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Alumni Alumni 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2019 Alumni Aigerim Kapar is an independent curator, cultural activist, and founder of the creative communication platform Artcom. She was born in 1987 in Kazakhstan and continues to live and work in Astana. Kapar curates and organizes exhibitions, urban art interventions, discussions, lectures, and workshops. To accomplish such wide-ranging initiatives she often collaborates closely with art and educational institutions, as well as scientific apparatuses. In 2015, she founded the open online platform Artcom in conjunction with the local art community. The platform brings together different cultural figures to share experiences and discover channels for greater interaction within society in order to develop and promote contemporary art and culture. In 2017, Aigerim initiated the Art Collider informal school—when art meets science. Through this initiative artists and scientists jointly conduct research and present lectures and discussions related to current issues. The results of the school are presented through exhibitions, publications, and audio-visual materials. Ana Roman has a Master’s degree in Human Geography from São Paulo University and is a doctoral student in Art History at the University of Essex. Her current research focuses on contemporary art and curatorship. Previously, she was an assistant curator for Between Construction and Appropriation: Antonio Dias, Geraldo de Barros and Rubens Gerchman in the 60s (SESC Pinheiros, São Paulo, Brazil, 2018), and researcher/assistant curator for Ready Made in Brasil(Centro Cultural Fiesp, São Paulo, Brazil, 2017); Rever_Augusto de Campos (SESC Pompeia, São Paulo, Brazil, 2016); and Lina Grafica (SESC Pompeia, São Paulo , Brazil, 2014), among others. She was the head curator for Whereabouts (Zipper Gallery, 2018) with works by David Almeida; Mirages (Baro Gallery, 2018) with works by Amanda Mei; and Small Formats (Baro Gallery, 2018) with works by Alexandre Wagner, to name a few. She also writes critical texts for different media outlets. Since 2014, she has been a participant in Sem Titulo, s.d., a production and research collective focused on contemporary art with whom she organized the exhibitions What is not performance? (Centro Universitário Maria Antonia, São Paulo, Brazil, 2015) and Tuiuiu, with works by Alice Shintani (ABER, São Paulo, Brazil, 2017). Bermet Borubaeva is a curator, researcher, and artist. She was born in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and gained her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and Master’s of Arts focusing on “Political analysis and public policy,” from the High School of Economics in Moscow. She graduated from the Bishkek “Art East” School of Contemporary Art in 2009 and studied at First Moscow Curatorial Summer School for their program “Doing Exhibitions Politically,” initiated by Victor Miziano and V-A-C Foundation. Borubaeva also participated in the curatorial research residency “ReDirecting East” at the Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw. Borubaeva has also taken part in different exhibitions and projects, such as the First Youth Central Asian exhibition of Contemporary Art, ON/OFF; the eco-festival, Trash; and an exchange project in collaboration with Focus-Art Association, titled TET A TET #2 (Vevey, Switzerland). Recent projects include the Education Program for Lingua Franca/франк тили’, the re-exhibition project for the Central Asia Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale, done in collaboration with Oxana Kapishnikova and Ukhina Diana (2012); the exhibitions Artists-in-Residence at CCI Fabrika (2014–2016 Moscow); the exhibition PAS DE DEUX—KG. CH. at the Center of Contemporary Art Yverdon-Les-Bains, Switzerland; and the performance Café “Non-seller,” addressing the problem of food waste in conjunction with the documentary film “Eco Cup” (Moscow), as part of the Curatorial Research Program, CPR-2017: Mexico. She has also contributed to several publications in the fields of art, political science, and urban environment. Ewa Borysiewicz studied art history at the University of Warsaw and Freie Universität Berlin. She was a member of the curatorial team for Side by Side: Poland—Germany. A 1000 Years of Art and History (Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin), led by Anda Rottenberg. She is the author of Rausz kinetyczny (2013), a book exploring the political and emancipatory aspects of non-camera animation. From 2012–2019, she worked at the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw as the curator for visual arts. Her duties included establishing international partnerships, programming the international visitors’ program, facilitating artistic residencies, and enabling presentations of Polish art worldwide. She is presently co-organizing (with galleries Stereo and Wschód) the exhibition Friend of a Friend, a gallery-share initiative in Warsaw that has been taking place since 2018. Borysiewicz has also curated and co-curated exhibitions at the Zachęta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw, the Polish Institute in Düsseldorf, and the Museum Jerke in Recklinghausen. She is the author of many texts and catalogue entries. Mateja Smic is a Dublin-based artist working with coffee, gelatin and other, often non-traditional materials, chosen by principles of association within her subject matter. Her recent subjects range from geopolitics to national identity. Through printmaking, digital collage, video and animation, Smic’s installations combine philosophical and psychological questions around experience, the phenomenon of Othering, and tensions between the real subject and its mediated representations. Consisting of intensive cycles and processes of intuitive and experimental engagement with her materials, which become a metaphor for an intangible subject, Smic’s reflexive and multi-layered art practice parallels with her contextual research and writing. Having graduated from the National College of Art and Design in Fine Print and Critical Cultures, her thesis and professional practice project focused on the creation of the image of the Balkans in the West and the portrayal of the region through various art forms and curatorial activities. Tomek Pawlowski is a curator, and events and meeting producer. In 2018 he participated in the curatorial program at Swimming Pool, Sofia. He is the curator of numerous exhibitions, performances, and projects in collaboration with artists from younger generations, groups, independent galleries, and institutions in Poland. He uses collective practices, critical entertainment, and politics of friendship as his main guiding framework. From 2016–2018 he ran Cycle, a program of micro-residencies and events in the apartments where he lived. In 2017 co-curated (along with Romuald Demidenko and Aurelia Nowak) The Open Triennial: the 8th Young Triennial at the Center for Polish Sculpture in Orońsko. He is also the co-curator (with Magdalena Adameczek and Ola Polerowicz) of Sandra Art Gallery, the nomadic agency associating with and supporting emerging female artists from Poznań. He currently resides between Białystok and Poznań. Shasta Stevic is an artist and curator from Melbourne, Australia. She is the co-founder, co-curator, and creative director of IntraLiminal—an ongoing project that showcases the work of talented young artists from regional Australia. She is passionate about providing opportunities for young artists to share their work publicly and supporting the development of ongoing creative practices in younger generations. Having completed degrees in science and law, she sees art as an important vehicle for the exploration of social issues including the environment and sustainability, civilization and progress, so-called technological and scientific advancement, and the worrying divide between humans and nature. She is particularly interested in using unconventional methods of storytelling and installation to bring about social change. Stevic has studied at the LungA School, an experimental art school in Seydisfjordur, Iceland, and has curated exhibitions for a mid-winter festival in Northern Iceland. Sasha Puchkova is an artist and curator based in Moscow. As an artist, Puchkova works with different media: sound, video, objects, performative communication and experiments. She explores phenomena related to different points of connection and the linking of digital and offline processes, as well as the space between these realms, and the interdependent influence of cyberspace on social norms. Key topics are particular interest to her are the plasticity of the laws of the digital system; the body in online space; new materialism; artificial synesthesia; decolonial pathways; post-cyberfeminist practices; and post-anthropocene practices. The pivot of her curatorial practice revolves around an experimental, expositional approach, which has been realized in such projects as a series of performative actions, ideas around the “exhibition as living space,” long-term laboratories, and the development of theatrical exhibitions-in-real-time, among other things. Her curated projects include Syntax (a series of performances and laboratory); (Im)-possible object (research and exhibition projects); and Capture Map (performative project and communication platform). Puchkova is also a member of the research group “Speculative Practices of Corporal Mutations” (with Katya Pislari and Daria Yuriychuk). Victoria Vargas Downing is a Chilean art historian, heritage researcher and independent curator based Leeds in the UK. She holds a BA in Fine Theory and History of Art at the University of Chile, a Curating Diploma and MA in Arts Management and Heritages studies at Leeds University. Has participated in art projects in Chile, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles CA, Vienna and The UK where she co-curated Imtiaz Dharker Exhibition and participated in the process and management of Chilean Mural restoration at the Leeds Students Union. She has worked as teacher and research assistant in different projects and art organisations in Chile (museums, galleries and non-profit organisations). She is PhD candidate at the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at Leeds University. Her research verse on the relationship between contemporary art and heritage, particularly, in non-Western cultures. Seda Yıldız is a Hamburg-based artist-curator. Her multidisciplinary practice focuses on exploring the art of shaping (collective) memory, language, and the politics of the city. She is interested in the poetics of politics and frequently uses humor and abstraction as a tool in her artistic practice, working primarily with video, text, installation, and the form of the artist book. Her curatorial practice focuses on exploring the clash and intersection between the local and global, and aims to reach a heterogeneous audience while giving voice to the silenced. She is particularly is interested to take part in process-oriented, open and experimental projects that foster collaboration and exchange. Yıldız has exhibited her work and joined various editorial and curatorial projects internationally. In 2018, she was selected as an emerging curator by PARALLEL Photo Platform, co-funded by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union. Occasionally she writes about design, architecture, and urbanism, and contributed to Brownbook Magazine, MONU Magazine, Kajet Journal, and Freunde von Freunden. Yıldız holds an MA in Contemporary Artistic Practices from Haute école d’art et de design Geneva (2014) and a BA in Communication and Design from Bilkent University (2011). http://yildizseda.com Zulfikar Filandra is a film and theatre-maker based in Sarajevo. Filandra was educated at Griffith College Dublin, the Academy of Performing Arts Sarajevo, and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Sarajevo. As a collaborator and member of several local and several international art collectives, he has worked with all the relevant mainstream art and cultural institutions in Sarajevo and is also active in Sarajevo’s underground art scene. Aside from directing in film and theatre, and assistant directing, Filandra also works as a screenwriter, lecturer, producer, editor, musician, actor, promoter, event organizer, and photographer. As a member of the youngest generation of Bosnian directors his topics touch on the legacy of war in Bosnia, but through a more intimate view of living in contemporary times and the position of a small culture like Bosnia in a globalizing world. Currently, he is actively collaborating with the Experimental Film Society (based in Dublin, Ireland) and Outline (based in Amsterdam, Netherlands). Filandra completed two short films in 2018 and is currently working on two more short films, while also developing his first feature project, titled Shipbuilding. At the moment, Filandra is in the process of founding and starting the first full-time artist-in-residence program in Sarajevo. Martina Yordanova is a curator, writer, and researcher based in Sofia, Bulgaria. She graduated from the University of Vienna in Publicity and Communication Sciences in 2014. She went on to do her postgraduate studies in Cultural Management and Curatorial Practices at different European educational institutions, including the University of Arts Berlin, Goldsmiths University, Institute for Cultural Concepts Vienna, and The Cultural Academy in Salzburg. Currently, she works in Sofia where in 2016, together with architects Galya Krumova and exhibition designer Petya Krumova, she established a non-profit foundation for contemporary art and media. Since then, Yordanova has been initiating different art events and exhibitions with international and Bulgarian artists, mostly living abroad. She is also the founder and curator of “1m2 of Art”—a project based in Veliko Tarnovo wherein every month a different artist from the local art scene presents their work in a space no bigger than its name. < Participants Educational Program Programs >

Jelica Jovanovic < Back Disappeared – appeared: selo – BOR – grad village – BOR – city Jelica Jovanovic Previous Next

Katelynn Dunn < Back Response to Latour I, Crisis, Production and Closed Communication Katelynn Dunn Divergent Mediums (Isolation and Closed Communication Channels),NYC. April 2020. ‘Culture detaches itself from the unity of the society of myth ‘when the power of unification disappears from the life of man and when opposites lose their living relation and interaction and acquire autonomy.’ [1] Isolation continues every day. It is hard to say when it unofficially started. During this time, people are focused on reflecting, taking it easy and self-care. People use the word ‘mundane’ quite often. Concerning production and the environment there is a positive overall from a global perspective, and that is what Bruno Latour discusses in the article, “What protective measures can you think of, so we don’t go back to the pre-crisis production model?” He says covid-19 is resocialising us in this moment while globalisation and capitalism wane, and we should use it to get ‘away from production as the overriding principle of our relationship to the world.’ [2] Within this experience, the world has been granted eyes to see that we have the ability to change and quickly. Production has halted throughout the globe due to the requirements of our governments. Movement has been blocked, borders closed everywhere, and we are all left to look to state leaders to make decisions about what to do after we slow the expanse of the new and mutating coronavirus. While we wait, we wonder what we should do without or what we could change to make the re-start for a new world a better place. Where are we going? More question and reflection – ‘What are some suspended activities that you would like to see not coming back? Describe why this activity seems to you to be noxious/superfluous/dangerous/incoherent and how its disappearance/putting on hold/substitution might render other activities that you prefer easier/more coherent.’ [3] I am not sure I have the insight to say what we can do without yet. Feeling so close to the pandemic currently and being within the gears of the machine moving it makes it difficult to fully understand the implications. It feels like being in an already moving and working world of its own. The ‘coronavirus system’ is our life now, and we only function within it. Its power has shifted our attention and moved our pieces. We are required to adapt to it, to work with it and to govern it. Feelings of monotony, lack of freedom, lack of control, confinement, these are the feelings and words that come to mind. It is not right. Leisure is fine. Heaviness is not. We are without so much at this moment that there are more paths to thinking of things that we do need, especially from a non-materialistic point of view. You feel the ebb of production in the environment, and it is not necessarily for the better. This is referring to the environment of ideas and its power, not of material production. It is important to be productive in our communication forming connection. It could be developed from having face to face or in person exchanges taking place. If this isn’t the case, it could be just as effective to have digital communication taking place, and then it is the activity between meeting that is most important for connection. One of the issues from this crisis is a decrease in the quality of communication, from a creative standpoint. Currently, we hear and see the same phrases repeated over and over due to absence of overall information available. We receive most information from media outlets as these are one of the main sources of communication while we are distanced from one another. It is mind-numbing and propagandist. We have more creative possibilities in a system with hyper connectivity and communication, because there are more channels to consciousness. Creating is situational. Art is situational. It is most captivating when it happens in orbit, cyclically, and sequentially. Each movement feeds on the one before, or the ones around it, and it continuously changes. It requires a setting for us to deem it relevant, and to stir us into questioning our existence or to take action. The artist forms the structure of their own creative atmosphere. In the current moment, this structure is changing via the virus, and we must find ways to maintain our agency to have control of our art and of our own future. This becomes more difficult in an environment with less information due to reduced overall movement, and most notably in an environment with a dramatically sensed drop in movement. Stopping or interfering with movement is completely averse to decision making power of all people. In our world, movement, or activity between people, is equivalent to power and provides force needed to progress. It also provides the agency to see by allowing for different positions in society and therefore perspectives. ‘If we’re so oppressed, it’s because our movement’s being restricted.’ [4] People may have more time to concentrate on skills of a craft. However, the authority of art will not be felt as strongly. How do we avoid becoming spectators, and blind ones, when movement is blocked? Hyper activity and communication in the globalized world is one that breeds significantly faster connections. This means there is more available information which creates more differentiated connections, language associations and diversity in the world. This leads to a deeply complex and unique evolution of rare ideas. This system proves creativity and is the artist’s world. While it leads to greater ‘pollution’ in the environment of ideas, which could be seen as a negative, the system with less communication and less information means less possibility (i.e. production) for people to contribute to building the world as they see it. It puts the power of thinking, idealizing, and constructing reality in the hands of those who have greater concentrated power, which will be fewer people. Social systems are flattened. This creates more equality and less conflict. However, it also decreases complexity between ideas and the overall need to question existence. To see the larger picture, and to have the ability to make a new system, one must have the connections to see, to have vision. With less production and activity, our vision is minimized, obstructed and reduced comparatively. For artists and critics, what I believe will be the difficult aspect of this problem we are attempting to solve and system we are attempting to restructure is the current notion attached to creativity. To create is to produce, so to be creative is to be productive. To move away from production means to move away from creativity or inventiveness. How will we value art in the new world if we detach creativity from capitalism? Could we have a system of creativity within a non-capitalistic society? Why shouldn’t we value complexity of ideas? What could be a new definition of creative? Will quality of art improve with less people producing? Where will the force to create originate in the future? Katelynn Dunn is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice is based on understanding philosophies of experience and image, patterns in society and the human psyche, artist process, power structures and systems and language. [1] Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle (Detroit: Black & Red, 1983), 180. [2] Bruno Latour, “What protective measures can you think of, so we don’t go back to the pre-crisis production model?,” AOC Media , March 29, 2020, https://aoc.media/opinion/2020/03/29/imaginer- les-gestes-barrieres-contre-le-retour-a-la-production-davant-crise/ . [3] Bruno Latour, “What protective measures can you think of, so we don’t go back to the pre-crisis production model?,” AOC Media , March 29, 2020, https://aoc.media/opinion/2020/03/29/imaginer- les-gestes-barrieres-contre-le-retour-a-la-production-davant-crise/ . [4] Gilles Deleuze, “Mediators,” in Negotiations (New York: Columbia University Press, 1995), 121-134. Previous Next

