Can political art travel and be understood?
Monday 23rd April starts at 19.00
at public works studio

As part of REUNION, the next Friday Session focuses on art works by Nada Prlja and Nemanja Cvijanovic that address obstacles of political, economic and cultural exchange between the UK and South East Europe. How do our interpretations of political art differ across contexts and how can we tell the
stories of these contradictory reactions and translations?

Nemanja Cvijanovic's work conceptually explores socialist histories and constantly reconsiders the relationship between economics and politics, sometimes to the extent of being censored. Past works include 'The Sweetest Dream? a manipulation of the stars of the EU flag to form a swastika and a series of works critiquing loans for capitalist lifestyles exhibited at the gallery of the Austrian Erste bank in Rijeka, Croatia.

Nada Prlja's estate agency 'Give and Take' attempts to sell properties in South East Europe to UK buyers. 3 Markov Dvor in Belgrade, for example, is 'a beautiful four bed flat that has enormous charm and typical features of the socialist period...the property has been inherited through the generations and is currently occupied by mother, son, daughter-in-law and three year old baby'. "Give and Take" is a response to the current economic inequalities that citizens in Western and Eastern European countries are experiencing and mutually taking advantage of.

REUNION is an art research project by Sophie Hope that has received support from the Austrian Cultural Forum, London, Visiting Arts and the British Council. Nemanja Cvijanovic's residency in London is funded by the Croatian Ministry of Culture and City of Rijeka.

For further information about past and current REUNION work please go to http://www.reunionprojects.org.uk/

Posted April 14, 2007 00:01 by Torange Khonsari

30-bird-productions_600px.jpg

www.30birdproductions.org
Friday 13th April starts at 19.00
at public works studio

30 Bird Productions is an Anglo-Iranian film and theatre company producing highly visual new writing. Using its cultural heritage as its inspiration, 30 Bird explores the meeting points between Eastern and Western cultures, whilst using visual and textual material to develop new forms of performance.

30 Bird develops each project via a collaborative workshop process placing an emphasis on visual narratives. Via the use of sculptural design and installations, 30 Bird aims to create surprise out of the ordinary.

The rise of Modernism both as a philosophical outlook and an architectural form and its imposition in the East has informed much of 30 Bird's work. Our projects do not tell a story, they are more akin to musical compositions, depicting images derived from individual descriptions, photographs and official documents. Projects include: The Parable of The Blind, Death By Heroine, Majnoun, but you speak such good English and The Persian Revolution.

Posted April 9, 2007 08:07 by Torange Khonsari