Friday, June 3rd at 7pm and is open over the weekend from 7pm. During the Whitsun days (June 10th through 13th) it can be viewed between 12 noon and 7pm, and during the first weekend in July (8th – 10th) doors open again from 7pm.

Special events:
Saturday, June 4th, 8pm: “Panorama of the State Machine” – Cultural theorist Alexander Nym discusses the history and phenomenology of the NSK state in time, followed by a screening of the documentary film “Predictions of Fire” (Michael Benson 1996) about the group Laibach and the associated artists of the Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) movement. Presentation in German; documentary film in English language.

Sunday, June 5th, 8pm: Jakobine Motz and Claus Loeser screen their documentary „Behauptung des Raums – Wege unabhängiger Ausstellungskultur in der DDR“ (2009), dealing with the incurrence and development of EIGEN+ART and its predecessors. After the film, the directors will be present for a Q&A with the audience. (German language)

Thursday, June 9th, 7pm: Reopening of the exhibition with the performance “The Second Death of Reason” by Jonathan Evans und Veronica Moto.
Friday and Saturday, June 10th and 11th, 2pm: London based cultural theorist and NSK-researcher Alexei Monroe will be giving guided tours through NSK-country and answering questions from tourists. (English language)

Contact & further information:
zonic@zonic-online.de
info@schillerndesdunkel.de

NSK RENDEZ-VOUS LONDON

26 FEB 2011, THE HORSE HOSPITAL Colonnade, Bloomsbury WC1N 1JD

PANEL DISCUSSION, INFORMATION STALL FOLLOWED BY A SHORT PERFORMANCE AND FREE SCREENING

DOORS: 7:30PM £3

SCREENING: 9:15, FREE ENTRANCE

Following the first NSK State Congress that took place in Berlin in October, you are cordially invited to a public report and debate of the congress’ outcomes revolving around three documents produced by the 30 delegates in its duration – FINDINGS, INNOVATIONS, and the renegade ATOMIC DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE. The future of the NSK State will be discussed in light of the above. The discussion will be followed by a short performance.

Panel discussion

Chair: Congressman Avi Pitchon

Congressmen Alex Fitch & Stevphen Shukaitis,

Congress organiser and author of “Interrogation Machine: Laibach and NSK”, Alexei Monroe.

Performance

Anat Ben-David & Avi Pitchon performing ‘Twilight of the Barbarians’. originally written for and performed at the Berlin Congress

Free Screening

Predictions Of Fire (Dir. Michael Benson, 90 mins. US 1996)

A visceral documentary focusing on the Slovenian collective art movement known as NSK (‘Neue Slowenische Kunst’) and its varied branches: ‘Laibach’, ‘Irwin’, and ‘Red Pilot’. Also features interpretations by Slavoj Zizek

In 1992, following the independence of Slovenia, the artistic collective known as “Neue Slowenische Kunst”, or NSK, founded the “NSK State in Time.” The creation of this virtual non-territorial state was a response to the ambivalent status of the nation state and to supposedly fixed ideas of territory, ethnic group and borders. The initiative was supported by other Slovene artists and theorists and appeared as a utopian concept free of territorial preconditions. The State does not identify itself with other real or actually existing states and has now grown into a collective (art-) work with approximately ten thousand members.

NSK’s art is complex and its creation of new (post)national symbols is easily misinterpreted. Debates around the nation state and patriotism shape the artwork of this distinctive group, which is composed of the uncompromising group Laibach, known primarily for its musical activities plus the innovative fine arts collective IRWIN and various other groups working in different media.

NSK RENDEZ-VOUS LYON #1

“Art is Fanaticism that demands Diplomacy”

Tuesday, the 25th of January 2011 – 7.00pm > 11.00pm

Conferences – Debates – Projections – Music
Retrogarde – New Slovene Art – Industrial Music

With exceptional participation of Alexei Monroe (PhD), Non-alignates Cultural theorist, and author of Interrogation Machine – Laibach and NSK (2005, MIT Press), Founder of de I.C.R.N (Industrial Cultural Research Network)

“Interrogation Machine – The State of New Slovene Art”
19h30 : lecture and questions/answers in English, followed by meeting/signing with the author)

20h45 : projection of Michael Benson’s Predictions of Fire movie (1996, Original soundrack, including English subtitles)

Musical surrounding ambient and industrial lead by Convulsions Sonores

IRWIN – Novi Kolektivizem – Laibach – Cosmokinetic Cabinet Noordung – Department of Pure and Applied Philosophy – Peter Mlakar – Slavoj Žižek

www.nskstate.com

Venue: Lieu : Café de la Cloche
4 rue de la Charité
69002 LYON
France
Tél. +33 4 78 37 44 54
www.cafe-de-la-cloche.org

After a successful Congress in Berlin, the NSK State in Time has reached a new step and is now to be widespread around the world. Citizens organize themselves and, as a result of the Findings of the Congress, decide to set some hotspots where and when citizens, activists, fans, artists, etc. can meet each other in a café or any interesting venue and make discover the NSK State in Time to newcomers.

