About Joseph Backstein
Иосиф Бакштейн

(1945-2024)

на русском языке

1945 Born in Moscow
Deceased Jan 2024, London

Education

1968 Graduated the Moscow Institute of Computer Sciences
1985 PhD in Sociology of Art and Culture, awarded by the Institute of Sociology of the USSR, Academy of Sciences.
2007 Honorary Doctorate, Gothenborg University, Sweden

Membership
2007 – Russian Academy of Art, corresponding member
1995 – AICA

1988 - Member of Union of Artists, Russia.

Professional Art Activities
2009 Member of advisory council of Victoria Art Foundation

2001 – 2010: State Centre for Museums and Exhibitions “Rosizo”, Artistic director
1997 - 2000 Open Society Institute/ Soros Foundation - expert
1996 – 2002 Festival of Contemporary art  “Art Moscow”  - board member
2000 - State Tretyakov Gallery - consultant  for the XX century collection
1996 -2002  Russian Ministry of Culture, Board for the Visual Art, member

1991 – 2006: The Russian Academy of Sciences
The Institute for Cultural Studies, senior research staff (from 2003-2013: Head of “Contemporary Culture” department)
1991 – till now: The Institute of Contemporary Art — Moscow, Director and Founder

Previous Occupations

1974 — 1991   Researcher, The Institute for Industrial Design, Moscow 
1969 — 1974   The  Institute of  Economics and Mathematics, the USSR Academy of Sciences
1968 — 1969   PO Box A 3706

Family life
Parents: Marc Bakshteyn and Rahel Metropolitanskaya.

Joseph Backstein was married 3 times,
m. 1971-1974, Moscow, Katya Kompaneyets, artist.
m. c.1982-1990, Moscow, Irina Nakhova, artist.
m. 2001-2024, London, Katy Deepwell, art critic/historian.

He had 4 children: Yelena Kompaneyets, Marc Kompaneyets, Maxim Jablonski, Jacob Deepwell Backstein.

He had 4 grandchildren (until 2024). Parents: Marc Kompaneyets/Marta: Emile and Leonora. Parents: Maxim and Lena Jablonski: Nathan and Daria.

Prizes

2019 nominated for Kandinsky Prize for contemporary art history and theory book, Иосиф Бакштейн. «Статьи и диалоги» (2017)

2018 «Инновация-2018» фонда V-A-C и ММОМА

2018 Kuryokhin Prize in the field of contemporary art, Лучший текст о современном искусстве

ЛАУРЕАТЫ ПРЕМИИ ИМ. С. КУРЁХИНА ЗА 2017 ГОД
Лучший текст о современном искусстве
Иосиф Бакштейн «Статьи и диалоги»

2017 Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award

2013 Hubert Winter Prize, Vienna Art Fair

Participation in the Juries:

2015 KUPALA NIGHT COUP 2015 OPEN CALL, Pushkin House

2013 Educational Program of IV Moscow International Biennale of Young Art

2012 Advisory Board, Art Vectors Investment Partnership, Viennafair The New Contemporary
2012 Инновация / Innovation Prize Jury
2011 ENEL CONTEMPORANEA AWARD, Venice
2011 "Елка как арт-объект"/ "Christmas tree as an art object" Architectural competition, Organizer: GUTA-DEVELOPMENT Company

2010 Jury ArtDocFest, Moscow

2009 and 2013, 2015 Expert Advisor for Kandinsky Prize
2009-10 Sovereign European Art Prize

2008 – Documenta, committee for Documenta 13 curator’s nomination
2000 – Media Forum, Moscow
1999 - Video Festival WRO99 in Wrozlav, Poland
1997 - 1998 - Fulbright Program - expert

1993 - 1997 Jury for Artist in Residence, KunstlerHaus Betanien. Moscow-Berlin

Residencies

2000 Curatorial Residency, NIFCA, Suomenlinna, Finland.

2001 British Academy visiting fellow, University of Ulster, UK

2002 – 2003 Rutgers University, research fellow, USA

Principal curatorial projects

2019 Advising curator, Komar and Melamid. (Curator: Andrei Erofeev) Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMNA, Petrovka St, Moscow), March 22-June 9

2015 6th Moscow Biennale - How to Gather? Acting in a Center in a City in the Heart of the Island of Eurasia, Commissioner (Curators: Curators: Bart de Baere, Defne Ayas and Nicolaus Schafhausen). VDNKh. Pavilion No.1 In Moscow’s VDNKh (the Exhibition of Achievements of the People’s Economy). 70 artists.

