Marika Maiorova Dadiani, or Marika Maiorova aka marikama dado, was born in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, grew up in Moscow, Russia and graduated as a screenwriter from VGIK, Russian State Institute of Filmmaking. She moved to NYC in the nineties and studied directing Film at Columbia University Graduate program; co-created a fashion label Dadiani-Salerno; created a fashion label Dado; designed and produced several lines of contemporary women’s clothing and accessories; worked on film and theatre costume productions; curated three independent multimedia show as a pup-up gallery Loft in the red zone between September and October 2011; makes video and mixed media art; currently lives in NY, NY; preparing for the No Comment Volume Art #3 second solo show in MMOMA, Moscow.
Marika Maiorova, how did you become involved in curating the show, and what was your inspiration for this project? I was creating a conceptual art piece/tribute to 9/11 as aspecial project for Moscow Museum of Modern Art. This was a dust installation, an artistic reclamation of manufactured destruction, in this case, the Red Zone around Ground Zero.
For the past 10 years, every September I felt the grief, the tension, and the smell in the air. In 2001, I lived close to Canal on Mulberry Street and was working in a studio on Warren Street. Having to walk through the 9/11 devastation area, the Red Zone, I was seeing all the abandoned homes full of dust and destruction—the empty studios of New Yorkers. This made a powerful and unforgettable impression which I could not get out of my mind for all of these years.
There is a relation between dust and life—and it’s not a scene of victory. Art that lasts offers some solution to suffering and an answer to the need for rebirth from fallen dynasties.
I wanted to create an installation with dust. In the installation, I wanted to show the artwork of NY-based artists, mostly downtown artists, the “first art responders” of 9/11.
You created two coats which are in the exhibition. They are very beautiful, especially the deep red one. Can you discuss their significance?In 2001, I was a fashion designer. Three days before 9/11, my business partner at that time, Anita and I launched our fashion line, Dadiani Salerno. Well, needless to say, that venture did not take off. These coats were part of my first independent fashion line, Dado, which I have created in response to 9/11. I called the collection “Discipline.” The coats were main pieces of the collection. The red coat refers to the bloodshed I was feeling in the air. The grey coat was created to support the firefighters with some fashion. It’s a dedication.
How did you come up with the title for the exhibition, Loft in the Red Zone?The Red Zone was the area closed off from the general public, the area with the dust and the debris. I wanted to recreate the living work space of an artist from there. The neighborhood was known as a loft area where many artists lived in New York.
The time span for the artworks chosen for the exhibition extends from 2001 to 2011. How important was it for you to exhibit works which were made at various points in time after 9/11? I was interested in seeing the first artist responders to 9/11. As I started putting together the collection for the installation, I began to realize that it is impossible to edit based on the date. One can not underestimate the healing process art provides, in some cases over long periods of time. During the show, I’ve discovered that in many cases, some people still have not processed pain and memories. I see the suffering, and I want to help by offering art as a solution.
The works are very reflective of experiences the artists had and who they are now. Yes. People still feel strongly about 9/11 and keep adding to the subject. I think this endeavor is far from being done. Each new creation brings new perspective. For me, they mark the beginning of a new time.
The space itself is bare—speaking to the rebuilding process as well as allowing for the works to speak for themselves. How did you choose this place for the exhibition? The artist, Lee Wells discusses it as being a re-creation of a downtown artist’s space that is then left dormant. Can you speak more about this?I did not have this ambition, really. I had been looking all over for an empty space for the exhibition. When I saw this space, I knew I was going to do anything to get it. It felt like I was led here as I was also looking for a technical solution for my dust installation. When I saw the ceilings, I was totally convinced. Conceptually, the space was perfect on many different levels. The building was formerly JPMorgan’s bank. To have an exhibition about the ruin of the World Trade Center in the foundation of American capitalism, to me, has very important implications. I had thoughts of connecting commerce and art.
What do you hope Loft in the Red Zone expresses to the audience?It was important to express and talk about art as a healing process. I hope that the exhibition aids in healing the viewer, the artists, and society. I hope that we can overcome the fear and the stress from that day. I see it as a sort of therapy that we were offer here in the Loft.
How has the exhibition affected you?
I think it made my faith stronger—faith in God, and in life. I have faith in the spirits out there. Life will go on. The creative spirit is leading us to document this moment and years later as well.
Theresa Barbaro