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< Back Notes on respiration 15 July 2021 Teodora Jeremić Breath underwater Last night I had a strange dream, although not the first one of this kind during the last year and a half. Living in the time of pandemic means living in the world of altered reality where the only constant is change, where time and space are shifting and diverging, habits are disappearing and being replaced faster than we ever thought possible. With that amount of instability, insecurity, doubtfulness in our conscious lives, one of the first things that experienced a sudden change was our subconscious, and consequently our sleep. Many suffered pandemic-induced insomnia, as a by-product of a state where we tend to stay awake as long as possible or not be able to fall asleep at all, due to irrational fear that sleeping might mean losing an important piece in the flow of information, which was difficult to follow anyway. Luckily, I belonged in the second group, the one with deep sleepers whose regular sleeping hours are not disturbed even by looming apocalypse, although the quality of my sleep was indeed changed to some extent by extremely vivid dreams imbued with modified fragments of the new reality. Last night, I dreamt that the world was coming to an end in a rather peculiar way. In the light of impending doom whole humanity was supposed to move and settle underwater. Beneath seas, lakes and oceans new cities were sprouting. Along the coral reefs new settlements were established, new kinships were made, new way of life was flourishing. Our nonhuman-human relationships were thriving in this new space of confinement and safety, blurring the line between one world and another, smudging the differences between guests and habitants. The ones who were living under water for a longer time even physically adapted to the new circumstances and appropriated some of the characteristics of sea world creatures. It could be said that a new hybrid species were on the way. In my dream, I was still completely human, just surprisingly light. I was capable of smoothly moving around, sliding through water, walking and swimming, and I was doing all of that with an utter freedom, completely relieved from earthly worries, when a giant, shimmering but quite ordinary looking, and pretty impolite dentex got into my way and reminded me that I don’t know how to breath “down here”. Suddenly, I realized that he must be right, because I really didn’t have any branchiae, and all of a sudden I couldn’t take a breath. I am breathing fire and a bit too busy to help * As I’m writing this, I can’t be sure if things would have been different, even if we didn’t have the year of pandemic behind us. Maybe it would have been just the same either way. But I believe that perhaps my continual presence in the moment and being mostly in the company of myself (since I obviously didn’t have anywhere else to be and anyone to be with except occasional nostalgic episodes of daydreamy ping-pongsbetween past and future) was pretty much pandemic-specific and has provided me a great insight of learning how to listen to my body. I didn’t become a guru, or mastered meditation which I hoped to, but I gained some insight of how my body functions and what it needs, and during the last year, air and breathing became very relevant fields of exploration for me. Like many others I was looking for my personal haven, different ways of keeping my sanity under control and my optimism high as well as options for practicing self-care, and I was privileged enough to be able to do so. Even in the world where pandemic has begun to break down engrained divisions between collective care and self-care, not everyone yet had the possibilities to practice it, but the word “care” did become probably the most used (and borderline exploited) term. The notion of “care” got its high position in almost every circle, with cultural practitioners and institutions particularly focused on discussing ways to offer better care. The only difference is that there were those who are calling for care and awareness for a long time, considering it as the primary tool for fighting against oppression and injustice, and the others who just now recognized (or were made to recognize?) the need for care. Despite some questionable motives, the fact that we needed to start taking care and practice healing many years ago remains crucial, so I’m glad we finally did. No matter the circumstances. Speaking about self-care is impossible without at least mentioning breathing as it is being considered a number one remedy for relaxation, stress management, calming down, anxiety relief and everything else we need in this day and age, and in the light of pandemic I gave a try to mindful breathing. My technique of conducting it is still not praiseworthy but it helped me a lot in understanding that thinking respiration, being aware of it, living according to it, actually represents a synonym for the changes we need. Slowing down, paying attention, listening carefully, interchange. We got too scattered, too busy, too repressed by the ideas of greater goals, usefulness, purposefulness and productivity, that it was needed to find our way to the “pause” button for the whole system and enough strength to push it without fear of the potential failure. When we did, when the button was pushed to the end, and as Latour said, we slowed down the system we were told it was impossible to stop, we all got newly conquered spaces for breathing. In that new space, what was needed was to make a proper inhale and exhale, and begin the process of unlearning everything we know, especially regarding this constantly present distress over productivity. To acknowledge that we cannot be productive or creative all the time and that we are not less worthy because of it. But, along with it another question was imposed. Where do we go after the break? What do we do next? Where does that new inhale-exhale dynamic bring us to? Breath me in, breath me out Breathing is the process of moving air through the body, facilitating gas exchange with the internal environment, mostly to flush out carbon dioxide and bring in oxygen; to dismiss detrimental and toxic, and take and consume what is beneficial and vital for us. That process is, besides being substantial for living creatures, also a good reminder that already in the very basic concept of life, lies the natural predisposition of the humankind to not only survive, but also distinguish right from wrong, and get rid of the latter, even through the most basic needs. That being said, even though breathing does have some healing and soothing effects, in the face of air pollution and climate change caused by extractive capitalism, when it’s getting harder and harder to breath not just on ecological but also political level, it is difficult to pretend air is not also the territory of constant struggle. As according to Mbembe, it is certain that the air we breathe will become more and more full of dust, toxic gases, substances and waste, particles and granulations, in short, all kinds of emanation in the time that is yet to come, but it is also even more sure that asphyxiation that is brought to us, comes in many forms making “breathlessness” the permanent contemporary condition. “There is no air in megalopolises which are suffocating in pollution, in precarious working conditions which exploit workers, in the ubiquitous fear of violence, war, aggression” [1] . Breath is precious source of life, and in the moment in which Berardi`s “breathlessness” is more present than ever, the question of respiration becomes not only the question imposed on an individual, but rather deeply collective, asking what brings us all to the state of being deprived of air and how do we confront it? Winter 2020/21, Belgrade was one of the most polluted cities in the world, even first place holder on that top chart for some time. One of the rare situations when No 1 status is not to be bragged about. After months and months of the government ignoring the problem and bouncing the questions from ministry to ministry, on the 10th of April several thousand people decided to go out on the streets, and protest in front of the Serbian parliament against the lack of government action to prevent water, land and air pollution by industries. The protest was dubbed the “Ecological Uprising” , it was organized by environmental activists and protestors demanding the introduction of a moratorium on the construction of small hydroelectric power plants, the suspension of deforestation in Serbia, as well as a more intensive afforestation. They called for an end to the misuse of money for ecology, for authorities to stop ignoring environmental impact studies, such as the construction of mini-hydropower plants on the environment, and for citizens to be better informed about environmental issues. Borjan Grujić [translation: knowledge and talent that’s fine, but what about the desire for change?] The Defend the Rivers of Mt. Stara Planina (Odbranimo reke Stare planine – ORSP) movement was the main protest organizer, but the gathering was supported by many organizations and associations from all over Serbia, a total of 45, including Pravo na vodu, Eko straža, Građanski preokret, Tvrđava, Trash Hero Serbia. Activists from region, especially Bosnia and Herzegovina, joined the protest as well, saying that everyone in the region shares the same concerns and problems, or as Lejla Kusturica from the Coalition for the Protection of the Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina put it well: “we are here today with you because we share the same problems: unjust, imperious governments, total neglect of local communities for the benefit of some powerful individuals” [2] . Representatives of 45 organizations agreed on dozens of demands including implementation of the constitution and environmental protection law, information and education on environmental protection at all levels, suspension of construction and revision of harmful SHPPs project, participation of citizens in environmental issues etc. “Uprising” happened as an answer to years and years of unfair dealing and wrong ruling when it comes to nature. Ecological problems in the region differ from “micro” (local) to “macro” (regional) but based on the same exploiting principles of neo-liberal capitalism that people around the world are struggling with, which at the end it all come to: extraction of common goods, unfair ruling and non-transparent processes behind it, exploitation of nature and destroying nature ecosystem. Very same principle is recognizable both in “small scale” project such as one of many intentions of investors like “Avala Studios” (now 70% held by Cezch company “Sebre”, 30 % Chinese company “Filmax Hong Kong”) to cut 40 hectares of forest and greenery in Košutnjak in Belgrade in order to build residential complex, or equally careless larger scale projects, such as Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto that is examining the possibility to start mining jadarite, a lithium and boron mineral unique to western Serbia, around the river Jadar. If Rio Tinto starts to extract lithium, arsenic will be deposited in the tailings and the entire area will be unfit for agriculture, threatening people’s health, as well as 140 species with extinction. Those are just some of many examples, followed by constant growth of the small hydropower plants in Western Balkan. From the middle of the 2000s onwards, some of the Western Balkans’ countries – notably Albania, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina – started issuing concessions for small hydropower plants. “The EU had set targets in 1997 for the share of renewable energy by 2010, so it was clear there was going to be increased interest by investors in this sector in the future and the reason why the Western Balkans’ targets seem quite high compared to the overall EU target of 20 per cent is that the Balkan countries had quite high levels of renewable energy to start with” [3] . Overall goal of the renewable energy targets to help Europe move away from a fossil-fuel based energy system seems like positive intention, but what is problematic is that indeed