2015    “Contemporaries of the Future. Jewish Artists in the Russian Avant-Garde, 1910s–1980s”,
Jewish Museum & Tolerance Center, 25 March – 24 May. Co-curated with Maria Nasimova, Grigory Kazovsky.

peter_weibel: technē_revolution Organizer: Moscow Museum of Modern Art The general partner of the project: OAO NOVATEK Supported by AUSTRIAN CULTURAL FORUM MOSCOW. Moscow Museum of Modern Art. September 11 – November 1, 2015

2014    “Paradise” Irina Nakhova, CCA Winzavod, 16 Sent. – 26 Oct. 

2013 5th Moscow Biennale, Commissioner (Curator: Catherine de Zegher). Manege. ЦВЗ «Манеж». 72 artists from 40 countries were shown.

2012    “Stalker. Art in the factory”, VNIIMETMASH, 1 Sept. – 7 Sept.

2011 4th Moscow Biennale - Rewriting Worlds/ Commissioner. (Curator: Peter Weibel). Art Play, Moscow. 61 artists and 16 groups from 33 countries were shown.

2011    “Practice for Everyday Life - Young Artists from Russia”, Calvert 22, London, UK  23 March – 29 May. Co-curated with  David Thorp

2010    “Lesson of history”, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France, 12 June – 27 June

La Lecon de L'Histoire: Moscou - Paris - Perm. Institute d'etude de L'Art Contemporain, Moscow.

2009 Third Moscow Biennale. (Curator: Jean-Hubert Martin) Garage. 78 artists from 26 countries were shown.

Третья Московская биеннале современного искусства. Комиссар, художественный руководитель. Центр современной культуры, Гараж.

2008    Russian Art. Paradoxes of History, National Academy of Art, Sofia, Bulgaria 15 Dec. 2008 – 7 Jan. 2009
«Русское искусство. Парадоксы истории». Национальная художественная академия, София, Болгария

2008    Ilya and Emilia Kabakov. Alternative Art History and Other Projects. Garage.
Илья и Эмилия Кабаковы «Альтернативная история искусств и другие проекты». ЦСК «Гараж; ГМИИ им. А. С. Пушкина; ЦСИ Винзавод. Москва». “Gates”, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts,
“Alternative history of Arts”, CCA Winzavod. “Red wagon”, CCC Garage. “Life of flies”, CCA Winzavod. “Toilet”, CCA Winzavod. “Tennis”, CCA Winzavod.

2007/8    Yoko Ono "Odyssey of the Cockroach" TSUM, Moscow for the 2nd Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, 31 May – 24 June. Йоко Оно «Одиссея таракана». ЦУМ, Москва. Co-curated with Philip Dodd.

2007 Second Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Commissioner and co-curator with Daniel Birnbaum, Iara Boubnova, Nicolas Bourriaud, Fulya Erdemci, Gunnar B. Kvaran, Rosa Martínez, and Hans-Ulrich Obrist. TsUM Department store and Federation Tower (Moscow’s newly opened and tallest building). 90 artists from 20 countries were shown.

2006 "Norman Foster: Space and Time”, Pushkin Museum, Moscow.
Норман Фостер «Пространство и время». ГМИИ им. А.С. Пушкина, Москва

2006 “The Origin of Species. Art in the Age of Social Darwinism”

(в рус. версии та же ошибка), Museum of Contemporary Art, Toyama Prefecture, Japan 19 Aug. – 24 Sept.and Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan, 16 Dec. 2006 – 25 Feb. 2007
«Происхождение видов». Художественный музей г. Тояма, Япония

2005 Angels of History, MUHka, Antwerpen, Holland. Co-curated with Bart De Baere.

2005 First Moscow biennale of contemporary art. Dialectics of Hope. Co-ordinating curator with Hans Ulrich Obrist, Daniel Birnbaum, Nicolas Bourriaud, Rosa Martinez, Iara Boubnova and Robert Storr. The main project sites were the V. I. Lenin Museum, the Shchusev Museum of Architecture and the Vorobyovy Gory Moscow Metro station. As part of the main project, 41 artists from 22 countries presented their works.

