Purpose of the Mirror in Time of Darkness
Or Collegium Artisticum Exhibition Aftermath
Time of Darkness
In Bosnia and Herzegovina culture and cultural institutions are, if not used for promoting nationalistic ideas, absolutely neglected. They are put aside to rot. Newly formed citizen body in all cities is mostly based of uneducated, corrupted and insolent, Big Brother worshipers and savage American (Bosnian) dream believers. I like to describe this comparing it to long winter of the Game of Thrones. Four years of long war is over, turned into the game of thrones of the new rulers of dead kingdoms and the lowborn are tormented by 16 years long winter. And the lowborn are middle class, hungry as hell.
It was raining the whole day, and I knew that no one would come to the opening night. You have no idea how much people here are sweet. If they get out on the rain, they melt. Thing is, I forgot that lady luck is on my side. We started opening speech in half empty glass, but all of sudden the space was filled with pack of the traveling Jindas, who broke somewhat formal atmosphere. It was a group of students from The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar who happened to be in Sarajevo in some… don´t really remember what. But, truth to be told, they saved the day. We moved slowly from gallery space into the gallery´s bar where a few circles of friends, family and friends/artists already formed. Heard few really interesting stories and latter moved to other bar to meet with more friends. I had one more drink and left early, in the morning I had an early trip to the Rainbow Art Colony in Kulen Vakuf.
The Mirror
After returning from the colony I was finally able to realize the meaning of my exhibition in Sarajevo. In this realization I was helped by students from the Goucher College, Baltimore, who were in Sarajevo on their overseas research under the supervision of Laura Burns, Assistant Professor at Art and Art History Department. We had 2- hour- long interview, where I was, for the first time, being able to reflect fully upon my work. My exhibition became the mirror where I could see all my struggling in the last 5 years and also strengthen my ideas for the next 5. The confirmation came sometime latter on when I had almost the same experience in meeting with the Dutch artists, Anita Hrnic and Folke Janssen.
So, I’ve decided to take my work back underground…
(at this point you should follow this link and listen to the Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation)