The State of Exception Proved to be the Rule
25/10/2010 Leave a Comment
The State of Exception Proved to be the Rule
A video documentary of the prevention of an exhibition
by Eduard Freudmann and Jelena Radić
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Serbia 2008, 84 min., Serbian with English subtitles
produced by DEZ.ORG and Kraja
On February 7th 2008 the opening of the exhibition entitled “Exception – Contemporary Art Scene From Prishtina” presenting artworks by Albanian artists from Kosovo in the ‘Kontekst Galerija’ Belgrade was prevented by a clerical-fascist organization, violent football hooligans and the Serbian police.
The incident was accompanied by a hysterical infamous campaign in the Serbian media and marks another milestone in the continual state of exceptions in the Serbian public space after the Milošević regime was overthrown in 2000. It became apparent in 2001 when Belgrade’s first Gay Pride Day was brutally suppressed. In both events the realization was impossible due to lack of safety. Following Boris Groys’ assumption that art differs from non-art by being under an extraordinary police protection, non-protection of the exhibition should be recognized as an attempt to invalidate the exhibition’s artworks converting them into non-art.
Along with the narration about a series of events the documentary video examines the tradition in which the incident is embedded, points out its political context, displays the media coverage, reflects its preconditions, meanings and impact and concludes that hateful reactions were being triggered by the fact that Serbian cultural racism cannot accept its stereotype of the “uncivilized Albanians” to be strongly contrasted and therefore annulled by a perfectly articulated artistic positions of Prishtina’s contemporary art scene.
Catalogue of the 49th October Salon Belgrade
Instead of particularizing and thereby historicizing an event by examining it as an isolated phenomenon, the film aims to clearly point out the political and theoretical context in which it is implanted. Therefore it connects the incidents in Kontekst Galerija with the national and international political situation, the production of public opinion by media in Serbia and a theoretical analysis and interpretation of the situation.
Watch/download full video here.
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