the EU does allow some potentially harmful forms of renewable energy to be incentivised as well as that besides contributing to environmental damage, initiatives for hydropower in the Western Balkans are often criticized for benefiting wealthy business for people who are close to or part of region’s governments. In Serbia for example, companies connected to Nikola Petrović, the best man ( kum ) of President Aleksandar Vučić, are among the top beneficiaries of hydropower support [4] . Borjan Grujić [translation faster, stronger, better! * /slow, strong, good] *This is the political slogan of Serbian president used during the election campaign and afterwards Reading the reports and thinking from perspective of someone who is not part of European Union, but whose resources are being exploited for the sake of better and more sustainable life in EU, it is impossible not to think about the work “Naked Freedom” by Marina Gržinić and the parallels and remarks Kwame Nimako made on the attitude Western Europe has towards Africa and Eastern Europe. At the same time, it is very easy to become aware that the other side of “exploitation” coin, belongs to substantially self-exploitative practices that favour particular private interests of few who are not really familiar with the word “common”, no matter the price. With all of this in mind, from the position of government, “Ecological uprising” was of course read as an act of opposition (a typical “if you are not with me you are against me” kind of rhetoric) and Prime minister in usual manner minimized the problem by responding as “This topic shows jobs and pensions are no longer a priority in Serbia because when you start dealing with the environment, you are dealing with the problems of the first world” [5] . In well-practiced and masterly spinning, it is interesting how fast we came from “we are fighting for basic living conditions (plus you are exploiting our common goods)” to “you are just being too spoiled and living too good when you start to protest about this”. It is even more interesting that anyone who knows average salary in Serbia [6] would even dare to make such remark and comparison between “first world” and the world we are living in, whichever number it is, but concept of “good life” is a changing context I guess, especially when you are misusing information. Still, the most interesting part is how the exact same type of rhetoric is being used by every contemporary autocrat, new type of “democratic” parents of nations, self-proclaimed saviors of the people. Those who exploited crises so many times and in so many ways that the burst of protests and uprisings during this and last year was a common thread that connected many countries, proving that people all over the world are tired of being repressed and used, but also boiling with an accumulated discontent, ready to burst. Along with protests against rampant corruption in Bulgaria, the ones against president Maduro in Venezuela, or tens of thousands of protesters who took the streets in Sudanese cities despite a lockdown to demand a transition towards democracy, global rise of anti-lockdown (actually anti-government) protests was noticeable. There was a similar perception in many countries that political leaders were misusing restrictions for political purposes. Leaders of countries such as Bolivia, Israel, Serbia, Uganda, Brazil shared the irresponsible, inadequate approach to the pandemic, laughing it off at the beginning, but is also worth mentioning how similar is their attitude of minimizing the significance of planetary problems, environmental crisis and climate change, manipulating the information, misusing the trust of the people. Serbia is not any exception to that, with last year and this year protests as a proof. Slavica Obradović, digital art Still, seeing so many people in the street this time felt much different than standing on the same pavement in front of the building of Parliament last year. We have chanted, we have marched, we have asked for answers to the most urgent question for this and next and any generation that comes after. We have expressed worries, ideas, suggestions, warnings, hopes, desires. We were together, peaceful, united and powerful. Unlike the protest in July 2020. “Ecological Uprising” didn’t turn to violent, and was not even necessarily just of political opponents as much as comrades in the fight for commons: common sense, common goods, and common future, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity, and that gave me hope. A sense of mutual solidarity and honest concern that was prevailing. Standing there, in the midst of banners reading “Cut corruption and crime, not forests!” or “Water is life” and “Plant a tree!”, I was holding my borrowed protest sign saying “In rivers we trust!”, which I obtained after losing mine somewhere in the crowd. I was surrounded by different profiles of people, people from different cities and villages, with different backgrounds and socio-economic conditions, little children, old people, students, parents, friends, well known public personalities. It felt very empowering and like everyone is being aware that the reason for being there is much bigger than them. Much bigger than this government, or next, or previous. It resonated with what Zdenka Badovinac beautifully wrote that “the lesson of Covid for the entire world, and not just for our leaders, is that the interests of capital have interfered too greatly with nature.” [7] and that tampering with nature was the final straw in an endless sequence of exploitation which is not to be tolerated anymore. Because the story of planet and nature exploitation goes hand in hand with every other tale of exploitation we are familiar with. Slavica Obradović, digital art And it is not just about capital, but also sexism, racism, classism, speciesism, androcentrism, any other systems of oppression we could possibly remember that reinforce each other and lead to the degradation of life and the destruction of nature. It is constant, ever-lasting, tenacious tendency to put all oppressed groups (women, colonized people, marginalized communities) on an equal level to nature, abusively labeled “as part of nature”, meaning something outside the sphere of reason and history. There is some kind of inherent or even structural connection between the patriarchal domination of women (and, in the view of some theorists, other socially oppressed groups) and the ecologically destructive exploitation of the earth, and something predominantly masculin in emphasizing that “human” and “nature” are separate categories. Patriarchal exploitation of female bodies, and the capitalist exploitation of workers and planetary resources are rooted in the very same worldview where is important and possible to own things, and in which all that is not human and is not male is devalued. Going back to Franco “Bifo” Berardi, and his megalopolises suffocating in pollution, as well as workers in precarious working conditions and exploitation, or women fighting the hundred-headed beast of inequality treatment, his “breathlessness” parallel works very well as a reminder for how many different oppression we might feel in our contemporary lives, and how “being left breathless” is not always as romantic as it might seem. It is not new that we are suffocating in the unjust, exploitation, inequality for a long time and it is a text written back in 1974. when Francoise d’Eaubonne called upon feminists to wed their cause to that of the environment and lead the way into a post-patriarchal, genuinely ‘humanist’ and ecologically sustainable future [8] , which is something to be reconsidered. Therefore, having an “Ecological Uprising” meant something more than just having a protest. It was not an ecological protest, even though it was the biggest one so far, nor just a political one, but rather an outburst of pure activism that is offering a way to “post-patriarchal” society, through the means of resistance and renovation, linking struggles against environmental degradation with the endeavour to overcome social domination, on all the basis. Street and sidewalks in front of the Serbian Parliament turned to meeting space where the opposites met. People from the villages around Stara Planina, activists from different cities across Serbia and region, university professors, students, pensioners, families with children. The face of the protest was not the face of political opposition and some of its representatives we already know, nor the face of the foreign management as it was of course implied, but the simple and beautiful face of common people, standing for their cause. Thus, rather than being just another protest, “Ecological Uprising” seemed more like witnessing the genesis of new collective body that is heterogenous, peaceful but determined, sharing the values of equality, celebrating the values of care and well-being, and will for dismantling systems and power structures based on domination and exploitation. Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breath and to love you Given that everything evaporates and disappears in the air, and that we all breathe it at the same time, it is our most personal piece of space, but in the same time the space in which we all meet. As Lisa Blackman argues: “Instead of existence in which we are connected but autonomous subjects, we actually coexist in a common ecology” (Blackman, 2010). Or as Irigaray writes “I can breathe in my own way, but the air will never simply be mine” [9] . Breathing unites us with the others, at the same time that it underlines our individuality, and the protest reminded me of that. The one who breathes is also breathed upon, the one who takes and consumes is also giving back, and in that very act of sharing breath, lies the very essence of human conviviality. It is a mutual “space” which we inhabit, exchange, in which we meet and live in a common system where every human exists in comparison with the other, and where the idea of “commoning” is closer than anywhere. Borjan Grujić [translation regular state of emergency] Every riot brings a possibility for new after-life. After dismantling the old, new is to be established and the more I was interested in respiration the more I got the feeling that it could explain the contemporary chaos and offer useful methods and system. Thinking about respiration I couldn’t stop thinking about Deleuze and Guattari rhizome concept. Instead of tree structure that became the dominant ontological model in Western thought, that reinforces notions of centrality of authority, state control, and dominance the rhizome has no unique source from which all development occurs (strangely enough, it looks very similar to the respiratory system). The rhizome is both heterogeneous and multiplicitous. It can be entered from many different points, all of which connect to each other. The rhizome does not have a beginning, an end, or an exact center, it is based on sharing and equality, the same way air is. Thinking about it also reminded me how air was unfairly ignored and forgotten and has received far less attention in the political environmental literature than its sister element water. Still, they function according to a similar principle of connection, non-recognition of boundaries, mobility, and according to the deeply feminist principle of circularity. If there are elements we should listen to while constructing the new post-pandemic systems they’re those two. Just as water, air