Andreja Kulunčić. Are you Optimistic about the Future?

Andreja Kulunčić

ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE?

 curated by Radmila Iva Jankovic | Adriana Rispoli | Eugenio Viola

 Madre Museum, Naples

19.12.11 | 27.02.12

The exploration of new models of social encounters and communication, a concern for social issues, the interaction with different kinds of public and the collaboration on collective projects are the main features of the work of the Croatian artist Andreja Kuluncic. Starting from her multidisciplinary network and conceiving the work of art as a research, a process of cooperation and self-organization, the artist requires the active participation of the public to complete her work. Using simple methods, discreet “traps” that emulate everyday media and are cunningly inserted into them, the artist seeks to re-examine our relation to the others and ultimately to awaken a sense of responsibility.

 Women. Index, a site-specific project for the city of Naples, is a participatory work in which the artist adopts viral strategies using mainstream popular media to reach her intended audience, and ultimately an invitation to women to raise their consciousness, to define their position within the family and social context

The video Reconstruction Of An Uninportant Day In Our History reconstructs one day in the life of Josip Broz Tito during his free time in the Tikves castle.

As a passionate hunter, Tito often spent time in the Tikves? castle, game hunting with his wife Jovanka or with foreign politicians. The Tikves castle complex, an Austrian hunting castle, was built in the 19th century. It is situated within the nature park Kopacki rit (Croatia), near the Croatian-Serbian border.

JOSIP BROZ TITO (1892- 1980) • Yugoslavian statesman and a communist leader. The leader of the anti-fascist resistance move- ment (1941-1945). He was the president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for 35 years (from 1945 until his death in 1980).

The video Reconstruction Of An Important Day In Our History reconstructs the meeting between Franjo Tu?man, the president of Croatia, and Slobodan Milosevic, the president of Serbia. The meeting was held in Tikves castle on April 15, 1991.

First conflicts in arms in Slavonia (Croatia) broke out in the beginning of May, 15 to 20 days after the reconstructed event. The war reached Tikves in September 1991. For a pe- riod of time the castle served as the headquarters for the Serbian paramilitary group, known as the Arkan’s tigers.

FRANJO TUMAN (1922-1999) • Won the first post-communist elections in Croatia and thus became the first president of the independent country of Croatia. He remained in power until his death in 1999.

SLOBODAN MILOS?EVIC? (1941-2006) • He served as the president of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 and as president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000. He died in the War Criminal prison in the Hague, after his imprisonment for crimes committed in the ex-Yugoslavian territory.

DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE (2001 – 2012)

Multidisciplinary project • http://www.distributive-justice.com/ • a u t h o r : Andreja Kuluncic (visual artist & project manager) • c o - a u t h o r s : Gabrijela Sabol (sociologist), Ivo Martinovic (photo & video), Neven Petrovic (philosopher), Matija Puzar (programmer), Dejan Jankovic (designer), Trudy Lane (designer), Momo Kuzmanovic (newsletter & catalogue editor). • contributors: Tomislav Janovic (philosopher).

Distributive justice is not only a central issue of moral and political philosophy, but also an object of common-sense moral reasoning. Everyone is sensitive to the question

of his/her share of the common good. Even those who get the best peace of the social pie are in need to justify the actual model of distribution. It has become a truism that most people (especially in the transition countries) experience their own social position as “unjust”, relying on certain intuitive principles of distributive justice.

The multidisciplinary project “Distributive Justice” is a work- in-progress designed by people with different backgrounds (art, philosophy, sociology, economy, programming). The project deals with the topic of distribution of goods in a society. It consists of two parts: (1) the part of the project in virtual space, URL: www.distri- butive-justice.com – Internet games in which participants in the project freely distribute material and nonmaterial goods building

a “society” that undergoes dynamical changes; several types of so- cieties emerge as result of the distribution games; and (2) the part of the project in exhibition space, a “working space” installation – presentation of material that has emerged and continuously emer- ges as a result of the respective parts of the project: virtual (the web site), practical (field research, opinion poll); and theoretical part (study of relevant literature, open discussions, talks, lectures...).

The material grows and changes its shape from exhibition to exhibition. Since several different countries will be involved in the project, every country will leave its imprint in the work, i.e. beco- ming a part of the exhibition. During the exhibition(s) the visitors (participants in the project) read materials, listen to lectures, chat, join the discussion, participate in the polls, surf the Web, print from the database, copy materials, video or audio tape the events, etc. The countries so far involved in the project: Italy, Germany, Austria, Australia, Croatia, US, Turkey, Slovenia, England and South Korea. [T. Janovic]