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An almost obligatory detail in a terrifying scene in which
automotive civilization takes its toll in people's lives - a car crash -
is a shoe on the asphalt. The force of the impact that crumples the
metal, breaks glass and plastic parts of car's interior, »squeezes« the
bodies of the unfortunates out of their footwear. A shoe, cover for the
foot, is one of the rare pieces of garment that keeps its shape even if
not in use. That hollow, cavity, with or without laces, holds an
invisible man - the one who had gone, or even more likely, who had died.
The scenes of multiplied pairs of footwear is therefore indirectly
speaking about multiplying of death. And such visual commentary in Dejan
Kaludjerović's ambience, created in times when gunpowder smoke over
the Balkans hasn't settle down yet, undoubtedly suggests that the whole
ambience is actually a comment on previous events, appeal for another
reflection about guilt and meaning of everything that has happened (to
us).
The other elements in the installation are doing it more directly -
the focus of entire environmental work, a TV screen »dressed« in
camouflage case, a uniform with pockets full of bullets, literally refers
to »war« essence. But the sound coming from the dressed device, a
children's song named »Guest«, which appears to be speaking naively about
the suitor of Istanbul Princess and his rude behavior (»... he was
picking his nose«) which caused the war, clearly brings a category of
irony into Kaludjerović's work.
The same thing is with the »billboard«, the face of
Kaludjerović's exhibition turned towards the street, towards outside
world, where an apocrypha »Serbian soap« will be recommended to a
passerby-consumer. The mere media of an advertising board - commercial as
a rule, and artistic as an exception - have been known in this parts to
carry the comment on wartime conditions.
The most famous one to deal with the issue of wars in the Balkans in
the last decade of 20th century (although it hasn't been seen on the
boards of our country) is »Benetton« advertisement by Oliviero Toskani:
bloody pants of killed Croat soldier supplemented with the statement of
his father giving consent for using his son's clothing for advertising
purposes. Instead of comment, here we have shameless use of individual
misfortune for commercial purposes. Unfortunately, it must be said that
even in the sphere of »pure« or »engaged« art centrally dealing with the
latest wars in our environment, there are works that by its open or
hidden hypocrisy don't fall behind famous »Benetton« poster.
That is why the work of Dejan Kaludjerović is only in one part
a visual dispute about war events - combining irony, common places and object
that undoubtedly give us a chill, his ambience »Genocide« first of all
becomes a comment on easy abuse.
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