and respiration reveal key aspects of permeability, relativity, vulnerability and indomitability, which speak of the feminist re-examination of the body as completely open, unstable, changeable, but also recognizing and valuing the same in the social system, and can extend a shared sense of place and a sense of shared responsibility for collective commons or worlds. As Luce Irigraray writes, air is mediator of all perceptions, knowledge, thoughts, language, imagination, action, and as such, respiration is the practice that connects us. It is the principle of exchange, which Irigaray sees as instinctively feminist, since breathing is in its essence, a feminist rearrangement of the procedural and relational course of life. It is a practice of care, nurture, togetherness. And of course, the focused or any other type of breathing won’t ultimately save us from the crunching capitalism but something else might- learning how to live as air breathing bodies. It made me think of Sarah Ahmed’s text how self-care can be an act of political warfare. “And that is why in queer, feminist and anti-racist work self-care is about the creation of community, fragile communities, assembled out of the experiences of being shattered. This is why when we have to insist, I matter, we matter, we are transforming what matters … For those who have to insist they matter to matter: self-care is warfare. [10] Borjan Grujić On my way back home from the protest that was fighting for the clean air understood in all beautiful meanings it could possibly have, I was walking to the rhythm of my own breathing, thinking my yoga instructor would be very proud of this. It felt so natural, in sync, and empowering. It sounded like a beat of change. An inhale of solidarity. An exhale of resistance. And just like that it occurred to me that the one of the main characteristics of breath is also that it can be held, but just for a short time. We can put up with a lot of it, but hopefully, not for too long. Last year rumbled through, followed by great amplitudes in almost every part of our lives while simultaneouslyfeeling like nothing happened. But in the meanwhile, something did. We decided to breath out, to let the stiffness in our lungs and bellies, exhale the stale air and at least try to start shaping new ecosystems. Resistance is building everywhere, and not just against one man, in one country, against one ideology, one -ism, but rather against all the set of values that dominated way too long. A new kind of collective body, isbeing shaped. The one that doesn’t recognize borders, or nations, or leaders, and its only being formed by mutual criticality towards present conditions of living and collective willingness to react. The other day I had a short zoom talk with Marko Gutić Mižimakov and Karen Nhea Nielsen, and while writing this I simply cannot help but constantly think about their work “Thank You for Being Here with Me” and repeat it in my mind like some kind of mantra. “when I say we, I am counting you in when I say we, I am talking about you too and also you when I say we, I am speaking from this space We were one and more than one before”. https://vimeo.com/371491908 Slavica Obradović, lean on Teodora Jeremić is an art historian, freelance curator, and editor based in Belgrade. [1] Franco Bifo Berardi, Breathing: Chaos and Poetry, Semiotext(e), pg 15, 2018 [2] https://twitter.com/K_U_P_E_K/status/1380862839326449669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1380862839326449669%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbalkangreenenergynews.com%2Factivists-gather-at-ecological-uprising-in-front-of-serbian-parliament%2F [3] “Western Balkans hydropower: Who pays, who profits?”, September 2019, pg 10. [4] “Western Balkans hydropower: Who pays, who profits?”, September 2019, pg 5. [5] Prime minister Ana Brnabić was guest on RTS channel where she spoke about “Ecological Uprising”, https://rs.n1info.com/vesti/brnabic-ekoloski-ustanak-primer-nepostovanja-vecina-ljudi-nije-nosila-maske/ [6] According to this year report average salary is around 500 euros. Still, being average it is to be noted that there is a big stratification, where salaries are larger in Belgrade, and the reality of the citizens in most other cities is that people are getting by with 300 euros a month. [7] Zdenka Badovinac, “Editorial: The Collective Body”, https://www.e-flux.com/journal/119/403341/editorial-the-collective-body/ , Journal #119 , June 2021 [8] Kate Rigby, “Women and Nature Revisited: Ecofeminist Reconfigurations of an Old Association”, January 2018. [9] Luce Irigaray, “From The Forgetting of Air to To Be two”, in Nancy Holland; Patricia Huntington. Feminist Interpretations of Martin Heidegger, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2001, 209. [10] Sarah Ahmed, “Selfcare as Warfare,” Feminist Killjoys, https://feministkilljoys.com/2014/08/25/selfcare-as-warfare/ Previous Next

Alumni Alumni 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2019 Alumni Aigerim Kapar is an independent curator, cultural activist, and founder of the creative communication platform Artcom. She was born in 1987 in Kazakhstan and continues to live and work in Astana. Kapar curates and organizes exhibitions, urban art interventions, discussions, lectures, and workshops. To accomplish such wide-ranging initiatives she often collaborates closely with art and educational institutions, as well as scientific apparatuses. In 2015, she founded the open online platform Artcom in conjunction with the local art community. The platform brings together different cultural figures to share experiences and discover channels for greater interaction within society in order to develop and promote contemporary art and culture. In 2017, Aigerim initiated the Art Collider informal school—when art meets science. Through this initiative artists and scientists jointly conduct research and present lectures and discussions related to current issues. The results of the school are presented through exhibitions, publications, and audio-visual materials. Ana Roman has a Master’s degree in Human Geography from São Paulo University and is a doctoral student in Art History at the University of Essex. Her current research focuses on contemporary art and curatorship. Previously, she was an assistant curator for Between Construction and Appropriation: Antonio Dias, Geraldo de Barros and Rubens Gerchman in the 60s (SESC Pinheiros, São Paulo, Brazil, 2018), and researcher/assistant curator for Ready Made in Brasil(Centro Cultural Fiesp, São Paulo, Brazil, 2017); Rever_Augusto de Campos (SESC Pompeia, São Paulo, Brazil, 2016); and Lina Grafica (SESC Pompeia, São Paulo , Brazil, 2014), among others. She was the head curator for Whereabouts (Zipper Gallery, 2018) with works by David Almeida; Mirages (Baro Gallery, 2018) with works by Amanda Mei; and Small Formats (Baro Gallery, 2018) with works by Alexandre Wagner, to name a few. She also writes critical texts for different media outlets. Since 2014, she has been a participant in Sem Titulo, s.d., a production and research collective focused on contemporary art with whom she organized the exhibitions What is not performance? (Centro Universitário Maria Antonia, São Paulo, Brazil, 2015) and Tuiuiu, with works by Alice Shintani (ABER, São Paulo, Brazil, 2017). Bermet Borubaeva is a curator, researcher, and artist. She was born in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and gained her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and Master’s of Arts focusing on “Political analysis and public policy,” from the High School of Economics in Moscow. She graduated from the Bishkek “Art East” School of Contemporary Art in 2009 and studied at First Moscow Curatorial Summer School for their program “Doing Exhibitions Politically,” initiated by Victor Miziano and V-A-C Foundation. Borubaeva also participated in the curatorial research residency “ReDirecting East” at the Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw. Borubaeva has also taken part in different exhibitions and projects, such as the First Youth Central Asian exhibition of Contemporary Art, ON/OFF; the eco-festival, Trash; and an exchange project in collaboration with Focus-Art Association, titled TET A TET #2 (Vevey, Switzerland). Recent projects include the Education Program for Lingua Franca/франк тили’, the re-exhibition project for the Central Asia Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale, done in collaboration with Oxana Kapishnikova and Ukhina Diana (2012); the exhibitions Artists-in-Residence at CCI Fabrika (2014–2016 Moscow); the exhibition PAS DE DEUX—KG. CH. at the Center of Contemporary Art Yverdon-Les-Bains, Switzerland; and the performance Café “Non-seller,” addressing the problem of food waste in conjunction with the documentary film “Eco Cup” (Moscow), as part of the Curatorial Research Program, CPR-2017: Mexico. She has also contributed to several publications in the fields of art, political science, and urban environment. Ewa Borysiewicz studied art history at the University of Warsaw and Freie Universität Berlin. She was a member of the curatorial team for Side by Side: Poland—Germany. A 1000 Years of Art and History (Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin), led by Anda Rottenberg. She is the author of Rausz kinetyczny (2013), a book exploring the political and emancipatory aspects of non-camera animation. From 2012–2019, she worked at the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw as the curator for visual arts. Her duties included establishing international partnerships, programming the international visitors’ program, facilitating artistic residencies, and enabling presentations of Polish art worldwide. She is presently co-organizing (with galleries Stereo and Wschód) the exhibition Friend of a Friend, a gallery-share initiative in Warsaw that has been taking place since 2018. Borysiewicz has also curated and co-curated exhibitions at the Zachęta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw, the Polish Institute in Düsseldorf, and the Museum Jerke in Recklinghausen. She is the author of many texts and catalogue entries. Mateja Smic is a Dublin-based artist working with coffee, gelatin and other, often non-traditional materials, chosen by principles of association within her subject matter. Her recent subjects range from geopolitics to national identity. Through printmaking, digital collage, video and animation, Smic’s installations combine philosophical and psychological questions around experience, the phenomenon of Othering, and tensions between the real subject and its mediated representations. Consisting of intensive cycles and processes of intuitive and experimental engagement with her materials, which become a metaphor for an intangible subject, Smic’s reflexive and multi-layered art practice parallels with her contextual research and writing. Having graduated from the National College of Art and Design in Fine Print and Critical Cultures, her thesis and professional practice project focused on the creation of the image of the Balkans in the West and the portrayal of the region through various art forms and curatorial activities. Tomek Pawlowski is a curator, and events and meeting producer. In 2018 he participated in the curatorial program at Swimming Pool, Sofia. He is the curator of numerous exhibitions, performances, and projects in collaboration with artists from younger generations, groups, independent