"Vijesti" recently wrote about the fact that aThe Serbian art scene has recently been rocked by an "earthquake" in the form of artworks by 24-year-old Montenegrin Darja Bajagić, whose focus is on her fascination with pornography and serial killers.
The NGO "Montenegro alternative culture" made an interview with her, in an attempt to investigate is this artist really poking a finger in the eye. There are some of them they write, stung" with the simplicity of its message and bold consistency.
Therefore, Darja Bajagić is a name that has been known to the Montenegrin public (and the world) for quite some time. Next to your name, there was the description "Montenegro porn artist shocks the world". How do you like that description, and can you tell us, in order to skip rigid introductions, who is Darja Bajagić?
- That's really easy to explain. The journalist used a catchy word, one that is easy to sensationalize, and thus took the story out of context in order to emphasize only one aspect of it. In my case, it's “pornography”. That is, presenting me as a "porn artist". I'm not really sure what that means, but I'm going to assume it's a deviant way of describing an artist who sometimes integrates pornography into his work. Who am I? Well, I'm certainly not a porn artist. I am an artist, originally from Montenegro. As for other general information, I grew up in Egypt and have lived in the US since 1999. I am 24 years old and recently moved to New York.
You recently graduated from Yale University, majoring in painting, which was followed by a very successful solo exhibition in New York and a group exhibition in Warsaw. Your university professor characterized your artistic focus as crazy, others comment that the topics you cover are an easy way to stand out. What's your answer to that?
- It's dark humor. There is a lot of it in my work and understanding it implies different shades of dark humor. However, I can't say anything about my professor. What I can say is that sometimes certain things (like pornography) make us angry, instead of awakening or stirring us. This is sometimes necessary, because it is an invitation to examine certain aspects of a topic or to question ourselves about something we would rather not think about. Topics like this are best approached in the style of gleeful anarchy. It is certainly better to lose the burdens we carry than to lose our sense of humor. The second attack, which refers to "sex for sale" is really annoying. It is completely unimaginative and refers to an unwillingness to tackle the subject at hand. Coming to grips with a subject does not mean liking it or accepting it, but confronting (with the majority) and considering it, as well as its complexity. Such attacks and comments are rather an expression of an attempt to suppress the truth. In the end, good and evil come from the same source...
You stated that you are interested in the art of serial killers. Is there, and if so, what is the connection between the so-called serial killer art, sex and the Internet?
- I collect drawings of serial killers depicting porn actresses, other types of actresses and women in general, as well as letters containing pornographic messages.
Until now, I have collected this kind of material . Normally I like such things, but I am also particularly fascinated by the negative context of these contents in the media and their sale, as well as the selective efforts of the Government to criminalize the sale of these materials.
The surface connection between the collections on the theme of murder and other forms of violence and pornography that I collect is that I obtain most of the material from source. Second, the Internet gives us access to such content (or to some, apparently too much access) and generates overexposure and "debauchery" - in this case, debauchery becomes close and accessible to those who participate in it. , or they are observers of the same, and therefore it is neutralized and destroyed. The replacement is a screen or surface with no depth. The meaning of things fades, becomes neutralized and that's what attracts me. However, there are still some currents that insist on maintaining consciousness and things at the level of past times….
How are your works created and what are you trying to say with them?
- It depends on the project. However, each one begins with a kind of research, information, image...Then the form follows - a painting, a sculpture, a video, and so on, the work takes shape.
In terms of what I am trying to say, I choose to say that the object speaks for itself, in whatever way and to whoever is listening. I often talk about things I make as a puzzle (with pieces missing) or parts of a narrative unfolding. There is a range of perversity, ultimate confrontation (following the I-just-look-at-it-and-deal-with-it model) and chaotic urgency. Yet, simultaneously, there is a sabotaging of any attempt to fully understand things.
What is your comment on the global art scene? In this sense, what do you think is the purpose or function of art, because many things are called art today?
- There are many types of art and many of its functions and they are all valid, in their own way. I can't talk about art on a global level because I'm not aware of all the forms it exists in.
On a related note, does it matter where you live to be successful in the art world? In the sense that, if you had stayed in Montenegro, do you think that your work would have attracted the attention of the public to the same extent?
- I am not familiar with the Montenegrin art scene, nor the education system when it comes to art, so I really cannot imagine what my experiences would have been if my family had decided to stay. Certainly, I think it's important to be in the right place at the right time, but it's specific to each person.
Has the Internet affected art?
- Yes.
Do you have a favorite piece of art?
- Of course. The movie “Funny Games” (1997), by Michael Haneke. And "black" pictures and witty captions by Ada Reinhardt. Those two things come to mind first.
What are your future plans? Is there a possibility to exhibit in Montenegro?
- My plans are to continue working and, also, I would like to buy a rabbit for a pet. I don't know about the exhibition in Montenegro, but why not. It would be an interesting way to visit my birthplace again.
Any advice or message to young artists?
- "In order to fully experience things as they are, it is necessary to be a clean, pristine mirror, ready to receive all the impressions without distortion that the objects in front of us produce."
Bonus video:
