In Their Eyes...

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F44555601%3A13530%2F17%3A43893573" target="_blank" >RIV/44555601:13530/17:43893573 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://vizkultura.hr/tag/mmsu/" target="_blank" >https://vizkultura.hr/tag/mmsu/</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

In Their Eyes...

Original language description

The exhibition project In Their Eyes? focuses on the presentation of the artistic stance arising from the specific environment of three central European regions with a mix of national minorities, located on the border of different linguistic, cultural and geopolitical influences. From a historical perspective, a number of important, truly historic events serve as the common element for the locations in question ? Istria and Kvarner, South Tyrol, and Sudetenland ? as well as numerous bonds and relationships. The works by ten artists from Croatia, Italy, and the Czech Republic construe real stories, sometimes inconspicuously but still fatally influenced by the course of the ?big history? indivisibly intertwined with the intimacy of family mythology, the topography of re-appropriated places and the attractiveness of the material heritage containing the fleeting touch of our ancestors. The project is based on the cooperation of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Rijeka, Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, and the Kunsthalle Eurocenter Lana. The international exhibition In Their Eyes? that preceded it, both focus on presenting the artistic attitudes that have been evolving in the specific environment of three Central European regions and the ethnically mixed communities of their inhabitants, which lie on the boundaries between different linguistic, cultural, and geopolitical influences. From the historical perspective, the monitored localities ? Istria and Quarnero, South Tyrol, and the Sudetenland ? are linked not only by a number of significant, literally historic, events, but also by an infinite number of individual associations and relationships. All three of these territories were a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for many centuries, and, after it disintegrated, faced the difficult and complicated task of building their own identity within the context of the changes accompanying the effort to establish a new political structure in Europe after World War I. The increasing international and social tensions ruling their internal as well as external positions ultimately erupted into the tragic events associated with the start, duration, and aftermath of World War II, when, in the aforementioned regions, there was an escalation in the attempts to implement radical ? and in many respects irreversible ? solutions to ethnic issues. At the same time, it is obvious that the consequences of these dramatic processes have significantly continued to affect the political organisation in these areas ? and primarily their socio-cultural atmosphere ? to this day. The contributions of the individual authors ? whether theoretical or artistic ? provide the framework for a discursive map of this project, exploring the issues associated with the co-existence of different nationality groups in a common shared space from various perspectives. Focus is placed on the hyperbolic, frequently subjectivised, interpretations that have determined historical manifestations, or, conversely, on current reflections regarding their present-day development. In both cases, however, it builds on the logical chaining of preceding causalities. In the case of the project, the contributors? efforts were aimed at using the designated context to present primarily those artistic manifestations that emphasise the general theme of otherness and examine the mental, linguistic, and cultural characteristics of a specific community keeping in mind the required bipolarity. In this sense, just the title itself ? In Their Eyes? ? is a reminder of the metaphoric combination of various opinions, referring not only to one?s own views about others, but also to the reflections of our subjectivity in the eyes of those around us. On this level, the works of the ten Czech, Croatian, and Italian artists represented in the exhibition interpret specific stories ? sometimes from a distance, but always fatally influenced by the course of ?major historical events?, intertwined with intimacy from family mythology, the topography of reclaimed locations, and the engaging nature of physical remnants that have immobilised the fleeting touches of our ancestors. However, at the same time they always patiently turn to the cumulative composition of their current identity, which links the past with the acute challenges of our present-day society. In fact, the presence of this aspect exposes questions regarding the dilemmas accompanying the increasing number of negative manifestations currently posing a threat to the ethical integrity and democratic potential of both contemporary political systems and individual communities. Subsequently, the project sketched out the broader context of the meanings and themes that appear in the hyperbolised aesthetic gestures seen in the individual artistic installations. Zdena and Michal Koleček?s study (published in catalogue) presents a detailed analysis of the shared historical context that has affected the historical as well as the current environments in the relevant regions, subsequently becoming a source of inspiration for the In Their Eyes? exhibition project. The authors focus primarily on the processes and events associated with these locations, which ultimately led to the accession of totalitarian ideologies and regimes, as well as on the post-war efforts to gradually ? and often painfully ? overcome these foreordained circumstances, and to open new, positive directions for the future. The text written by Hans Karl Peterlini covers the social and political processes associated with the gradual emancipation of South Tyrol within the Italian context following World War II. These processes were accompanied by a number of dramatic events ? including terrorist attacks ? but ultimately led to the establishment of extensive autonomy and a reconciliation in the relations between the central government and the local, primarily German-speaking, community. In his contribution to the publication, Davor Mišković focuses in detail on the latent conflict between the social and political predators dominating a liberal state built on national foundations and the others ? the ?different? ones ? who, for diverse reasons and under various pretexts, are pushed to the edge of societal interest. His reflections are presented within the context of references to the complicated relations between the two nations that dominated the former Yugoslavia ? the Croats and the Serbs ? as well as to the dramatic ethnic movements that had a great impact on the character of the community inhabiting the Istrian peninsula. Many might think we live in a ?better world? than that which, over the course of the dramatic events of the twentieth century, formed the present-day character of the examined regions and their populations ? one that was painfully determined by military conflicts and the despotism of totalitarian regimes. Nonetheless, when it comes to social discourse, we are more frequently encountering brusque and expedient solutions that give priority to short-term and limited benefits. Such ways of thinking ultimately lead to the polarisation of communities and increase the risk of the onset of populistic ideologies and mechanisms that restrict individual freedom and disrupt the search for democratic solutions to natural societal antagonism and conflicts. In a way that is somewhat contradictory to destructive political and media interpretations, the In Their Eyes? project aspires to present an empathic artistic and philosophical identification of societal needs and goals, which, within a broader context, naturally transcends the boundaries of the immediate community and animates the thinking of individuals towards respecting the otherness around them. It is necessary to first gain an understanding of that which makes it possible to view differences subjectively in order to accelerate the process of comprehending one?s own uniqueness, and to make it possible to view not only the position of an individual, but also the way the individual is entwined in the existence of all those who surround him and make him complete and identifiable.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

E_krit - Exhibition with a critical catalog

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

60401 - Arts, Art history

Project

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Continuities

V - Vyzkumna aktivita podporovana z jinych verejnych zdroju

Publication year

2017

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Event location

Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Rijeka

Event country

HR - CROATIA

Event starting date

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Event ending date

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Total number of attendees

12

Foreign attendee count

7

Type of event by attendee nationality

EUR - Evropská akce