galleries, and institutions in Poland. He uses collective practices, critical entertainment, and politics of friendship as his main guiding framework. From 2016–2018 he ran Cycle, a program of micro-residencies and events in the apartments where he lived. In 2017 co-curated (along with Romuald Demidenko and Aurelia Nowak) The Open Triennial: the 8th Young Triennial at the Center for Polish Sculpture in Orońsko. He is also the co-curator (with Magdalena Adameczek and Ola Polerowicz) of Sandra Art Gallery, the nomadic agency associating with and supporting emerging female artists from Poznań. He currently resides between Białystok and Poznań. Shasta Stevic is an artist and curator from Melbourne, Australia. She is the co-founder, co-curator, and creative director of IntraLiminal—an ongoing project that showcases the work of talented young artists from regional Australia. She is passionate about providing opportunities for young artists to share their work publicly and supporting the development of ongoing creative practices in younger generations. Having completed degrees in science and law, she sees art as an important vehicle for the exploration of social issues including the environment and sustainability, civilization and progress, so-called technological and scientific advancement, and the worrying divide between humans and nature. She is particularly interested in using unconventional methods of storytelling and installation to bring about social change. Stevic has studied at the LungA School, an experimental art school in Seydisfjordur, Iceland, and has curated exhibitions for a mid-winter festival in Northern Iceland. Sasha Puchkova is an artist and curator based in Moscow. As an artist, Puchkova works with different media: sound, video, objects, performative communication and experiments. She explores phenomena related to different points of connection and the linking of digital and offline processes, as well as the space between these realms, and the interdependent influence of cyberspace on social norms. Key topics are particular interest to her are the plasticity of the laws of the digital system; the body in online space; new materialism; artificial synesthesia; decolonial pathways; post-cyberfeminist practices; and post-anthropocene practices. The pivot of her curatorial practice revolves around an experimental, expositional approach, which has been realized in such projects as a series of performative actions, ideas around the “exhibition as living space,” long-term laboratories, and the development of theatrical exhibitions-in-real-time, among other things. Her curated projects include Syntax (a series of performances and laboratory); (Im)-possible object (research and exhibition projects); and Capture Map (performative project and communication platform). Puchkova is also a member of the research group “Speculative Practices of Corporal Mutations” (with Katya Pislari and Daria Yuriychuk). Victoria Vargas Downing is a Chilean art historian, heritage researcher and independent curator based Leeds in the UK. She holds a BA in Fine Theory and History of Art at the University of Chile, a Curating Diploma and MA in Arts Management and Heritages studies at Leeds University. Has participated in art projects in Chile, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles CA, Vienna and The UK where she co-curated Imtiaz Dharker Exhibition and participated in the process and management of Chilean Mural restoration at the Leeds Students Union. She has worked as teacher and research assistant in different projects and art organisations in Chile (museums, galleries and non-profit organisations). She is PhD candidate at the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at Leeds University. Her research verse on the relationship between contemporary art and heritage, particularly, in non-Western cultures. Seda Yıldız is a Hamburg-based artist-curator. Her multidisciplinary practice focuses on exploring the art of shaping (collective) memory, language, and the politics of the city. She is interested in the poetics of politics and frequently uses humor and abstraction as a tool in her artistic practice, working primarily with video, text, installation, and the form of the artist book. Her curatorial practice focuses on exploring the clash and intersection between the local and global, and aims to reach a heterogeneous audience while giving voice to the silenced. She is particularly is interested to take part in process-oriented, open and experimental projects that foster collaboration and exchange. Yıldız has exhibited her work and joined various editorial and curatorial projects internationally. In 2018, she was selected as an emerging curator by PARALLEL Photo Platform, co-funded by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union. Occasionally she writes about design, architecture, and urbanism, and contributed to Brownbook Magazine, MONU Magazine, Kajet Journal, and Freunde von Freunden. Yıldız holds an MA in Contemporary Artistic Practices from Haute école d’art et de design Geneva (2014) and a BA in Communication and Design from Bilkent University (2011). http://yildizseda.com Zulfikar Filandra is a film and theatre-maker based in Sarajevo. Filandra was educated at Griffith College Dublin, the Academy of Performing Arts Sarajevo, and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Sarajevo. As a collaborator and member of several local and several international art collectives, he has worked with all the relevant mainstream art and cultural institutions in Sarajevo and is also active in Sarajevo’s underground art scene. Aside from directing in film and theatre, and assistant directing, Filandra also works as a screenwriter, lecturer, producer, editor, musician, actor, promoter, event organizer, and photographer. As a member of the youngest generation of Bosnian directors his topics touch on the legacy of war in Bosnia, but through a more intimate view of living in contemporary times and the position of a small culture like Bosnia in a globalizing world. Currently, he is actively collaborating with the Experimental Film Society (based in Dublin, Ireland) and Outline (based in Amsterdam, Netherlands). Filandra completed two short films in 2018 and is currently working on two more short films, while also developing his first feature project, titled Shipbuilding. At the moment, Filandra is in the process of founding and starting the first full-time artist-in-residence program in Sarajevo. Martina Yordanova is a curator, writer, and researcher based in Sofia, Bulgaria. She graduated from the University of Vienna in Publicity and Communication Sciences in 2014. She went on to do her postgraduate studies in Cultural Management and Curatorial Practices at different European educational institutions, including the University of Arts Berlin, Goldsmiths University, Institute for Cultural Concepts Vienna, and The Cultural Academy in Salzburg. Currently, she works in Sofia where in 2016, together with architects Galya Krumova and exhibition designer Petya Krumova, she established a non-profit foundation for contemporary art and media. Since then, Yordanova has been initiating different art events and exhibitions with international and Bulgarian artists, mostly living abroad. She is also the founder and curator of “1m2 of Art”—a project based in Veliko Tarnovo wherein every month a different artist from the local art scene presents their work in a space no bigger than its name. < Participants Educational Program Programs >

Events Lecture Series Participant Activities The educational program What Could/Should Curating Do is proud to announce lecture by Katalin Szekely Hosted by Kolarac Venue: Student square no 5 Kolarac Josic Pancic Hall Date: November 9th 2022 18:00 Prefigurative Practices – OFF-Biennale Budapest at documenta fifteen Prefigurative practices can be defined as attempts to enact, in the present, utopian or alternative social relations and institutional models, aspired to in the future. The modus operandi of OFF-Biennale Budapest—a grassroots, independent arts initiative, since 2013—has also been rooted in such practices: by acting as if it were an art institution organizing large-scale, international art events, it “performs” and “prefigures” an institution. During this process of “self-instituting”, OFF flexibly reflects on and recreates itself according to the challenges occurring in its local context of “illiberal democracy”. And while in terms of infrastructure, funding, and organization OFF reinvents itself from edition to edition, its curatorial practice is ongoing, with a strong focus on social ideas that experiment with forms of coexistence to build a society of mutual trust, generosity, responsibility, and care. Based on this (structural and curatorial) practice, OFF was invited to present its “cosmology” in the framework of documenta fifteen. As a member of the so-called “lumbung interlokal”—consisting of 14 different but like-minded organizations and initiatives from all around the world—OFF presented two exhibition projects and a publication that are not only representative of its activities, but are also in line with the general concept of documenta fifteen, the “lumbung”. documenta fifteen: OFF-Biennale Budapest, Sead Kazanxhiu, The Nest, 2012–2022, installation view, Fridericianum (façade), Kassel, May 11, 2022, photo: Nicolas Wefers About Speaker Katalin Székely holds an MA in Art History and German Literature from Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Budapest, and was a curator at Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art between 2008 and 2013. She is a PhD candidate in the Doctoral Program in Film, Media and Contemporary Culture at Eötvös Loránd University. Her field of research includes new media practices in the Neo-Avant-Garde in Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe, and institutional critique in the CEE region from the early 1960s to the present. Since 2014, Katalin Székely has been a member of the curatorial team of OFF-Biennale Budapest, the largest independent, grassroots arts initiative in Hungary. Since November 2015, as Creative Program Officer at Blinken OSA, she has curated and coordinated exhibitions and other public programs. The event is free and open to the public. The WCSCD educational program and series of public lectures have been initiated and organized by Biljana Ciric. Project Partners We thank following partners for supporting selected participants for 2022 program: Romanian Cultural Institute. Artcom platform , Kadist Foundation, William Demant Foundation For more information about the program, please refer to www.wcscd.com Project contacts: what.could.curating.do@gmail.com Follow us: FB: @whatcscdo Instagram: @whatcouldshouldcuratingdo < Mentors Educational Program How to Apply >

