CONTR'ACT ART: ART FOR FREE?

Gallery SULUJ (state organization of artists of Yugoslavia )

Terazije 26/2

action+performans+installacion

opening: 2 nd April 2001 at 19:30

Exibition is opend until 15 th of April

Artists invites visitors to bring the donation in money (exception is for artists who might bring their own creation), and their identity cards. At the entrance of the gallery, there are registrations that don't allow anyone to enter the gallery without paying for it, and registering as donator. The sum is symbolic and the accent is on artist's insisting on this procedure. By this occasion, collected money goes to realization of potential art works. Strategy for improving conditions of artistic practice and production has a kind of obligatory tone towards society. Artist wants to be professional. Without real art market, making art, became a privat thing. Exept exhibiting which is a sign of being in art space and proving one's professionalism, artist finds that it is necessary to form an open art market, and to make a better access of artworks to the society. At that moment none of relevant art organizations in Yugoslavia made an internet presentation of its members. On the other hand, facing the media artist asked for lows that could provide link between artists and companies which are able to finance some artistic projects, and to get free of taxes, if society wants art to survive.

On this exhibition a music performance was held by an anonymous bend: TRON. Artist wanted to promote that band and to play with a role of manager as well.

 

On this exhibition were exhibited paper works:

  1. Donation action at the entrance of the gallery during the whole exhibition days.
  2. Administration procedure between ULUS and the artist where is seen that artist received a term for the exhibition for which didn't have funds to invest, and in addition to this, the conditions under which artists make exhibitions (gallery provides: a gallery keeper, walls and floor, and lights!). Two print materials: one copy of a Croat conceptual artist from ‘70's named Goran Trbuljak, and Gabriela's remake of the same (the face of the building in which is exhibition held):”The fact that somebody is given the possibility to make an exhibition is more important than what is going to be exhibited”.
  3. A list of donators from the privious exibition: Gifting, 2000.
  4. A documentary of a project proposal for a work “Carnival” and the e-mail communication with an international French German art festival Roatorio, which invited me for the show and than suddenly breaks the invitation.
  5. Digital print of a so called: “Virtual atelier”, displayed on a wall by grafoskop.
  6. Floor installation of gifts with names of donors as titles for objects: “What is the game when you don't keep cards in your hands?”
  7. Performance and installation of paper prints of terms which have to deal with success of an artist were given to the public to read them and to bring to the artist to make a kind of crosswords scheme sticking them on the wall. The title was: “Map of success”. At the closing day, the artist has recorded taking off prints from the wall, making new decisions how to connect them and to complete the meaning of the work which finished with the word BIOGRAPHY. This could tell us a lot about art biography of the artist. The order of words took off from the wall was: work-provocation-status-perception-estetisc-critics-consumers-chalenge-mas media-identity-material-light-motif-gallery-public-market-purchase-contract-sponsor-foundations-donations -scholarship-awards-surplus value-collective-public opinion-vision-individual-concept-decision-counciance-function-subverzion-etics-union-tradition-school-ideology-form-compromise-stil-fake-illusion-technology-craft-media-inovation-writing-value-color-frame-originallity-auction-collections-lobby-biography.
  8. Linear manual site://http:/gabrielavasic.com/contr'act art: art for free?/

A paper print in a form of a catalogue for the exhibition.