Hin
qetu e del qaty, is an
albanian saying that means „going in and going out...“ representing a situation
that is not too unpleasant, but not really welcomed either. There are two
doorways leading into the exhibition space of Futur II. By connecting the two
entrances via a a slim pathway consisting of a garden fence, Luan Bajraktari is rendering the much
bigger rest of the room unusable, including the lavatory. The narrow route is
going to be entered both ways, so space is going to become very scarce. Perhaps
people will actually line up to use it just one way, in silent agreement,
avoiding the otherwise inevitable closeness to a stranger, or worse: someone
disliked. That would be sneaky, but still an unsuccessful evasion, for the run
would be orchestrated by the artist in any case. The words manipulation and
herd come to mind. Little room is left for self image when your only choice is
to move forwards or backwards. Speaking of predetermination, the accessible
sculpture is build as a reaction to the space as a given. Consequently, it is
absorbing the room, claiming it as a part of itself. Possibly generating a
claustrophobic feeling, the lenght of the walk is bearable, so one can
rationalise that there is nothing to fear besides the probably unwanted
proximity. But then again, barbed wire is mounted on top of the fence,
aggravating the transit and further shaping ones movements. The assumption that
it could prove awkward might be entirely wrong, for it may turn out jolly good
fun too, evoking a connection that elsewise never could have been made. Perhaps
this is where human adaptability and resilience will find expression once
again, turning the coercion into folksiness. Bajraktari’s origin (Kosovo)
suggests other interpretations, just as his love for gardens, as it is very common
for people from the Balkans, but he will have none of it. It’s about the here
and now, the confinement and its subtle effects, the reduction of ones will and
the handling of that fact within this space.
Marko Markovic’s practice is more often than not pushing him to
the utmost limit. Sometimes, if the audience is meant to participate, he will
lure them slowly over some threshold too. In his performance Self eater (2009), in order to object against warped values in our society, or
„vampire culture“ as he calls it, and to underline an urgent need for drastic
change thereof, he chose auto cannibalism, eating his own flesh and drinking
his own blood directly from his blood vessel via tube. During this performance
he maintained eye contact with the audience at all times. In another instance
he brought the initially coy audience to attack him with straws attached to
needles, instructing them how to target his body, and consequently steadily
dulling their inhibitions to cause him pain. He is not even dreading to get
himself into downright unsafe scenarios, such as insisting to enter the
security zone in the financial district of New York in Sharpening (Wall Street, 2012,) during the occupy movement,
demonstratively sharpening two knifes. Markovic is frequently reacting very
fast to prevailing events, translating his take on them into performance,
happening and video amongst other medias. His work being politically charged ,
the artist is attempting to fathom the distribution of power and oppression,
especially regarding immigrants, minorities and the citizen in general. At this
moment, his performance for the opening of the exhibition remains a secret, but
one can safely expect a rather intense experience.
