In the depths of America

At a time when the world is rapidly changing some themes actively prevail and are durable. Such is the subject of the faraway America, as an idea and as a toponym, but also the question about the inevitable Americanization at a local level. About a century and a half ago Carl May wrote “In the depths of the Balkans”, where, quite stereotypically, he described the Balkans as a wild territory where violence and delinquency ruled. That type of stereotype, but with a toponym inversion and with an introduction of personal and collective experience, was the inspiration behind the exhibition opened at Balkan cinema called “In the depths of America”.

The works of three authors will be presented at this exhibition: video piece “Sounds from the homeland” by Mladen Miljanovic, the sculpture “Yugo America” by Rados Antonijevic and the installation “America” authored by Nenad Malesevic.

All three authors quite originally question the image of America – the image that exists in all of us who grew up far away from it but would, ever since childhood, listen or perhaps even fantasize about it. Mladen Miljanovic, a conceptual artist, does so through a 15 minutes long video, speaking to us from the perspective of a veteran from all three armies that participated in the last war. Simultaneously he ruminates on the purpose of a battle, one of the probably most important questions ever asked of the world.

Rados Antonijevic, a visual artist, brings us the sculpture Yugo America, representing one of the symbols of our collective identity, which also was the name of the campaign that exported this car to America. The installation of Nenad Malesevic entails photographs, a thousand pictures and a postal stamp, where the base of the installation is the well known to all motive of the Statue of Liberty, through which the author reevaluates his own relationship with America.

I would not disclose anything further. Come and see. Because this is, without a doubt, an inspiring and unusual exhibition, one that will make us question, think and reevaluate a lot. The exhibition will be open till April 30th at Balkan cinema.