Crew Expendable

Although it seems almost natural that people joining together to initiate a discourse would disband within a short time, Little Warsaw was able to continuously make collaborative projects for more than ten years. This is rather unusual at the Budapest context. Iparterv, Rozsa, Indigo, Xertox, Substitute Thirsters, Ujlak, the forerunners in joined activities – none of them could keep up with the collaborative way of artist’s activity. And this is no different in the international scene. So it is surely quite unique, that an initiative of such kind could pass from the emerging level toward the established one.

Why is it that innovation at a certain level was exclusively up to privileged individuals instead of also being articulated by collaboration of different functional parts? There must be some alternative approaches! This hypothesis is being perseveringly researched by Little Warsaw. In their work displayed at the Platan Gallery they reflect on their researches as well as on their own personal contributions to the very issue.

The show grows from a pictorial approach into forms of expression identical with actual social issues. However it uses the specific tradition of the political art of the local Budapest art scene which also roots in the activity of the so called Iparterv circle, for whom Fischl & Weiss or Kukryniksy’s collaborative activity served as a model.

Crew Expendable – the title refers to the Alien quadrilogy and to a characteristic scheme of social-psychology. It describes the situation when a crew establishes itself as members of a community which is vulnerable as a whole and this recognition has a striking effect on the personal relations among the members.