The politics of migration and mobility in the art world : transnational Baltic artistic practices across Europe

"This volume studies the movements of visual artists from the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, where a lack of opportunities makes migration necessary for career progression. Faced with such barriers, how do artists from the Baltic States break into the global art market? Emma Duester argues that these artists form an artistic diaspora of practice, forming communities across geographic and ethnic borders. Offering a fresh perspective on art and the working lives of those who create it, this multidisciplinary work investigates patterns of migration and mobile working practices across Europe and discusses the implications of artists' movements on conventional notions of home, mobility, and diaspora. Amid a global refugee crisis, a resurgence in negative portrayals of Eastern Europeans in mainstream media, and increasing anti-immigrant sentiment fueled by Brexit and the rise of protectionism, this is a vital work that shines important new light on diaspora, displacement, and what it means to belong."-- Provided by publisher While Eastern European migration is predominantly seen as one-way, permanent, for economic reasons, and as going bilaterally from East to West Europe, this book investigates alternative patterns of migration and mobility across Europe.0This original new book explores how visual artists take part in regular cross-border mobilities, onward migrations and transnational communications across Europe for work and the effects of this on their feelings of home and belonging. It assesses how far there is a culture of mobility amongst visual artists from the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, for whom a combination of onward migration and regular cross-border mobilities is a necessity for career progression. This is due to the ?glass ceiling? in the Baltic States with regard to a lack of local art markets, few dealers buying art and governments not providing enough funding.0How then do artists from the Baltic States get onto the global art market in the face of such barriers? This is a particularly important question, as these artists come from a region where migration, mobilities and cross-cultural exchanges were not freely available during the Soviet Union. This transdisciplinary investigation into visual artists? working practices, ways of moving and placing dwellings addresses this issue.0The book discusses the implications of these complex itineraries on the conventional sociological notions of home, mobility and diaspora. The author argues that artists form a ?diaspora of practice? rather than of ethnicity, their homes are multiple as are the directions of their settlement Contents 6 List of Figures 8 Introduction 10 1. Researching the Baltic States and Its Mobile Professionals: Context and Methodology 39 2. Cross-Cultural Exchange and Cultural Transition in the Baltic Art Worlds 56 3. The Nature of Artists’ Work: Getting onto the Global Art Market 83 4. Artists’ Homescapes and ‘Homing Aesthetics’ 125 Conclusion 156 Appendices 172 Appendix A: Interviewing Artists and Culture Professionals 172 Appendix B: Artists’ Biographies, Contact Details and Consent 175 References 178 Index 198 Explores the nature of artistic practices for highly mobile artists from the Baltic States, moving regularly across multiple borders across Europe in order to maintain their position on the global art world. Artists with trans-local homes that combine and connect homeland, host country and a unique understanding of home and belonging. 12 b/w illus.