That she can't wait for her solo exhibition in Podgorica, the world-famous Bosnian artist Šejla Kamerić told Vijesta back in April, during the installation of her sculpture "Cease" in Venice, in the center of Santo Stefano Square, on the eve of the opening of the Venice Biennale - the 60th International Exhibition of Visual Arts.
"The exhibition is called 'Firstborn', and as part of it I will present several new works, that is, new productions, which I can't wait for," said Kamerić during the meeting in Venice.
Šejla Kamerić's solo exhibition will be opened tonight in Podgorica, in the Petrović Castle and the Perjanic House of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro (MSUCG) at 20 p.m., and will be available to the public until November 10.
"I believe that Šejla Kamerić's exhibition in Montenegro can be inspiring and will encourage thinking, since it is an exhibition that was conceived in such a way that, apart from topics related to issues of identity and femininity, which she has been dealing with for years in her works, also refers to certain 'painful topics' of Montenegrin society: the position of women in our environment and the negative statistics of selective abortions. Namely, our curatorial and artistic work on this exhibition has been going on for three years, during which, from the first initial discussions about the exhibition, to the final installation, we have gone through different types of challenges, but also strong, not only professional, but also personal connections. These connections are based to a large extent on the similarities of our climates, but also on completely personal impressions created under the influence of various social, economic and family circumstances. In the process of designing this exhibition over several years, many topics of our intimate spaces and social contexts were opened up, which naturally connected with Šejla's works that will be found in the exhibition called Firstborn", curator Milica (Radulović) told Vijesta. Bezmarević.
The exhibition, she adds, was created with a focus on questioning identity values based on personal experience, as well as on the social pattern that includes stereotyped concepts of woman and feminine, bringing the author's strong artistic perceptions that rest on expressed empathy, as a key mechanism of communication in her artistic work. work.
"Since we are talking about an internationally recognized contemporary artist whose works are in prestigious international art collections (her iconic work 'Bosnian girl', which refers to the genocide in Srebrenica, is part of the art collection of the British Tate Modern, and recently it is also in the collection MSUCG), I am convinced that its first presentation in Montenegro, in the galleries of MSUCG, can open up a wider space for our personal reflection, understanding and questioning of issues of feminism and gender stereotypes", the curator tells Vijesta.
It is a curiosity, Bezmarevič points out, that the exhibition will present works from the author's latest cycle of self-portraits "Mother is a bitch", huge crocheted nets from the cycle "Hooked", but also some other, earlier works, which in dialogue with the very concept of the exhibition.
"'My mother calls me SON, not SUN' (Mother calls me Son, not Sun) refers to the mentioned topics with its content, pointing out the issues of retrograde perception of gender inheritance, which will remain in our art collection after the exhibition," adds the curator.
She also announces a series of accompanying events as part of the presentation of the renowned artist.
"The exhibition is also accompanied by Šejla Kamerić's monograph 'Mother is a bitch', in the publication of which MSUCG was one of the partners of the renowned German publishing house 'Distanz'. During the duration of the exhibition, we will also have a promotion of Šejla's monograph, as well as an artist talk with the artist - events that, with professional curatorial guidance, can be equally interesting and inspiring for both experts and the general public," announced Bezmarević.
Šejla Kamerić's recognizable, engaged, daring, strong but also intimate artistic voice resonates wherever her works are found. She is known for her multidisciplinary approach and the different media she uses and combines, including film, photography, objects, drawings and installations. The main elements and characteristics of her works are "touching intimacy and social commentary". Kamerić references and clearly refers to resistance to retrograde ideologies, encourages the fight for equality, reminds of the importance of memory, advocates peace, and such was her monumental work "Cease", which sent an important political and social message during the first month of the Biennale in Venice.
"In order to be able to critically observe the world around us, each one of us needs to stop and think. The symbolism of my work, the white flag, especially in the form of a sculpture in a public space, is something that I think communicates to everyone. The flag was stopped in motion, torn at half mast. All this points to where we are as a society right now and indicates how much we need a break," Kamerić told Vijest before.
"Dealing with topics arising from non-linear historical narratives, as well as personal past, Kamerić focuses on the politics of memory, ways of resistance in human life and the consequent peculiarities of women's struggle. Especially valued for the social power that comes from daring intimacy, her works emphasize empathy as a basic creative mechanism. With his work, Kamerić warns about the spaces of power, creating strong alternatives to them," states the MSUCG announcement on the occasion of tonight's exhibition.
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