2002 Video-Zone (Video Art Biennial), Tel-Aviv, (co-curator)

Sergei Bratkov, Russian Pavilion, Sao Paulo
[Сергей Братков. Комиссар/куратор российской экспозиции на 25-й Биеннале в Сан-Паулу (Бразилия)]

Mona Hatoum, Measures of Distance, Мона Хатум, «Мера дистанции», ЦДХ, Москва

Russian participation for Manifesta 4, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 25 May – 25 Aug

2001  -   On the Way to the Screen (A-K Dolven, G.Gussin, Soo ja Kim, B.Melhus, S.Neshat, J. Toomik), со-куратор вместе с Виктором Мизиано, международная видео выставка, ЦДХ, Москва.

2000 Inverse Perspectives «Обратные перспективы» (D.Almond, S.Bratvov, A.Bule, K.Geers, L.Gorlova, T.Hunter, A.Keskula, V.Komar &A.Melamid, R.Meel, St. Laurent, E. Rakauskaite, E-L.Semper,A-S.Siden, J.Vinitsky), Edsvik Art Centre, Stockholm, Sweden Художественный центр Edsvik, Стокгольм (Швеция)

1999 Komar & Melamid: Collaboration with animals
Russian Pavilion, Venice Biennale, Italy. Российский павильон на 48-й Венецианской биеннале (Италия)

1998 Medialization, (AES group, E-L.Ahtila, A.Brener,O.Chernyshova, Dellbrugge – deMoll, J.Geismar, K.Geers, IRWIN group,R. El Hassan, CM von Hauswollf, P.Kogler,  O.Kulik, Z.Libera, S.Moral, N.Navridis, A.Serrano, Soo ja Kim, E.Koch,  N.Solakov, Z.Tiehai,  M.Toporovich, F.Wretman,U.Tzaig, N.Zubovic), Edsvik Art Center, Stockholm, Sweden.

1997 “It’s a better world. Russian Actionism and Its Context” Secession, Vienna, Austria, 6 June – 13 July. Co-curated with Johanna Kandl.

1996    “Collective actions” Exit Art, New York, USA, 18 July – 20 Sept. Co-curated with Elena Elagina.

1995  - Антигерои, Персональная выставка Ноэля Хардинга (Канада) ЦДХ, Москва
Antiheroes Noel Harding’s one person show (Canada) The Central House of Artists, Moscow

Частный взгляд на войну, Музей Дома на набережной, Москва

A Private View on  the War The “House on the Embankment” Museum Moscow

1994 - Новые тенденции в некрореализме
         (персональная выставка Евгений Юфит, Санкт Петербург), Галерея в Беляево, Профсоюзная, 100, Москва
New Trends in Necrorealism (a one person show of Evgenij Jufit, St.Petersburg) Beljaevo Gallery, Moscow. Co-curated with Ekaterina Andreeva.

         20-летие Бульдозерной выставки  Галерея в Беляево, Москва, The 20th Anniversary of the Bulldozer Art Show
Beljaevo Gallery, Moscow. “20 Years since Bulldozer Exhibition”. Exhibition hall “House 100”, Moscow 15 Sept. – 30 Sept.
Co-curated with Alexander Glezer, Alexandra Obukhova, Larisa Pyatnitskaya.

“Monuments: Transformations for the Future”. Kunstihoone, Tallinn, Estonia. Co-curated with Vera Pogodina, Johannes Saar.

1993 Stalin’s Choice: Soviet Socialist Realism 1932-1956, PS1, N.Y., USA. 21 Nov 1993 – 24 Feb. 1994
Co-curated with Kathrin Becker, Zdenka Gabalova, Alanna Heiss.

