 God is the biggest Artist - performance |
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God is the biggest Artist Prior to coming to Zadar, my thoughts were turning around the similar questions as proposed by the 'Back to Heritage' workshop/residency (see notes below): how does what I create (some might say 'produce') as an artist, sit in relation to the capitalistic system of values and exchange, most of us are living in and are part of? How much is any artistic practice (or at least some elements of it) inherently utopian? Is that a sign of courage or naivety or courage to be naive? What are the expectations from the society towards an artist and towards a piece of art? How much of the relation to art (and to artist) is informed by the values inherited from religion - artist as a messenger, messiah, restorer of faith? And what is the connection between the neoliberal capitalism, the rise of fundamentalism (not only religious but economic too!) and (still) prevalent calls for the arts to be 'socially engaged' and to cure various social ailments...? I therefore decided that for the group exhibition marking the end of our 'utopian' residency/workshop 'Back to Heritage', I will not make yet another object, but would engage in ways that would be more ambiguous to the market forces, more temporal...I decided to conduct my own small scale social interview experiment to try and tap into the minds of 'strangers'... I asked those who visited the remarkable church of St. Donat in Zadar, what their views are on the role of an artist in the society and the role of religion in the society. Big, complex questions were awaiting the unsuspected tourists, who for the most part responded with enthusiasm, curiosity and their opinions on the matter. Standing on the upper level of the church, I recited their answers to the viewers standing below, and threw down the pieces of paper on which they were written. For a moment I was a performer, preacher, leader, messiah...My reading played on the revolutionary speeches and the messianic proclamations. The proof of my performative action lay on the floor, amongst words on the paper, in the memory of those who were present and in the digitised memory of our cameras... "Artists always see more then I do - they think in a different way." "Znate sto kazu 'tesko onom ko nema u sto vjerovati'. Religija daje tu potporu." "Artists are always ahead of the time. They can have an influential role for the society but they have to know the limit." "Religion is more like an institution for the rich and powerful. It is an instrument to remain in power and to keep people small." "Artists make you think, they bring more imagination. They make you think about things you never thought before and in a different way." "Behind knowing is the real reality. You cannot know it, but it is behind it. That's what religion is about." "Artists give small part of the truth. But for the universal truth you need universal consciousness." "God is the biggest Artist that created us. We are just copying. Bog je najveci umjetnik. Mi samo kopiramo."
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ISLAND AS A UTOPIA The project "Arrival to Heritage" is thematically related to the first Croatian novel Planine (Mountains) and it puts it into the context of modern artistic practice.The topic of the second workshop within the project is "Island as a Utopia".The workshop was held at the end of May and beginning of June 2008 at different locations in Zadar, on Ugljan Island and Dugi otok Island. Petar Zoranic finds his Utopia, his Arcadian world, on Velebit Mountain. It is the location of the author's escape from unhappy profane love, and comfort in spiritual, undying love toward Heritage. This premise of the novel makes us think about two things: which utopian ideas are present in modern art, and what modern artists realize their everyday life as a utopia. After the twilight of great ideologies of the 20th century and entrance of world history into neoliberalism, the questions of democracy and tyranny became insignificant. Trust capital is the factor that dictates new society, and as such it transforms the complete human creation and life into merchandise. Political system is not an obstacle for the capital that spreads its tentacles in every corner of the planet. Artistic creativity is completely absorbed into such system that favors degenerative elitism on one hand, and populist kitsch on the other.The aim of this workshop is to promote the realization of freedom of space and stop the commercialization of the art. As an example of a utopian society we chose an island, which does not necessarily have to be encompassed by the sea. Thus, the island becomes something with either visible or invisible border between the reality of consumerist society and the association of free individuals that follow the laws of nature. Continue reading
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