Pedagogies of Transition MARCH 2 I 2023 Join us for an online discussion series with Dr Frances C. Koya Vaka’uta, Larys Frogier, Elvira Espejo Ayca, Manuela Moscoso, Zena Cumpston and Vanessa Machado de Oliveira. The series is initiated by Biljana Ciric, Madeleine Collie and Susie Quillinan (Study Pattern Collective) and co-facilitated by: Deniz Kırkalı, Ka Yuet Lau and Iris Long and organised by Monash University and Goldsmiths, University of London . March to April 2023 For so long, we have been implicated in ongoing systemic and institutional crises. We understand these crises as political, economical, epistemological and ecological. As cultural workers we recognize a need to move towards structural change. In this series of gatherings we will share possibilities for epistemic shifts—some speculative, others involving very practical and concrete steps—towards undoing institutional working rituals. We share these conversations as a process of continuously composting knowledge that will contribute to our collective struggle. In these public moments we have invited people who have had an intimate impact on us and our way of thinking and doing, and in whose work we glimpse possibilities for breathing, imagining and instituting otherwise. We are a study group of three cultural workers, curators and artists—Biljana Ciric (What Could Should Curating Do), Madeleine Collie (initator of Food Art Research Network) and Susie Quillinan (Hawapi)—who are currently all undertaking a PhD in Curatorial Practice at Monash University, and who share an interest in imagining and practising different modes of instituting within the arts. Since 2021 our gatherings have been composed of invisible and visible encounters as a need to learn with each other, and also from peers in intersecting fields who share the same concerns. What are the ‘pedagogies of transition’ (Rolando Vazquez, 2021) towards different modes of instituting? For us, instituting is closely connected to the curatorial, which we understand as a gesture of caring with others that can collectively lead us to more sustainable working methodologies. I. Discussion Oceanic visions – 29 March Larys Frogier – Artist at Ocean & Wavz with Alfie Chua, researcher, advisory member and previous director of the Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai. Dr Frances C. Koya Vaka’uta Team Leader, Culture for Development, Pacific Community (SPC) · UK (Goldsmiths) – 9am (BST) · Melbourne (MADA) – 7pm (AEDT) · Lima – 3am (PET) · Paris – 10am (CEST) · Fiji – 8pm (FJT) II. Discussion – Crianza Mutua12 April Elvira Espejo Ayca – director of the National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore in La Paz Manuela Moscoso – CARA Director, New York · La Paz -8.30am (BOT) · NYC – 8.30am (EDT) · UK (Goldsmiths) – 1.30pm (BST) · Melbourne (MADA) – 10.30pm (AEST) · Lima – 7.30am (PET) III. Discussion Metabolisms – 26 April Zena Cumpston – Curator Emu Sky and CoAuthor of Plants: Past Present and Future Vanessa Machado de Oliveira – Professor and author of Hospicing Modernity: Facing humanity’s wrongs and implications for social activism · Melbourne (MADA) – 10am (AEST) · UK (Goldsmiths) – 1am (BST) · Vancouver – 5pm (PDT 25 April) · Lima – 7pm (PET 25 April) Note that the first event is in Melbourne (AEDT) time and the second and third dates are in Melbourne (AEST) time. There is also an issue with EventBrite’s “save to calendar” function. Please ensure that you have noted the correct time of this event

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Events Lecture Series Participant Activities Glossary l(a)unch: gender issues WCSCD started its transition through merging rural and urban with research on artistic practices in the region. The research was undertaken through educational program of WCSCD 2023/2024. We encountered the number of examples starting from early 70’s Oho Group, Family of Clear Streams, and some from recent past Gera Museum ( 2000’s). Our research was done though site visits and conversations. Places we visited Gera Museum, Family of Clear Streams were ruins or remains of what was originally there. What was originally there were communities or potentiality for creating one. Program participants developed glossary unpacking key words related to these practices in relation to art making, economy, politics, spirituality, and gender. During the research we spoke mostly with men hearing their stories and that fact left us troubled. What was the role of women in these communities? As a response to that WCSCD program participant, Laura Rositani developed keywords in relation to gender issues that lingered through field trips and conversations we had. Gender issues By Laura Rositani Our case studies revealed a recurring theme: the presence of gender issues. These issues encompass all aspects and concerns related to women's and men's lives - both in the social and art-making realms. In its original meaning, gender issues refers to the historic lack of inclusion and equality for women compared to men. It delves into the power dynamics between genders, their historical evolution, and how these dynamics play out across political, legal, economic, and cultural landscapes. Essentially, gender functions as a powerful social structure, shaping relationships between individuals and institutions in profound and lasting ways. Examining these issues through a gender lens exposes a web of interconnected inequalities. The experiences of men and women diverge dramatically due to unequal access to resources, participation opportunities, and agency. For example, the interviews with the men involved in our archive research served as a stark reminder of this disparity. Instances of sexual discrimination, gender stereotyping, and inappropriate language and conduct emerged during these conversations. It was incredibly difficult to find even a mention of women in these stories, despite the fact that their unseen presence was clearly the foundation upon which most of these projects, at least initially, achieved some measure of success. Women were the ones pulling the strings and holding everything together.[1] However, this crucial role was overshadowed by the overwhelming presence of male figures, whose dominance permeated every corner of the archival material. My observations of the case studies and the overall situation reveal a continuous pattern of women's contributions being either ignored or downplayed. This can be seen as a subtle but persistent form of violence that has relegated and continues to relegate women to the margins of history, artistic practice, and even their own lives as mothers, wives, and simply women. While the case studies don't offer definitive answers about how things could have been different, One can imagine that if these women had been afforded greater gender equality within their families and communities, the outcomes might have been more positive. I'm not suggesting that the projects wouldn't have faced challenges, but perhaps they could have failed in a more constructive way, allowing for a chance to rebuild on a stronger foundation. What remains now are ashes: untold or distorted stories under the oppressive gaze of patriarchy. Interestingly, one aspect I observed that could potentially bridge the gender gap and offer a path to healing is the shared love for the earth. Nature could serve as a common ground, fostering respect and understanding between genders. The Glass Ceiling and Beyond: Unveiling Women's Contributions The glass ceiling metaphor aptly describes the invisible barriers that women often face.This glossary literally refers to a glass box, a cage that confines women's achievements and obscures their impact. In this case, it's not just the barriers that are transparent - the very presence and contributions of women are rendered invisible. This invisibility extends beyond the encompassing art practice, politics, to all aspects of life. Our archive research exemplifies this phenomenon. Women are relegated to the margins of the stories, their contributions as active participants left untold or rarely acknowledged. They are primarily mentioned as wives and collaborators, never as the driving forces behind their communities. This is akin to them being confined within a glass cage, their achievements obscured and their impact minimized. Gender Blindness and the Lingering Shadow of Patriarchy Almost every encounter we had while researching showed the lingering presence of a patriarchal legacy and a lack of gender equality. Gender blindness refers to the failure of recognizing the unequal structure of gender relations: while it might seem like a neutral approach, it actually maintains the status quo and doesn't address the existing power imbalance. Furthermore, the lingering influence of a system that privileges men, continues to shape how we view and discuss gender. This dominance extends to language itself, where the terms used to describe women can often be a subtle form of violence. The research highlighted the need to recognize the crucial roles women played, beyond wives or companions. Moreover, the research exposed a shocking blindness towards these deeply rooted behaviors, a complete failure to recognize their significance and consequences. Co-creation Our research identified several instances where men positioned women as assistants, diminishing their contributions to community building and artistic endeavors. The concept of co-creation extends beyond the artworks themselves. It encompasses the very foundation of life within these communities. However, our research revealed a persistent pattern: while both men and women were undoubtedly involved in the creative process, women were consistently relegated to a subordinate role. This becomes particularly evident in the way women were described. They were partially acknowledged as "makers," but their intellectual contributions are erased. The language used never elevates them to the level of thinkers or authors. The power of stones and plants related to women’s knowledge Across many cultures, women have been the custodians of a vast universe of knowledge and skills related to healing plants, herbs, spices, and the hidden powers of minerals. This knowledge, passed down through generations from woman to woman, reflects a deep eco-sensitivity and connection to the natural world. Plant’s knowledge and other aspects of medicine were often labeled as witchcraft by patriarchal and religious authorities. Women who possessed and used this knowledge were often accused of witchcraft and persecuted, undergoing torture, trials, and death sentences.The repression of this knowledge, aimed to limit women's autonomy, consolidated male power and controlled access to natural resources. Women knew the medicinal properties of every plant, every herb, every root, and they used them to heal themselves, their children, and their communities. The witch hunt was a war against women, against their knowledge and their autonomy. While sexual and domestic violence were undoubtedly prevalent during this era, a deeper examination reveals the underlying economic, social, and structural factors that transformed women into perceived threats, requiring their elimination or confinement to subordinate roles.The witch hunt went beyond mere physical persecution; it aimed to dismantle an entire universe of knowledge and relationships that underpinned women's social power. In many pre-capitalist societies, women held significant economic and social roles, often serving as healers, herbalists, and caregivers. Their knowledge of natural remedies and practices posed a challenge to the emerging patriarchal and capitalist structures. Hence, the witch hunt served as a tool to subdue women's autonomy, suppress their knowledge, and confine them to predefined gender roles.[2] Our case studies reveal that some women possess a rich understanding of traditional knowledge systems related to plants and minerals. This knowledge, often passed down through generations, might involve interpreting subtle signs in the environment or using specific rituals to connect with nature. This process of women seemingly communicating with nature underscores the immense value of their relationship with the land. This deep understanding could be the very foundation for the art-agriculture projects they were developing.