Performance: "Open Letter to Valery Podoroga", Exhibition "Song of the Postman"

The "Open Letter to Valery Podoroga" is an attempt at a one-sided debate with conceptual artists who argue "the death of painting and the priority of words". Here is the text of Podoroga's cancellation of the body, where Khalfin crossed out the text and returned the significance of the body through his bodily movements. (This motif was first used by the artist on the pages of Rustam Khalfin's catalog. Soros Foundation, Kazakhstan, Almaty, 1995)

The global controversy is somewhat overdue, but it still remains relevant in the local context. The artist creates a visual image that contradicts the conclusions of conceptual art, believing that all possibilities in visual art have not yet been exhausted. Through felt, the artist rehabilitates both national culture and Joseph Beuys's work. Or, Boyce's use of felt rehabilitates the traditional material for a nomadic culture in the eye of the artist. The concept of 'nomad' is becoming a central concept for the content of culture at the end of the century. However, it should be noted that Khalfin has not dared to address painting, which he has devoted himself to for many years. I prefer an object to a sign, as I believe that its former form – painting – is less convincing today than it was before. Therefore, I am drawn toward an object that is almost real. The inspiration for creating this object came from Anne Himmelstrand's stamps of unknown Kazakh women, brought to her during her next visit to Sweden by her art collector. Khalfin divided the message of these unknown heroes, who are connected organically through these stamps, into two parts. The message is "Open Letter to Valery Podoroga", and the unknown heroes are represented by cabbage heads in the work '"Autumn Gestures of Anger: In Memory of Lidia Blinova". The object in question is "Open Letter to Valery Podoroga," which is made from felt and silk screen-printed paper. The envelope measures 76.5 by 114 centimeters, with a height of 42.5 centimeters and a size of 120 by 114 for the letter. The stamp, which measures 16 by 24 centimeters and is also made of felt, has an appearance that resembles a regular postal envelope when it is sent abroad. The front of the envelope is printed in black and white, with the following information in the center: "par avion," followed by a stamp that features an enlarged copy of the artwork "Untitled Woman" by Swedish artist Anne Himmelstrand. This stamp is surrounded by a circular design with the words "USSR Alma-Ata" printed inside. On the right side of the envelope, black lines are printed over and the following text is printed in bold black letters under the "Moscow" brand name: Volkhonka Street 14, Institute of Philosophy, Dear Valery Alexandrovich. Below this is the sender's address: 480013, Alma-Ata, Abai Avenue, 20/3, Apartment 56, to Khalfin Rustam. In the left corner of the address, there is an empty space where the recipient's zip code will go. On the inner flap of the envelope, there is a list of postal codes for reference.

The letter is printed with silkscreen printing, and a fragment of Valery Podogora's text, "Body Space", from his book "Central House of Artists", Moscow, 1995, is printed on fabric and then vigorously crossed out. In the book, Podogora also discusses the crossover sign, which is indicated on pages 312 and 314 of his book, "Expression and Meaning", Moscow, 1995. In the upper part of the letter, text is printed over a fingerprint. The letter appears in the form of a two-sided "icon", with the flap open and fixed vertically, showing half of the letter peaking out from the envelope.