Wednesday

LOOK AT YOU! - video installation (2011)


https://vimeo.com/25902032

It is a common fact that children have a more objective view on life than us and that it can sometimes be terrifying. An irrational fear or aversion to children is known as pedophobia and it is often being associated to the fear of children's disrespect or ridicule. The effects of pedophobia are often seen in horror movies in which children are portrayed as a villains.

 Adults often underestimate kids and their capacities. However, children recognize our flaws and will not hesitate to 'tell us the harsh truth' in our faces. The discomfort we might feel when in contact with children comes from their honesty and possibility to observe the world in a manner that is free from prejudice. Hence, we have to accept the fact that we most likely cannot hide the reality from them.

Video installation 'Look at you' is composed of a series of 'live photos' of children staring at an observer. The children are presented as fearless, intelligent and self-aware, which is exactly what we refuse to see in them. By alternating the speed of the shot and providing creepy light and sound that hint danger, I will try to build up the observer's sense of discomfort. The aim is to make the observer question his/her own psycho-physical features and that this be initiated by the switch in roles from the observer to the observee being objectively looked at.
Once we abandon the world of adults, we enter a space in which we are at mercy of the unmistakable children views and judgments.

Casts: Krsman Bajic, Andrej Beljanski, Danilo Pivac, Luka Novkovic, Sergej Gluscevic, Pavle Hrncic, Mateja Dikosavljevic, Teodora Madzarac, Nikola Naglic, Nadja Ilic, Masa Ludoski, Laura Todorovic, Marko Cirilovic
Sound: Jana Marinkov (singing), Bojana Knezevic, Anton Beres

PSYCHEDELIC PRINCESS - video installation (2010)

LITTLE PERSONAL HORROR SCENES - video installation (2010)


This project deals with irrational fears, which we all more or less have. Irrational fears are those which logic is not comprehensible nor to the subject nor to people in its environment. In the contemporary world that strives for ‘flawless’ individuals, the very thought of revealing one’s intimacy, evokes fear. The aim of this project is to give a chance to an individual to talk about irrational fears and connected experiences. An individual can talk freely and sincerely and to stay anonymous at the same time.
Principal research method is a survey. A story of each participant is in the form of statement. The audio recording is further depersonalized in order to respect the principle of anonymity. Computer synthesizing of voices gives horror shade to the statements. Besides, there is a background sound that follows the action with its sensibility.
In communication with the participants the focus is not at the fear itself, but at the authenticity of the experience. Each experience has been visualized in the form of short horror scenario. Along with the sound, video is projected with English titles of statements. There are scenes, in the background, blurred to the level of abstraction, which follow story dynamics.
The project would be realized as an audio-visual installation in a gallery.

CONTEMPORARY LONELINESS - video installation (2009)




One of the most significant problems of the contemporary world is alienation. The improvement of the means of communication has achieved contradiction to its primary goal-instead of bringing people together; it has led to alienation and loneliness.
The concept of friendship has lost its true meaning. A man’s primeval need for physical contact and actual encounter has been masked with ‘fake’ friends, and the lack of self-esteem in a real world has been compensated in a virtual one by creating ‘new ME.’ The more an individual is active in an online social networking, the lonelier they become. While the number of online friends is growing, the number of real ones is decreasing. Therefore, it is not surprising that the answer given to the question on how many friends one’s have is three, four, five or even higher digit number. However, one does not know almost anything about those friends-who are they, what are their occupations, one is not even sure about their real names, furthermore, their very existence is questionable.
Conclusively, those ‘fake’ friends become one’s only friends, because one forgets the old ones if not met in the online world.
There are three screens displaying loneliness in three different ways:
- Contemporary loneliness I – voyeurism and the fear of actual encounter
- Contemporary loneliness II – desire for communication and the lack of feedback
- Contemporary loneliness III – selfishness and autism
It is planned, that the observer, surrounded by the screens, plays the role of the fourth side.
That side, finally, closes the square. The only ‘real’ inside that closed space are the objects, used by the participants in this video installation and the observer. Everything else is ‘fake.’  The actors played their roles and left, leaving the observer with the possibility to add a new dimension to the representation of loneliness.

LIKE, HATE, SAD - art books, installation (2009)



The work, titled LIKE HATE SAD consists of three booklets: “I would like, I hate, and I am so sad,” followed by sound, and created as a research result, i.e. through ‘gathering’ of these three emotions (like, hate, sad) conducted via the Internet survey. Research sample includes all participants who have been doing public addressing on the Internet, regardless their age, social status or education. Therefore, a large spectrum of answers has been gained, including noticeable differences in attitudes as well as in freedom of expression of these emotions. The emotions, classified and put together in the booklets have gained new meaning, thus representing the new product.
The booklet, “I hate” quantitatively observed, takes the first place, followed by “I would like” and finally “I am so sad.” Analyzing the results, it can be concluded that people, even though protected by the possibility of revealing their true identity on the Internet, still feel the most comfortable in expressing hate, avoiding communication about their weaknesses. The expressions of hate are concise, simple sentences without the additional explanation.
The process of sterilization of these emotions finishes in an auditory manner. Each booklet contains audio recording, where synthesized and impersonal voice reads their content.

FLUFFY NEW MEDIA ARTIST - performance, installation (2009)


People are goods in a contemporary consumer society. They go on the market, with certain characteristics, in hope to raise interest of future employers. These characteristics, usually, refer to possible employer’s benefits from a particular worker.
What is then, the role of the artist if there is any? Of course, there is, if things are put into a global perspective. However, the question remains: what benefits could the employer have from an actual artist. The answer is none, except in the case of an applied artist. What happens if the artist is not from this branch? Nothing happens. That artist has been given a friendly advice to concretize their work with only one goal-to please the employer.
In this chaos of emotions-anger, bewilderment and despair, generated through the direct encounter with reality, we have tried to find out the least painful solution.
We have packed and wrapped ourselves into attractive packaging, pink and blue, resembling doll boxes, with the inscription “Fluffy new media artist”, therefore defining our main characteristic as a decorative object. Serial number and size are also imprinted on the packaging.
This way, we have finally managed to go out on the market.

KISSING PLACE - art action, installation in public space, video (2008, 2009)


The project “Kissing place” has been created by the end of 2008, as a reaction to restrictions which limit our freedom in behavior in public environment. Number of this kind of restricted areas increases, as well as the number of restrictions referring to our behavior. The idea, that it will be restricted to kiss each other wherever, has been initially ironic. However, in February, 2009, to my biggest surprise, kissing has been officially prohibited at one British station.
The project “Kissing place” represents reverse procedure. Therefore, instead of restrictions in public space, there are markers notifying kissing places. Participants in this project are young people from different parts of Serbia, who have been marking public space in their towns, which would be ideal ‘kissing place’, according to their opinion. They have been documenting the process. Number of these marked places is increasing continually.

EUROPEAN SOIL IN MY GARDEN - performance (Ljubljana, Slovenia; Novi Sad, Serbia; 2008)


WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME? - video (2008)


The theme presented in the video ‘Why are you looking at me?’ is the encounter of two reflections of the same person. These are not good and bad sides of a person. On the contrary, both reflections are equally good and bad, but they refuse to accept each other.
The relationship between our vision of ourselves and the vision of others has been shown. Which one of those two is real? We are prone to putting masks in order to oppose the fear from ourselves. When it finally comes to confrontation, it can be very painful.
The scene, itself, has been set from different viewpoints, inspired by the one of the scenes from Ingmar Bergman’s movie “Persona”. When Alma is talking, in a form of monologue, about the essence of Elizabeth’s being, first we see Elizabeth’s facial reaction, then Alma’s expression while she is talking.
There are four cadres instead of two; they are displayed at the same time. The last two cadres are represented through observer’s points of view. There is a speechless dialog instead of monologue. They are communicating through gestures and glances, expressing the inner leavening.

CATHERINE MEDICI AND HER PIZZA - performance (Florence, Italy, 2006)



A MAN WITH A ROPE (MR. DESPONDENT) - video (2007)


In these difficult times, when promises mean nothing, the only thing we can believe is that something extraordinary will happen and make situation better.
Who is Mr. Despondent (Mr. Desperate)? We all are.
Mr. Despondent has found a rope hanging from the sky on an ordinary field. By pulling the rope, he has realized that certain objects are falling down from the sky. He has been going to this field day after day, pulling the rope and hoping that some of the objects would make him happy. Realizing that the object is always a sock, he takes the least foul one and leaves. The rope leaves with him, too.