ARTIST’S APPROACH
The fake, the make-believe, illusions made or unmade; all are an important part of Milutin Gubash’s artistic practice, and the frame of reference he uses to find his way through any artistic project he undertakes. Art is to him a process of transformation, from one thing that is (the given state of an object or circumstance), to another that is just conceivable (the not-given state held up for consideration). For Gubash, this has something to do with creating illusions that we want to believe in, even if we know they cannot be real.
THE ARTWORK
Recreating a moment in 2008, when I encountered a monument constructed near Podgarić (Croatia)
Performance, 2019
Art has something to do with creating illusions that we want to believe in, even if we know they cannot be real.
For the 2019 edition of Art Souterrain Festival, the artist proposes a live performance with two costumed performers. They will be dressed in black body suits and will animate the costumes (understood as wearable sculptures) like “shadows”. One costume represents a cartoon version of the artist, the other represents a 1960s era Yugoslavian monument, like those he has photographed over the past few years. (These monuments were created as tools for propaganda, both domestically, to rally support for the socialist experiment, and externally, to solicit tourism and favour for a Western-friendly version of Eastern socialism.) As part of Nuit Blanche, the performers will chase each other throughout the Art Souterrain pathways – a kind of allegory of the artist pursuing his subject, and of the subject haunting (and perhaps taunting) the artist.
Curator : Art Souterrain
