Belgrade



Gallery 73 in Belgrade, Serbia presents project PAD (The Fall) by Gordana Trajković and Tina Sirec Jordan, 18 - 30 of November 2011. A group of nine Istrian (Croatia) artists presents variety of work appropriately named PAD (The Fall). A group of nine authors of recent Istrian fine art: Hassan Abdelghani, Toni Brajnović, Peter Brajnović, Allen Floričić, Josip Ivancic - Pino, Marina Orlić, Robert Pauletta, Borut Skok and Bojan Šumonja. Their extraordinary exhibition present dream of humanity or moral quest for the world twisted values in the society today. Via their artistic vision, by nine of different art, the exhibition was originally created by the idea of curatorial duo Gordana Trajković and Tina Sirec Jordan and illustrates the eternal and very old topic of decreasing state of morale and general human values in society. The authors of exhibition presume that the collapse of ethic unwritten code and social disobedience toward those written is constantly presented in the human phenomenon of social reality and individual (intimate). The condition of individual human spirit and civilization in our transitional reality, hypertrophied media over-emphasis. In addition, all this reflected as a fall of the moral and universal human values in public and private aspects of living.

If reality of countries from Balkan region today is caught vortex of neo-liberal capitalism and sort of hegemony of a worldwide capital, which is in the socialist society preceded by a sort of mannerism as an inevitable collapse of precondition order, reminder of superficiality in all domains of human activity may be seen as a crucial part of globalize. This, according to some journalists may be seen like carnival where authors of exhibition used valid values, some overnight and some in a long exhausting process; inverted into a laughing matter and subjected to ridicule. Presenting everyday problem of moral fall (moral decline) and concept of human values. If we are looking for permutations in the political first, then social, cultural, maybe historical and of course personal context, then the exhibition is questioning current system of values as well as situations, which manifests itself as the several of visual responses done by very well known nine artistic of Istria via considerations of social phenomena.

Of course PAD (The Fall) reasons the question of morality, which is according to Wikipedia “…in the broadest sense a form of social consciousness, a set of unwritten rules, ordinary tea, habits and norms that are accepted in the life of a community. Morale determines what human actions should be, and they actually have members of the community accepted these principles as a proper and are subject to them, thereby regulating human relations. Moral rules are not valid, given the different space and time of appearance, and in contrast to positive law, a violation of moral rules does not make political or economic sanctions. As sanctions immoral behavior occur remorse, reproach, or boycott of the environment. On the way of their primary forms of today, human society knows a number of estimations cyclic phenomena, which are repeated regardless of civilization, technological or other achievements.“


If we talk about the exhibition, PAD or The Fall present variety of visual media - from traditional artistic expression, installations, photographs, small plastics and performance and art via contemporary media such as videos and holograms. The exhibition PAD (The Fall) in Belgrade starts with the performance of Istrian artist and performer Josip Pino Ivančić, the critically most acclaimed artist in social performances in Croatia. His “Workers Who Ate Their Holliday” comments transitional reality, cultural poverty and above all a moral decline of society in a brand new state of liberal capitalism society. Once region countries celebrated symbols of social justice and equity, labor and workers hammer and sickle with pride now distort and eat away carnations, which was powerfully presented with auto-castration final act that represents proud to once a pillar of society, today just a man-worker that eats his own past, present and future if there is any. Pino is today very well known by its powerful and artistically radical performances and his 30 years of hard label in art contribution, in the surrounding of specific social pop culture situation and under great influence of Beuys, he opens the process of Social Sculpture and becomes the only AvantPopArtist from Istria. Even if he went through different stages for a past 30 years, one of his performances Theater Like a Life&Life \like a Theater attracted over 40 000 viewers. Certainly one of the bravest and most radical artists today!

A sacred little obvious in the work of Hassan Abdelghani: black and white analog photos titled “Mined Nature” shows the wounded nature, the Great mother of mother nature that is according to some art critics “desacralisation of destructive and ultimately self-destructive act”. Hassan is the photographer and artist graduated photography in Copenhagen, member of Danish Film and Photography Association (FAF), Association of Film Workers of Croatia (HDFD), HDLU of Istria and Osjek, owner of Makina Gallery and author of many art projects and exhibitions in Croatia and Europe.

In the same media images, which represents the four-intervention documentation (labels) in the snow as part of project “The Arctic Circle” is response to an abandoned quarry on Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean: the work of Greed, Fire, Speed, History done by Tomislav Brajnovic. It is the recorded presence of an invisible man for people in this extremely cruel and hash corner of the Earth. This is a comment of the former presence of man through the remains that he left behind. Of course, it is a negative context, a material evidence of human civilization achievements that does not decorates the space but contaminate and leave futility and useless human efforts. Tomislav graduated Art Academy in Zagreb and is member of HDLU Association and HDLU Zagreb. He has MA of St.Martins College of Art and Design in London. He exhibits in Croatia and abroad and is winner of many awards and recognitions by now.

