From the author: Contemporary art and the problem of misunderstanding Art is when you have something to talk about... Art is when people do something, then you see it, then you feel something about it, and then talk about it. The main thing is to use words that indicate that you are an esthete a mile away. Cognition, installation, introjection...... INSTALLATION Installation is when first some incomprehensible garbage happens, and then they tell you that it was an installation... I recently attended the birthday of the Arsenal Center for Contemporary Art, on which I congratulate it... and everything is wonderful, and the opening of a new exhibition, which I will certainly tell you about, and all sorts of other joys... As always, according to a long-established tradition, my old friends, both not quite old, and even very young, came up to me.. . and as one complained that they did not understand modern art at all. At first I thought it was an installation or even a performance... but considering that they have been doing this every time for many years, I realized the seriousness of the situation... and answered them with an adamant question. Tell me, oh honorable ones - I asked them - and tried to make my voice sound impartial - why have you been going to all these exhibitions for so many years if you don’t understand them anyway..?! Also, I ashamed them - how can it be that an intelligent and sensible person, and also a respected Russian intellectual, would look at a certain thing for many years in a row, but still not understand anything...?! In addition, it is infinitely strange and even not at all conceptual when an exalted intellectual begins to behave like a journalist, and goes to exhibitions and presentations in the timid hope of a buffet... At the same time, he himself does not know and does not even try to understand the subject, field of knowledge and object , for which all these people have gathered here... and so, just to hang out and then write nonsense... Moreover, I continued, seeing the confusion in their faces - how can it be that a smart person, without understanding something, not only hid this shameful defect of cognitive function and was not ashamed as a weakness of the mind... And would also be publicly proud of it from year to year...? And when they frowned and began to answer me seriously, I told them that it was an installation. How did you imagine art...... COGNITATION Cognition is when you understand something. Well, at least a little... Then we moved on to a serious conversation, without really fighting... and jokes are jokes, but over the past years I personally have become incredibly interested in how to talk with people about contemporary art. Because the eternal complaint - “I don’t understand this ...” - is so characteristic and widespread, and is completely not tied to either the intellectual level, or the type of occupation, or the educational qualifications... Then I began to ask people what they actually mean by “understanding”... because not understanding, it must be damn insulting... well, imagine: you are an adult, reasonable person, and suddenly... And suddenly, against your will, you find yourself in the position of a helpless child, who does not understand what is obvious to others, and is unable to support talking about seemingly simple things... As a result of this, you get angry, experience frustration - frustration, this is acute disappointment, if in our opinion - and you are forced to somehow explain this to yourself, somehow defend yourself... and what should you do... The best thing in such cases, people do it and blame others for their suddenly awkward situation... that is, in our case, all modern art and the gifted authors who create it. Further, the inability to carry on a conversation leads to awkwardness, which in turn turns into hostility. And from subsequent repeated repetition it becomes habitual as a reflex. Then such a person, driven by curiosity and a natural desire to understand, goes to the exhibition... and experiences an uncontrollable feeling of aggression. And naturally, he angrily blames art. How can such outrage be allowed - he asks... As for people of art, anyone can offend a genius, but consider himself a genius……