Construction/Deconstruction
Tomislav Suhecki, Miroslav Pavlovic, Zivko Grozdanic, Stevan Kojic, Gabrijela Turturea, Tony Maslic, Goran Despotovski
A Space Main Gallery
February 28 – March 27, 2004
Curated by: Sava Stepanov
Coordinators: Jelica Jovin (Toronto)
Nada Grozdanic (Serbia)
This project is part of an exchange initiative for which A Space will be presenting work by seven Toronto based artists at the Vrsac Biennal of Young Artists in Serbia. The Biennal opens on June 12 2004.
A Space Gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition by seven Serbian artists working in a range of media and techniques including sculptural installation, textile, painting and new media. The artists presented are at varying levels of their respective careers from emerging to well established. At the opening reception, the curator will be giving a short presentation on each artist and their work. This talk is intended to open the dialogue about the exhibition and the practices and concerns of contemporary Serbian artists.
The mixed media exhibition curated by renowned art historian and critic Sava Stepanov, will present work that responds to the history and context of artistic production within a socio-political framework. The title for the exhibition, Construction/Deconstruction, is a term used by critics in the former Yugoslavia to describe artistic trends in the past ten years. The political crises and civil war in the region have caused dramatic changes to the art scene, due to changes in the geographic landscape and the resulting departure of many artists. An analysis of artistic production from the nineties reveals the close relations between history and art. Artists from both the younger and older generations have continued to explore their practices through the layers of challenging political influences and personal experiences. Construction/Deconstruction therefore offers a rich archaeology that is culled from methods of careful deduction in describing the impact crises in the artists’ homeland at the intersections of art, history and practice.