Man in a possessed world, swinging like a pendulum between good and evil
That would be the frequent thread of VPRO’s Zomergasten tonight with Sana Valiulina. Recognized for her books ‘The cross’ (2001 – about life and sexual freedom in a Moscow scholar flat), ‘Youngsters of Brezhnev’ (2014 – about love and betrayal towards the backdrop of the financial and non secular decline of the Soviet Union) and ‘Winter showers or Am I built-in sufficient?’ (2016 – a mirrored image on the Netherlands after dwelling and dealing right here for 25 years).
Man, swinging between good and evil, fascinates her. At her Summer time Visitor Night she needs to present the ground “to individuals who share this fascination with me and who give it an inventive kind, every in their very own manner. As a result of I’m satisfied that solely by artwork can we actually see and perceive ourselves and one another.”
Sana Valiulina, born in Estonia, has been dwelling and dealing within the Netherlands for 35 years. Her work addresses the Estonian previous in questions on her dad and mom’ lives and her scholar days in Russia. I ponder what sort of artwork she exhibits that enables us to “actually see and perceive ourselves and one another”. Artwork from Estonia? Russian artwork?
By the best way: swinging is an Estonian cultural factor (to place it popularly). ‘kiken’ (kiik is Estonian for swing), standing on an enormous swing till you swing the other way up, was invented by an Estonian. It is usually primarily Estonians who do it break data with and make it into the Guinness E book of Information.
The ‘kiiken’ is “tudengisuve parim elamus!” we see within the video beneath on the T-shirt of an Estonian waver. Which implies one thing like “The very best expertise of the scholar summer season!”
Let that be a part of the Olympic Video games subsequent time.
The presenter on obligation tonight is Jelle Brandt Corstius. Within the Zomergasten of 2011, our extremely praised reviewer Molovich criticized him as a result of he has the timing “of an autistic farmer whose cows are about to calve”. In line with Molovich on the time, De Brandt Corstius was “able to making probably the most clumsy remarks on the most delicate moments”.
However that will not be so dangerous tonight, as a result of it may be completely different. Two episodes later, Jelle Brandt Corstius was “sharp, charming, humorous, complimentary, understanding, to the purpose, relaxed” and “created precisely the precise ambiance to present his dialog associate the stage she deserved”.
In line with our reviewer, this was as a result of Brandt Corstius understood his visitor. And there’s a good probability of that tonight as a result of each are, every in their very own manner, consultants on Russia. Sana Valiulina is aware of the Russian affect in Estonia from her dad and mom’ previous and has lived and studied in Moscow.
Jelle Brandt Corstius additionally lived in Moscow, as a correspondent for Dutch and Belgian newspapers. On the VPRO web site he writes about tonight:
I bought to know Sana Valiulina by the documentary Flip your physique in direction of the solarwhich she made three years in the past with director Aliona van der Horst. It is nice how the good historical past of the Second World Struggle and the Soviet Union is given a face: the face of her father, but in addition that of all these different younger males who grew to become a plaything of totalitarian leaders. I am additionally interested in how she views the Netherlands. And the way her relationship to Russia and the Russians has modified because the invasion of Ukraine.
What all that might be might be seen from 20:15 on VPRO’s Zomergasten on NPO 2. We wish to hear your feedback in the course of the broadcast beneath. Tomorrow you’ll obtain the overview from our Max Molovich.