[3] [4] It's also clear that this knowledge wasn't previously considered in sufficient depth. Indeed, my (our) observations align with what happened in the past with the “witchcraft”: since women’s roles were not acknowledged, these stories have essentially erased them from the narrative, leading to their marginalization. Ruins as human and non-human resources: The places visited in relation to the practices being researched were all ruins. In some cases they were ruins in literal sense, where space was overtaken by nature and decay and in other sense (metaphorical) ruins of the idea or utopia of community. The intersection of ruins and feminism offers a rich and complex area of study. It provides a way to challenge traditional narratives, reclaim lost histories, and imagine more inclusive futures where women's contributions are recognized and valued. Through the feminist lens, the concept of ruins isn’t solely male-centric representations of fallen empires.Ruins could be re-examined to understand spaces traditionally associated with women's work, domestic life, and cultural practices. By studying the ruins from this perspective, we can attempt to reclaim the lost stories of women who contributed to these societies. Furthermore, according to Posthumanism (ist) theories, ruins become potent symbols of human impermanence and the possibility of coexistence with other forms of life beyond the human, criticizing human exceptionalism. According to this way of seeing things, ruins signifies not the end, but a blossoming of potential. As we delve into the depths of our archival research, we encounter the haunting presence of ruins - remnants of a once-thriving endeavor. Yet, these vestiges seem to whisper tales of unfulfilled potential, a story of progress stunted by a profound sense of detachment. The community, it appears, failed to forge a sense of belonging, fostering an atmosphere of alienation that ultimately led to the project's demise. To fully comprehend the project's decline, we must delve into the depths of the archives. Why did individuals feel disconnected? Was it a structural issue, a lack of shared purpose, or something else entirely? An answer could be the male-centric power structure potentially contributed to the project's downfall and it is recurrent in every archive story.[5] An extremely important open question is the following one: Were there any successful efforts to breathe new life into these relics of the past? This skewed perspective necessitates a rewriting of history, one that acknowledges the full spectrum of participation, encompassing both men and women and more than human world. To fully comprehend the project's trajectory, we must re-analyze into the archives, employing a gender-inclusive lens. Archeological evidence, oral histories, and art practices can all offer valuable insights. Family project: The case studies we have looked at started as a family project- families moving to rural with potential of turning into community. While this approach can offer a strong foundation, it also carries the potential for perpetuating gender inequality. Traditional gender roles often get transported from the family unit to the larger project, potentially limiting women's participation and decision-making. Furthermore, the traditional family often reinforces male dominance: men hold more power, while women are expected to manage domestic labor and childcare. The concept of family, particularly the traditional monogamous structure, is often intertwined with an outdated notion that has little to do with modern ideas of romantic love. This rigid model can become exclusionary, pushing those who don't conform to its narrow definition to the margins, even demonizing them. It reinforces a social construct that assigns a singular "ideal" identity to families, emphasizing exclusivity and a sense of ownership. This monogamous mindset aligns perfectly with the capitalist and patriarchal structures of modern society. It can contribute to a range of social ills, including violence, colonialism, and racism. Furthermore, the traditional gendered definition of family can cultivate possessiveness, exclusivity, and a focus on individualism, potentially hindering social cohesion. From a political perspective, Fascist and totalitarian regimes viewed the traditional peasant family as a model to be championed and controlled. This was due to the specific characteristics it embodied, seen as essential for maintaining social order and consolidating their power. The peasant family was typically defined by a strict patriarchal structure, with the father as the undisputed head and women and children subordinate to his authority. This mirrored the authoritarian hierarchy that these regimes sought to impose on society at large. Life for peasant families was arduous, demanding discipline and unwavering obedience. Regimes heavily emphasized values like hard work, sacrifice, and unquestioned respect for authority, as crucial for maintaining societal order. Additionally, peasant life was deeply connected to the land and rural values. Fascist and totalitarian regimes often romanticized the simplicity and purity of rural life, contrasting it with the perceived "corruption" of urban living. This served to further tighten their grip on society and suppress any ideas deemed subversive. Our case studies consistently reveal the same pattern: the narrative revolves around a family headed by the paterfamilias, with the wife having no say in the matter. This exclusivity and narcissistic approach has led not only to the inability to integrate their project into a community, but also to a failure to achieve independence. When discussing these families, we are not referring to the romantic ideal of shared love, but rather to a strict patriarchal structure that impacts the wives and, subsequently, the children. Kids are the first to break away from what their fathers have tried to build through imposition. Motherhood and invisible labor: Another important aspect related to the women of our case studies is motherhood. Mothers were the ones in charge of keeping the spaces clean, of cooking, of taking care of children and assisting their husbands in every tasks- even if their efforts and irreplaceable help were completely invisible in the narration. It is important to mention, how this invisibility is strictly linked to a gender based idea of motherhood. Ecofeminist theories argue that the patriarchal and capitalist system exploits the female body through forced reproduction. Women are seen as mothers and caregivers, relegated to the private sphere and deprived of their autonomy. Motherhood becomes unpaid labor that perpetuates female subordination.In the main essay on ecofeminism, Françoise D'Eaubonne advocates a "Womb strike" (1974) as a radical solution to curb patriarchal power. This is an act of radical rebellion, in which women reclaim control over their bodies and refuse to be considered as reproductive machines. The “womb strike" is not limited to the mere refusal to have children, but also implies a social and political transformation that challenges existing power structures. According to ecofeminist studies, the threats of overpopulation and resource depletion can be traced back to the power that men have acquired in cultivating the land and their participation in the reproductive act. The relationship between the domination of nature and female subordination gains relevance, in relation to the nature-body connection, where there is an overlap between the exploitation of nature's resources and sexual-procreative potential. A focal point of feminist theories is the critique of the patriarchal model that has relegated motherhood to a subordinate and subservient role to women. Motherhood thus becomes a forced sacrifice, an obligation that limits the woman's personal and professional fulfillment. The mothers in our case studies prioritized their wish to be loved and cared over any professional recognitions, but they were undervalued and ignored.[6] Cooking, cleaning, laundry, childcare, etc. were invisible labor, unpaid and unrecognized work that is often essential for the smooth running of a household or community. [1] While a wider view on case studies is certainly important, Dragana Kojičić's project in Mošorin stands out as a precious exception. It's important to note that her project is contemporary, and thus the social-political context is distinct from the others, even though they share the same national origin. [2] Silvia Federici, “Caccia alle streghe, guerra alle donne”, NERO edition, Rome, 2022 [3] Marko Pogačnik mentioned Kathi Lightstone, Milenko Matanovic’s wife, who, after an experience hitchhiking in Scotland, she got in touch with Findhorn foundation. This community thrived with incredible vegetables, thanks to the women's remarkable ability to connect with the plants. Her knowledge, brought to Šempas, perfectly laid the foundation for a unique idea: agriculture intertwined with art. [4] Marko Pogačnik referred also to Gimbutas's work on millennia of peaceful societies became a revelation, upending his worldview. Inspired by this, he and his daughter, Ajra, developed a method to perceive and understand landscapes as "landscape temples" structured according to the Triple Goddess principle ( they wrote The Daughter of Gaia: Rebirth of the Divine Feminine, Findhorn Press, 2001) Among her most important accomplishments, Gimbutas developed a fundamental glossary of the figurative motifs that serve as an interpretative key to the mythology of an otherwise undocumented era (Neolithic), but also she established, on the basis of the interpreted signs, the characterizing lines and the main themes of a religion that venerated both the universe as the living body of the Mother Goddess Creator and all living things within it as partakers of her divinity. Gimbutas also coined the term “Gilania” ( from the Greek terms gynè, "woman" and anèr, "man”) to describe a society existed in 8.000-2500 a.c in the Ancient Europe based on the equality of rights between men and women and the lack of hierarchy and authority within the community. [5] Gera Museum is an example of ruins in a literary way and it shows how things could be potentially different if the power was not centered on one person but shared with the collective. When things felt apart, nobody took care of what Gera built and nobody felt like belonging to what he created. For Family of Clear stream the story is not that different at all, especially the ending. If at the beginning the idea was to create a collective project, through the time Bozidar ends up alone probably because he didn’t manage to have an horizontal approach to the community but he always put himself and his ideas first. The Sempas didn’t work either in this sense: they weren’t able to build a relationship with villagers but at the same time couldn’t be independent. [6] According to Braila’s experience, the first wife of Bozidar, it is clear how her presence was at the same time fundamental and not recognized: she was the one who took care of three kids, woke up at 5 to cook for the 20 people part of Family of Clear stream, she was also involved, against her wish, to perform and be part of her husband’s art processes. < Mentors Educational Program How to Apply >