Igor MAKAREVICH
FROM THE AUTHOR
In anticipation of the project I would have said: "Back in my childhood I've read a wonderful book. Then I lost it and recited its contents to my friends adding some lines from myself..." That's exactly what Alexei Tolstoy wrote in a preface to his famous appropriation of 'Pinocchio' 1; though this preface was one of his regular mystifications. The writer couldn't have read the tale in his childhood; it was translated into Russian when he was already 16, and was interested in more serious literature. But the very fact of appropriation, and its miraculous history, and of premonitory mystification, - all that calls in to repeat both mystification and appropriation of this magnetic work.
Searching for the effect of the interest to an childish story, written by a third-rank Italian writer, we found that until the author died it made 500 reprints, and had fantastic popularity. Even a brief look through the book evokes a thought that in fact it's a secular and easy parallel to evangelic plot. All the elements of the fable are present: baptism (when Pinocchio is been affused), Herod (who in Russian variant became Karabas-Barabas), tortures and martyrdom of the hero. In a catholic country this text appeared to be absolutely adequate to both spiritual traditions and a need for free thought and easy reading. Hence people who later made a Fascist revolution in Italy, have been raised on Collodi's fable. Almost the same story happened to Alexei Tolstoy. He wrote his variant, about Buratino, in 1936, when being ill, he couldn't work on serious novels. Back in the 20's, when he was an emigre in Berlin, he edited a Russian translation of 'Pinocchio'. By the way it was translated by Petrovskaya, a famous lady of the 'Silver Age' of Russian poetry, a lover of Bryusov; last years of her life were miserable and she committed suicide.
So, the story written by Tolstoy in jest, became a cult book; and a whole generation of Soviet people was raised on it, and they were people of hard luck. It happened so that this tale became a small myth of the XX century, from both sides. Artists, musicians, film producers have turned to it many times. Moscow contemporary art still finds it actual and interesting as well.
As for my personal attitude to the Buratino/Pinocchio theme, I'd say that the present exhibit was planned as a final part of the big project 'Homo Lignum. Problems of Physiology, Survival and Sepulture' 2, though I feel sorrow to bid my farewell to the hero. Collodi also tried to get rid of him. In the first variant of the tale Pinocchio strangled himself. But the kids asked for a sequel. This time I wanted to give some criminal touch to the final part of the project (as it's subtitle is 'Problems of Sepulture'). The truth is that I'm the kind of artist who can't just illustrate the primary idea. And as any other idea this one lives on its own and dictates its own terms. At first I planned to put a coffin with Buratino's body in the middle of the gallery, posting on the walls small photos of his last days. But the project's embodiment demanded for some different ways. Then I've made an urn with Buratino's ashes, actually a lumber rot. Later then I though of making a solid coffin, with an explicit wooden texture. All that resulted in the present piece that resembles a Catholic tomb. In my story it 's a bridge between the East and the West. And again criminalistics turns to aestheticism. Reminding 'Lignomania', I can't get rid of the theme of sexual pathology. All in all the present exhibit perfects and completes 'Lignomania', and both make up a whole. As in the first case, cultural context plays a big part here. With a relish I'm quoting here old Netherlanders, and the French Romantics. Of course Witkin is present, though void of his modernistic pathos. Most of my working on the project happened during Lent. So however dark were my hero's incentives, as is his cruel fate, I hope he went to a better world in a right time.