{"id":2003,"date":"2021-04-09T09:50:44","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T09:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/warped-development.com\/?post_type=events&p=2003"},"modified":"2024-10-26T13:14:07","modified_gmt":"2024-10-26T13:14:07","slug":"in-the-backwoods-of-america","status":"publish","type":"events","link":"https:\/\/warped-development.com\/en\/projekti\/in-the-backwoods-of-america\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Backwoods of America"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 8 – April 30, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition “In the Backwoods of America” opened on April 8 at the “Balkan” cinema. This exhibition presents the works of three artists: Mladen Miljanovi\u0107’s video piece Sounds of the Homeland<\/em>, Rado\u0161 Antonijevi\u0107’s sculpture Yugo America<\/em>, and Nenad Male\u0161evi\u0107’s installation America<\/em>. The exhibition’s title is a clear reference to Karl May’s novel In the Gorges of the Balkans<\/em>, in which the Balkans are stereotypically portrayed as a wild, untamed land ruled by violence and banditry. By inverting this stereotype and incorporating personal, collective, or historical experience, this exhibition explores the meaning of place names and the concept of America. The exhibition was produced by the Sa\u0161a Mar\u010deta Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mladen Miljanovi\u0107, author of the video work Sounds of the Homeland<\/em>, reflected on the broader context of the exhibition: “First and foremost, I was drawn to the context of the name of this space \u2013 the ‘Balkan’ cinema. Engaging with this theme in the ‘Balkan’ cinema, with three artists from the regional scene, is already a context in itself for me. Then we realized that, within a similar timeframe, America appeared in some segment or form in each of our works. The whole process was natural; the works simply came together, and curator Ksenija Samard\u017eija recognized this connection and invited us. This exhibition takes an ironic and sarcastic stance towards the romanticized notion of the Balkans, and we similarly deal with irony \u2013 what America actually means here. For me, there was more than enough of a relationship between the works and within the works themselves for it all to form an interesting concept, especially in this space.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Bojana Janji\u0107<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rado\u0161 Antonijevi\u0107, the artist behind the work Yugo America<\/em>, spoke about the exhibition: \u201cOur works were not created to be part of a unified whole. They were produced earlier as individual research processes. However, we realized there was a connection through the name ‘America’ in all three pieces. But they are not only connected by name; they also reflect on personal and broader cultural identity, using America as a kind of mirror or reflective field for self-reflection. In that sense, the ‘Balkan’ cinema, by its very name, served as a good starting point, providing a unifying yet not overly burdensome conceptual link.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on the experience of exhibiting in this space, Antonijevi\u0107 added: \u201cMy personal experience has been very positive. The ‘Balkan’ cinema, with its name and exhibition potential, provided a fitting ambiance where these three works, though not designed to fit together, collectively create an atmosphere that closely resembles our own Balkan context.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Bojana Janji\u0107<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Nenad Male\u0161evi\u0107, the artist behind the installation America<\/em>, reflected on the exhibition layout and the relationship between the works: “The space is grand and, in that sense, demanding, so our task as artists was to arrange and position the works in such a way that they do not cancel each other out in meaning, do not clash, nor compensate for one another. It’s a delicate harmony.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ksenija Samard\u017eija, the exhibition curator and director of the Sa\u0161a Mar\u010deta Foundation, shared her impressions of the exhibition: “I think the works complement each other beautifully and communicate exceptionally well. On different levels, in different contexts and relationships. In any case, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to view and experience such an exhibition in Belgrade.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Bojana Janji\u0107<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Mladen Miljanovi\u0107 was born in Zenica in 1981. In addition to his artistic practice and research, he teaches New Media at the Academy of Arts at the University of Banja Luka. He participated in the 55th Venice Biennale, the 15th Busan Biennale, and the recent 13th Cairo Biennale. His solo exhibitions and works have been featured at the MUMOK Museum of Modern Art in Vienna, the MC Gallery in New York, the ACB Gallery in Budapest, and many others. Trained as an academic painter, Miljanovi\u0107 today combines performative and conceptual strategies through a pluralistic, socially engaged, and subversive approach to contemporary art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rado\u0161 Antonijevi\u0107 (born 1969) is a visual artist who explores the boundaries of sculpture, questioning the relationship between form, function, materiality, and meaning. The themes of his sculptural works are always connected to the neuralgic points of life, dealing with aspects of history, politics, culture, and society. Antonijevi\u0107 has been publicly exhibiting his works since 1998 and has had over 20 solo and more than 50 group exhibitions. He works as an associate professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nenad Male\u0161evi\u0107 (born 1981) graduated from the Department of Graphics at the Academy of Arts at the University of Banja Luka in 2004 and earned a master’s degree in the Theory of Art and Media at the Interdisciplinary Studies of the University of Arts in Belgrade in 2008. He completed his PhD at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade in 2019. He was a recipient of a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD, 2006). In addition to numerous solo exhibitions, he has participated in group exhibitions and festivals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, France, Italy, Georgia, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PRESS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHOTO GALLERY: Bojana Janji\u0107<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n