NMG@PRAKTIKA: In your own room

Outside of scientific or economic discourse, conversations about sexuality are held among friends and lovers, within their own rooms. Bourgeoisie defined such a space as private sphere, a symbolic category opposed to public space. Aside of it’s reproductive function or the market value the sexuality as a everyday practice is suppressed and removed from the public, political sphere the private one, the sphere of home. Gossip and rumours that come from the private sphere were declared irrelevant and excluded from the public debates on the big issues of society. Seemingly worthless, these talks still produce information that have their echo in the public. Marginalized position does not give them credibility or validity, but still on the these information opinions and decisions are made. The resulting opinions and decisions are not the result of structured and institutionalized public debate, but a reflection of irrational private conversations. Although limited, private space within which these conversations happen is acquitted of the discipline present in the public. Taken symbolically, private and particular space thus becomes a space of questioning and criticism. Pluralism of sexual practices that are of concern to these authors is in constant conflict with the public on the one hand, but on the other hand is the assumption of existence of the public itself, the public that is constructed through this conflict.

Talks about sexuality, whose position is further marginalized by marginal position of sexual practices in discussion, are the common denominator that brings together artists in this exhibition. Thinking and talking about sexuality in the exhibited works thus becomes questioning symbolic boundaries between the private and the public. Here the private enters the public discourse, the symbolic space of the political. But the political, fetishized determines the private. These complex relationships are reflected in techniques that authors use as well. Using just a small arts and crafts techniques that have lost their place in the public sphere of the dominant culture of grand gestures and being situated in the area of hobby and leisure, with the selection of techniques authors open the same question about the symbolic categories of public and private. The works make visible not only diversity of sexual practices as the major determinants of individual identities and lifestyles, but determinant of social relations. Thus, at boundaries of public and private they open up new conflicts, new political discourse that questions the process of normalization through which the gay community goes today.

Tonči Kranjčević Batalić

CURATOR:

Tonči Kranjčević Batalić

ARTISTS:

Alexander Macko Puhek (poetry)

Alexander Macko Puhek (Branimir Lukic) was born in 1979 in Zagreb. He currently works as a teacher in Zagreb. He was educated and worked as a scientific researcher. He writes songs mainly in BHSC language, English, French and German. His poetry was presented in Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Ljubljana. More on blog aleksandarpuhek.wordpress.com

Zvonimir Novak (drawings)

Zvonimir Novak is a handsome resident of Split born in 1978. Drawing is a sort of relaxation form frustrations of underpaid work for foolish bosses and a cheap way of getting attention on the internet. More on blog znovak.tumblr.com

Tonči Kranjčević Batalić (knitted objects)

Tonci Kranjčević Batalić was born in 1974 in Split. He is art historian who in the lac of employment deals with artistic and curatorial practices as a member and co-founder of the queerANarchive collective. He has exhibited in Split, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Madrid, Milan and Barcelona.

 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1382364195363084/

http://queeranarchive.blogspot.com/2014/02/izmeu-cetiri-zida-galerije-praktika.html?zx=b79b8accadef7d7f