Vladimir Us (MD)
26 november 2014

Reclaiming Public Space through Artistic Practices:
In his presentation Vladimir Us will speak about the projects organized by the Oberliht Association in the past seven years, highlighting a number of artistic interventions which took place outside of traditional cultural institutions (the projects INTERVENTIONS, CHIOȘC, the Civic Centre of Chișinău). These projects drew together artists, architects, sociologists, activists and other participants expressing interest in the transformations undergone by the public space in Chișinău, the goal being that of creating, through such cultural interventions, a truly public space. This effort became possible via self-education and self-organization and also through the development of a new cultural and digital infrastructure, which is better suited to the needs of independent cultural entities in Moldavia, while offering an alternative to the institutional environment and proposing new ways of engaging with the public.

Vladimir Us is artist and curator based in Chișinău, Moldova, founding member of Oberliht Young Artists' Association in Chișinău, serving from 2007 as a platform for projects such as Chioșc and ARThotel. He edited Plic magazine and initiated Chioșc AIR, a residency program in Chișinău for artists and curators.He studied art, curating, cultural management and cultural policy in Chișinău, Grenoble and Belgrade. Through his recent works and projects he examines the processes of transformation of the public space in post-Soviet cities along with the need for conceptualizing an alternative network of public spaces in Chișinău.