Dada East? The Romanians of Cabaret Voltaire
"Art is dead. Long live dada!" A good-bye to his hometown of Karlovy Vary, leaving the slaughter of the World War I behind, on his way to join Zurich's Cabaret Voltaire - Walter Serner, as well as another delegation consisting of three oriental looking men - Romanians Tristan Tzara and the Janco brothers. They were soon to become heart and soul of dada.
Not only they declare art dead; they bury the whole era and everything leading mankind astray with it. The year is 1916 and Switzerland is the only neutral country in the plundered Europe.
"Dada isn't absurd - the essence of our era is.""Dada means nothing. And with nothing we want to change the world."
Dada wanted to reach ground zero, touch the elements, and go through a catharsis, which would refine the world. Contradicting itself, discovering new form, it was a limit yet not to be broken - a real landmark for modern art. Giving birth to new techniques, proclaiming coincidence equal to fundamental principles of art, discovering collage, photomontage, phonetic poetry without words, manifesting new aesthetics, but first and foremost antagonism and disgust. Spreading like wildfire over the old continent and overseas, it was the first version of globalization, not counting the Spanish flu.
The Prague Writers' Festival begins its 17th year with DADA EAST?, a unique exhibition of the eastern roots of dada, delivered straight from the revived Cabaret Voltaire. It is also Tom Sandqvist's credit that although the political situation during the twenties caused dada to bloom only in the western world, we can now witness the attention shift towards the historical and cultural context of Romania, thanks to his book DADA EAST, published in 2006. Sandqvist pointed out the existence of an active pre-WWI dada inspired art group formed around the Simbolul and Chemarea journals in Bucharest and other regions of Romania, the probable origin of the later Zurich esprit.
The vital segment of "DADA EAST? Romanians in Cabaret Voltaire" reflects on the lives of Tristan Tzara, the Janco brothers and Arthur Segal, as they leave for Zurich to help initiate a movement that should have changed modern history. Considering symbolism, futurism, as well as folklore, the premise for the Romanian avant-garde, Sandqvist also discovers the influence of the eastern Jewish tradition on all four artists involved in Cabaret Voltaire, since all of them share the same roots.
In search of clues the DADA EAST? exhibition reviews connections between the work and lives of Tristan Tzara and Marcel Janco. Interpreting themes suggested by Tom Sandqvist. Searching for dada's premises, their historical significance, and the presence of Cabaret Voltaire. While the LOST ART OF CZECH DADA segment looks for clues and echoes of dada in Czech culture through Walter Serner, his ties to western avant-garde and through retrospective texts of influential Czech authors who have either been or are still devoted to dada.
This ultimate feast of exhibition opens on 3rd June 2007 in Smečky Gallery and will kick off the 17th Prague Writers´ Festival with DADA EAST? as its second name, recalling the words of Romanian poet Paul Celan and reminding you of the ultimate truth:
"I dig, you dig, the worm digs too"
