Performance "Cathedral of Self", Montenegrin artist Milke Delibasic, held in the "Art" gallery in Podgorica, offered the audience a unique experience - a layered reflection on oneself, the inner world, the body, individual identity, what the mind and soul are.
Known as an artist of authentic expression who explores the deeper spheres of fine art, visual arts, art in general, and then psychology, sociology, life, Delibašić presented a complex exhibition that requires the engagement, reflection and integration of visitors, who themselves will further create the meaning and feeling of what they experienced. .
She combined a multimedia performance with a spatial installation, one would say, in order to create an atmosphere that reflects the mental states and inner turmoil of each individual. Through this work, Milka Delibašić opens a dialogue about the duality of inner and outer space, asking a series of questions after a hypnotic "session" of art.
This performance, like her earlier works, offered the audience the opportunity to experience deep introspection and an emotional connection with oneself and one's own self through silence and minimalism, opening a space for reflection of various inner feelings and states. Visitors are gradually drawn into the concept and depth, thus becoming active participants in Milka Delibašić's work, contributing to it with their presence, gaze, thoughts, emotion and energy.
At the entrance to the gallery, visitors were greeted by the author's statement as an introduction and explanation of her research and search, and there is also one of her video works... All this, without the classic opening, hinted at the unusualness of the event for domestic circumstances.
The sterile interior of the gallery due to the lack of elements in it exuded coldness, while the white walls this time narrowed the space, creating a feeling of isolation. The gallery is divided by transparent glass or Plexiglas, which physically separated the performers from the visitors. Five performers, men and women, all dressed in white, took their positions and held them motionless, looking at one point, while the light bulbs above them produced special effects and evoked different associations, warm ones. So in the set, in silence and focus, Delibašić took the audience on an intimate journey through the deep self, on a path that resembles some kind of astral projection...
The performers, in a state of "waking sleep", show the state of mind through their static presence, creating a metaphorical space in which body and mind are in constant tension between passivity and introspective peace. The light of the bulbs illuminated the bodies of the performers, placed above their heads or in the stomach area, tied to a classic rope, creating an intimate, almost hypnotic atmosphere. Through this focus, both those present and the performers opened up a space of communication with light, space and their own interior, the voices of the soul...
The occasional video projection on the wall behind them, on which the author Delibašić would appear, broke up but also complemented the static of the bodies, which, in a state of complete peace, communicated the atmosphere through subtle changes of sound and movement. Periodic sounds within a limited space provided a dramatic effect to the performance, creating tension, but also an introspective atmosphere. The audience watched the performers in silence, almost imperceptibly lulled into their own contemplation, isolated from the place and time of the event, strongly connected to what was shown.
The performance gave the impression of celebrating the individual being, the self as the foundation of existence, but it could be said that it simultaneously pointed to its neglect. Through his creativity, Delibasic gives the impression that, among other things, he deals with the question of how we treat ourselves, whether as passive objects or as subjects who actively live their lives. Are we displaced from our own body, depersonalized and deprived of instincts, reaction, connection and vision of ourselves or are we in deep connection with the inner self as we build ourselves the way we want, not the way life, circumstances and society expect? The "Cathedral of the Self" even through its name invokes the glorification of identity, posing the question: how aware are we of ourselves and our place in the world, how much we celebrate ourselves and how grateful we are?
Milka Delibašić and her "Cathedral of the Self" successfully combine the physical and the mental, creating a parallel space beyond the gallery and the physical where art communicates with the deepest aspects of human existence and with all individuals present individually. The artist, through a minimalistic performance, introduces the audience to the space of self-reflection, and her installation remains as an invitation to a personal, intimate exploration of identity in the modern world and the so-called fast life under capitalist-consumerist rules that often condemn us to passivity, ignoring, neglect and blind rush as temporary happiness, cheap entertainment, boredom and alienation.
Inspired by the work of Marina Abramović, she questions her own boundaries
"My art is personal", says Milka Delibašić to the visitors of her exhibition...
"She is a projection of my human experience. Space and body are the elements through which I talk about my own experience of the world and people. What characterizes my work is the transformation of traumatic experiences and feelings of discomfort into poetics. In this creative process, I also deal with questioning the nature of the medium itself - rethinking the relationship between the image and the body," she points out.
Delibasic reveals that she is inspired by the work of Marina Abramović and her statement that there are no lies in long-term performances, and that in that situation all conditions become visible. So, she says, she decided to embark on the process of creating a long-term performance in order to question her own limits and find a way to heal the state of her own spirit.
"'Cathedral of the Self' is a work of more complex construction, integrating the media of performance, video, installation and sound. All these elements are in the service of creating an atmosphere that is a projection of mental states. The self refers to our personal identity, to everything that belongs to the space of the conscious and unconscious, and which in turn makes up our being. The cathedral of the self is characterized by the dialectic of the outer and inner human space. The meaning of that name is ambiguous: it denotes the body, which is the first space in which the self resides, as well as the space itself in which states are projected (the physical space in which the performance takes place). The body appears in this work as a singularity and as a multitude. The created space is an intimate space in which the performers, in a state of passivity, dream awake. Their "dream", projected on the wall, shows the state of mind through the movements of their bodies", explains the artist.
All these states of the body were recorded by the camera, later manipulated in post-production, merging into the state of the person manipulating the medium and thus becoming a mirror of the state of the author herself.
"Many states become one state, and many bodies become one body. And vice versa, that one body and condition disintegrates again into a multitude. Above these bodies in the space dangle light bulbs that are operated by the "keeper". The light watches over them. Lights reveal what is outside and inside. This work also experiments with the relationship of the audience. What separates the body of the audience from the body of the performer in the construction of the space is a transparent wall, like glass. Deep disappointment in me created that wall. It was created as a product of trauma," Delibašić reveals and points out that he gives that wall a new function by incorporating it into his work.
The time when the audience enters the performance area
The performance with the performers takes place during a certain period of the day, Delibašić points out.
"During the rest of the time, that space turns into a space of solitude where I remain alone. However, in those moments the audience is allowed to enter that space and become part of the performance. That's when the transition of the audience takes place, which turns into a performer," Delibašić said.
Bonus video:
