The Demarcation Line, processual site-specific work and participative performance
The Demarcation Line, Gallery Zvono/Gallery Art Depo Charlama, August 2021.
Curated by Jasmin Hasanović
The post-Dayton BiH context is marked by the phenomenon of delimitation. Borders are geopolitical, territorial, administrative, but also cultural. The (in)material delimitations resulted in the disintegration of the unity of diversity, leading to the inevitable differentiation of the Other. Solidarity is being replaced by intolerance that raises walls among the people, divides cities "on this and that side" and builds two schools under one roof.
In a society determined by ethnodeterminism, in which everyday politics and bureaucracy override ideology, culture and art as man's spiritual activities are ghettoized. However, it is precisely these ghettoized spheres that remain zones of solidarity. Thus, as a counterbalance to the phenomenon of "two schools under one roof", the phenomenon of "two galleries under one roof" appears.
The Association for the Affirmation of Culture and Arts Zvono always found a place for its exhibition practice in alternative spaces, cafes, and its work was continuous, despite the weak or no financial support of the competent authorities. The coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis have caused Caffe Galerija Zvono to close its doors. However, the Zvono Association got a new (alternative) space - one wall of the Art Depo Charlama gallery.
The phenomenon of "two galleries under one roof" is, therefore, a phenomenon of solidarity, understanding and support, which reduces the ethnodeterministic context to a paradox, while becoming a symbol of the resistance towards marginalization and ghettoization of art.
“The Demarcation Line” was processual work. The artist was building the wall inside the Charlama/Zvono Gallery, and by doing so was creating a physical border inside the shared space. The visitors were invited to help build the wall, so the work was not only processual, site-specific, but also participative. This physical demarcation, which received the status of a work of art, is a symbolic materialization of bringing art institutions to the brink of ruin. At the same time, the 7 meters long and 2.2 m high wall evokes all those invisible borders, which determine the everyday life of BiH citizens. The end of the processual part of the work was marked by participative performance of crushing the wall.