Lyon, France, is opening this brand new wave called “NSK Rendez-Vous”, including, but not limited : conferences, movies, mixes, concerts, exhibition, happenings, performances, theater plays related to NSK and/or its embedded collective. We expect that other cities all around the world will welcome such this event, on a regular basis.

It is no wonder that us delegates of the First NSK Citizen’s Congress do not haste in submitting our reports, for we are destined to serve as poets, and not clerks, of statist organisation. Our grasp of diplomatic duty is therefore fanatical, capricious and stormy, and it is in this context that I therefore applaud the words expressed on our beloved NSK Times in honour of the ‘rebel document’ – we are indeed all suspended between a lifetime of otherness, autonomy, upheaval and individuality and a yearning to belong – to find a place to call home (Heimat), to which we would be willingly giving our souls away.

We all still bask in the romantic green ray of the Congress’ aftershock – an event brief when experienced within linear time yet ever-beckoning to us since the day we were born, thus ever-present: a temple (in time), a homing device to our myths constructed with the knowledge of forgotten, enlightened empires, almost unsettlingly vivid – we saw it, we dreamt it – that beautiful, still condolence, a sun that shines in black and white and a gentle warm wind caressing our faces and subtly moving tree branches, their dancing shadow ornamenting the sacred structure to which we have returned triumphant. A memory not from the past but from within.

It is this inner temple that we erected a long time ago in a constellation of the heart and mind far, far away yet ever so intimate; it is our revisiting as collective that made it manifest, resonate and tremble in this material realm; that uttered an invitation for the Immanent Consistent Spirit to enter and dwell in the House of World Cultures, the soundless thunder of the mighty beaming emanating from within its mythical holy of holies converging with the moment of grace of the historical present. Now awoken by our hand, will and desire, it will constantly inform our state apparatus, filling its body with flowing, shimmering, everlasting light: Jehovaic Vril!

We gathered in Berlin in obedience to totalitarian dreamtime, gathered to witness it in awe, together, perplexed in rejuvenation, re-learning to believe and to rein-state the integral continuity of the myth as real complementing the historical as reality, our eyes lit up, at long last, as the apparatus comes to life, we serve as spark. Engage, ignite, blast-off!

It is in this sacred light and no other, in the reassuring, determined presence of the altar/monument that we collectively summoned, possessed by our vast archetypal selves, that the outcomes of the Congress should be measured. Yes, the Rebel Document is indeed the music of our fighting spirit and our strife, standing tall above a lifetime spent in contempt of banality, conformity, herd-mentality: that is precisely why our common body born it. The expression of our will to overthrow is fully manifest in its glory, therefore it must not extend to the further doubting of the Scroll of the Findings, for they are mutually inclusive and awesomely balanced, and intermediated by the Agenda of Innovations integrating obedience, adherence, trail-blazing and freedom. Yes, we are partisans! But we are also disciples, and in both paths we find nobility.

The Findings are an outmost necessity and the outcome of our collective encounter with destiny. If we accept that art is fanaticism that demands diplomacy, the Findings are our rite of passage, our statement of adulthood, our initial act of active participation in the (Laibach) Kunst Machine that inspired us. In order to express either fanaticism or diplomacy as sovereigns, surely we must first make art! Thus completing our shift from spectators to creators, exercising a skill honed throughout a lifetime of appreciation, worship and reflection. To call the Findings conservative or the work of a ‘fan club’ is not only missing the point, but also a cheapening (born in the self-doubt of strife-torn atomistic isolation) of our own impetus and passion: how can we be expected to innovate and forge ahead before we prove that we can sing the praises of The Internal Book of Laws and the Ten Items of the Covenant in our own words and through the meeting of our own hearts and minds? How can one go above and beyond the law before earning the sovereignty to do so by merit of mastering it?

By elaborating on the NSK canon, by further ornamenting it in ceremonial, despotic poetry, by creating a document of our own worthy of standing next to its predecessors and inspirations, we have evolved from being apprentices, disciples, novices – to a body that dances in the jubilant element of its own mastery. Indeed, we were chosen wisely and earnestly (the unpleasant voices that croak in dispute ridden with ego and greed), for we were ready to earn the sacred license to innovate and take the NSK State further towards fulfilment. The Findings are the music of our worthiness, the shape of our love that stands upright and defiant beyond good and evil.

This is doubly important for us all to accept, embrace and internalise as we are again scattered. If we are to realise the Innovations (both the manifest five and occult seven), we need the light of the Findings to guide our way and warm our bones when we venture to the cold in solitude. The constant remembrance, study and perhaps even uttering and chanting of the Findings will ensure that the golden shimmer will continue to forcefully flow within our individual organs to hold us together and perpetuate our collective Phalanx motion, its attack formation a disciplined dance closer to perfection in each and every new step. For this purpose I suggest that our finest craftsmen and women produce an official design of the Scroll of the Findings that we can all place in our homes or workplaces. It can take the shape of a decree embossed upon paper, a tiny rolled papyrus to be carried inside a jewel or other form of on-body decoration, or indeed set to music. We need the fire of the Findings to walk with us, to ensure that we fulfil our mission; and to ensure, sisters and brothers, that we shall all meet again.