(«Выбор Сталина: советский соцреализм 1932–1956»; совместно с Аланой Хейсс), PS1, Нью-Йорк (США)

Monumental Propaganda, The Central House of Artists, Moscow and the World Financial Center, NY, USA.

Art Hamburg. International Fair of Eastern European Art. Hamburg Messe, Germany

Personal exhibition of Conrad Atkinson, Fotocenter, Moscow. Co-curated with Vera Pogodina.

1992 An exhibition on the premises of Butyrskaja prison, Moscow, Выставка около Бутырской  Москва

«Сердца четырех». Дом офицеров, Москва, The Hearts of the Foursome, The House of Officers, Moscow

Ilya Kabakov and Ulo Sooster, Kortrijk, Belguim

Илья Кабаков и Юло Соостер, Кортрейк, Бельгия. Co-curated with Catherine de Zegher.

1991

Perspectives of Conceptualism, PS1 — Clocktower, NY, USA.

(«Перспективы концептуализма»), PS1 — Clocktower, Нью-Йорк (США).

The Optics of the Gaze «Оптика взгляда» (групповая выставка Марии Серебряковой и Иды Аппельбруг)
Выставочный центр «В Пересветовом переулке», Москва. Maria Serebrjakova and Ida Appelbroog.

«Посещение», A Visit, Выставочный центр «В Пересветовом переулке», Москва

MANI Museum. 40 Moskauer Kuenstler im Frankfurter Karmelitenkloster Karmelitenkloster, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, (25 March – 25 April). Co-curated with Sergey Romashko

1990 Prospects of Conceptualism, Art Gallery of the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA

IsKUNSTvo - III, Stockholm, Sweden.

Between Spring and Summer – Soviet Conceptual Art from the Era of Late Communism Art Museum, Tacoma (15 June – 9 Sept) and The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, USA, 1 Nov. 1990 – 6 Jan. 1991. Des Moines Art Centre, Iowa, 16 Feb. – 31 March 1991. Co-curated with David Ross, Elizabeth Zussman, Margarita Tupitsyn

Schizo-China, The Construction Industry Exhibition Center on Frunzenskaja Naberezhnaja Moscow

Квон Су Пак  Выставочный центр «В Пересветовом переулке», Москва
A one person show of Kwon Soo Pak (South Korea), Beljaevo Gallery, Moscow

«Особенные истории» -  Андрей Монастырский и Конрад Аткинсон.  Выставочный центр «В Пересветовом переулке», Москва. Particular Stories, a show of Andrej Monastyrskij and Conrad Atkinson, “V Peresvetovom Pereulke” exhibition center, Moscow

1989 IsKUNSTvo - Искунство- II The Construction Industry Exhibition Center on Frunzenskaja Naberezhnaja, Moscow. (1 June – 20 July)

Dear Art (Дорогое искусство), The Palace of Youth, Moscow. Co-curated with Elena Kurlyandtseva.

Documentation Research. Photo objects by the Collective Actions group (Исследование документации. Фото объекты группы Коллективные действия), Sadovniki Exhibition Center, Moscow. "Na Kashirke" Gallery, Moscow, (15 Nov. – 26 Nov.) Co-curated with Elena Elagina.

Prospects of Conceptualism (Перспективы концептуализма)
“Peresvetovom Pereulke” exhibition center, Moscow

1988 IsKUNSTvo - I, West Berlin. Art Workshop Westend, West Berlin, (12 Sept. – 19 Jan)
Co-curated with Liza Schmitz.

An art show at the Sandunovskie baths (Выставка в Сандуновских банях), Moscow. (12-19 Jan). Co-curated with Gia Ambramishvily

Avantgardists’ Club — 88 (Клуб Авангардистов – 88).

“V Peresvetovom Pereulke” exhibition center, Moscow

1987    Steamship, an action (Пароход, акция), Moscow

Creative Atmosphere and the Artistic Process (Творческая атмосфера и художественный процесс)
an art show of the Avantgardists’ Club

“V Peresvetovom Pereulke” exhibition center, Moscow, (8 June – 3 July) “In Peresvetov lane” exhibition center, Moscow
Co-curated with Sven Gundlach