An Apology for Modernity

Created in 1992, the NSK State currently has over 15,000 citizens, and their number still grows. Although numerically weaker than most countries, its demographic structure already accords it the status of an art superpower, as many of its citizens are brilliant, world-renowned artists, art theoreticians, and curators that may well be the envy of countries positioned as global cultural leaders. This made it an unsurprisingly easy task to select curators and invite them to present the outstanding artistic achievements of NSK citizens at the NSK State Pavilion, which debuted in Venice in 2017, alongside pavilions of more than sixty countries. 

While the curators were entirely at liberty to choose the topic and the conceptual formulation of the exhibition and to select the participating artists, activists, and theoreticians, every effort was made from our part to enable them to realize their ideas to the fullest. The NSK State Pavilion presented three projects simultaneously and in a mutually supportive rather than competitive way. Our immense gratitude goes to Ahmet Öğüt for his inspiring installation as well as to Zdenka Badovinac and Charles Esche for their highly elaborate exhibition concept and splendid selection of participating authors and display items. We are immensely delighted that these actions, based on knowledge, experience, and sensitivity, enabled what has been the most complex enactment of The NSK State-in-Time so far.

—IRWIN