Art Under Construction: The Balkans in Context
Q. Whither The Balkans?
Q. Does A Specifically Balkan Art Exist?
Q. Is ‘Balkan’ A Global Capitalist Marketing Construct?
Q. Or Is It A Source Of Resistance?
Between May 25th and June 16th, 2006, these questions and others will be explored at a series of lectures and exhibitions to be held at City University.
Balkan identity is not just about Balkan identity. Like any figurations of identity, the images tell us as much about ourselves as others; as much about Europe and the West as about the Balkans; indeed it has been argued that the Balkans is 'more central than we ever imagined' (Fleming) to the fight against global injustice.
Maja Bajevic and Emanuel Licha, "Green Green Grass of Home", 2002
Programme of Events
25 May
2 – 5pm
Art in the Balkans
Chair: Juliet Steyn (City University)
Janis Jeffries (Goldsmiths College, London)
‘In-between Peripherality. Maja Bajevic: Sarajevo/London’
Diane Amiel (Université Paris I - Panthèon-Sorbonne)
‘Does a specifically Balkan art exist?’
Discussion
2 June
5.30 – 7.30 pm
Key lecture
Chair: Griselda Pollock
Marina Grzinic (ZRC SAZU - Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
‘Art and Culture in the time of Global Capitalism: ABSTRACTION, CANIBALISATION, SUPRESSION’
Discussion
7.30 – 8.30 pm
Private View
‘Vesna’
A Rosalind Brodsky project by Suzanne Treister
Exhibition at Social Sciences Building, City University
Dates: 22 May – 16 June
9 June
7 – 8.30pm
The Making of Balkan Wars: The Game
A project by Personal Cinema
Presentation by the artists Ilias Marmaras and Alexandros Spyropoulos
Discussion
12 June
6 – 7.30 pm
H.arta (Maria Crista, Anca Gyemant, Rodica Tache), Romania –
Presentation of the project "Usually I do this"
Introduced by Raluca Voinea (Curator)
Room: D104
Discussion
15 June
2 – 5 pm
Balkans Exhibited: a Debate
Chair: Ziauddin Sardar (Writer and broadcaster)
Introduction: Louisa Avgita (City University)
Panelists:
Magda Carneci (INALCO; Curator, Poet)
Lorand Hegyi (Curator and Art Historian, Director of the Modern Museum, Saint-Etienne)
Suzana Milevska (Art Critic, Curator)
Discussion
16 June
6.00 – 7.00pm
Projected Visions
Video art works curated by Apollonia – European Art Exchanges
7.00 – 8.00pm
Dimitris Konstantinidis (Director of Apollonia – European Art Exchanges, Strasbourg)
‘The Portrait of the Balkans?’
Discussion
All events will take place in room DLG19, School of Social Sciences, City University, St John Street and Whiskin Street, London.
For further information please contact:
Louisa Avgita
Events Coordinator
Department of Cultural Policy and Management
School of Arts
City University
Email: lavgita@gmail.com
Art Under Construction: The Balkans in Context is supported by LCACE - London Centre for Arts and Cultural Enterprise, in conjunction with Apollonia: European Art Exchanges, B+B, the Foundation for Women's Art, the Serious Interests Agency and SPACE and the international art and cultural journal Third Text that will be publishing a special issue on the Balkans, derived from contributions to these events.