Petar Brajanovic presents other work “In Gold We Trust” that refers to a valid century’s currency and infatuation with gold as the prime measure of value. Gold here is dark object of desire to a global measure of value. Motive in his work implies the object so pure as gold in its purest elemental form that can be in man as catalysts to encourage and promote the inverse alchemy reaction of man who gets corrupt and pulled into the surface dirt to became the devil itself. The rustle of expensive materials and saber lost valuables were sincere human religiosity for hundreds and hundreds of years. Petar studied at Royal Academy in Den Haag in Holland and is member of Istrian Association HDLU. Works with different media of performance, sound, video, paintings, sculpture, drawings and combination of those. He exhibits in Croatia and abroad.

Borut Skok invoking the sanctity with “Trinita 2”, a multi-screen surface treated with painting where painting is a central context of the content, but with décor and the content layer. A hard work drags plenty of attention with skill-soaked cloth and polished gold frame. Borut graduated in Florence at Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze he exhibits in Croatia and abroad.

A structure of sin and moral fall presents equally Bojan Šumonja with ”Abuse of Trust” hologram. Hologram allows viewer to change the viewing angle with the position of standing, changing the image seen meaning. His work views almost ideally as the illustration of the present trend varied valuation of fundamental values. The art is comment on the re-popularization of the institution of the church via grotesque attempts of Croatian public to modernization of visually variegated election posters, known as the worn down association cliché exploitation of religion. The great loss of moral here refers to the personification of wandering flock of contemporary global society and the allusion to the Christian motive of the herd globally mass without a defined objective, accessible to political, spiritual and secular sense. Are You a Small Cattle Teeth? is the title of one Sumonja’s art peace of PAD Exhibition This is actually a combination of holograms with sound installation that highlights the schizophrenic rhythmic multiplication and chaotic political reality, suggesting surreal reality but in fact accurately describe the current policy approaches and interventions of the global political scene. Bojan graduated Art Academy in Venice and have 200 collective and 90 individual exhibitions in Croatia and abroad.

The confusion of yesterday and nowadays gives the issue of work of Alen Floričić: a consistent exceptional video “Untitled” that treatises vanity civilization achievements, in matters of the body, spirit and technique. Visual language like a computer games is represented by small human figure, which exceeds multiplied across the screen with annoying background sound of a typewriter or telegraph, which refers to bureaucracy. Repetitiveness senseless race is ironic comment on the familiar scenario according to modern Sisyphus aka dehumanized personnel: the dictate of technological abilities neglecting lifestyle according to which the technological capabilities dictate our perception and sense of reality, our understanding the human mind and consciousness, whipping down little humanity left to us. Alen has the MA on Academy for Art and Craft in Ljubljana, Slovenia, he represented Croatia on 51. Venetian Biennale 2005 had many collective and individual art exhibitions in Croatia and abroad.

Marina Orlić shows the melancholic figures, sculptures shortly after won a deserved victory with a medal around the neck. It seems that just moments after the goal the abyss medals in the area, the soul brings up the question of the true values and the other side of medal. Group of figures “Turbo Trio” first associates indication of trivialization of pop culture in different areas and allusion to the mythological motives the Three Graces so many times exploited in modern culture. Three ancient goddesses in competition best described vanity more-less grotesque more than the Trio. A Botticelli lean and enthusiastic or Ruben undressed: a bit confused, wonder playing with the meaning or not. The criticism goes to women Three Graces popularly used in old Roman society for prostitute houses and in our perspective of art runs toward the social comment of nowadays greed and bribery in politics. Marina is the president of Krater- the Centre for Sculpturing of Ceramic, professional sculptures; she works with ceramics, sculptures and paintings and is one of the rare Istrian women that works in this art department independently. She also did work on restoring of painting walls of important cultural monuments in Istria.

Robert Pauletta contributes to a negative picture of human society with self-portraits of figure on a white background to expose unrepresentative moments: the moments when urinating and ashamed of turning our backs to bloody palms. His art work is consolidated in the form of a triptych painting self-portraits that represent a portrait of humanity that is confused, insolent, cynical and vain, which forces the viewer to participate in the exhibitionist pleasure of exposing dirty side of resignation, intimacy or indignation. Robert graduated at Art Academy in Zagreb, and today is professor in Pula and is founder of Applied Art School. In art, this is someone who was many times awarded for art today owned by private and national art collectors all over the world. Today he directs many exhibitions, cultural and sub-cultural events in Istria among the other activities.