BEHZAD KHOSRAVI NOORI
PROFESSOR BALTHAZAR AND A MONUMENT TO AN INVISIBLE CITIZEN
Curators: Ana Kovačić and Lea Vene
Bačva Gallery, Home of HDLU
July 2– September 6, 2020

The opening of the exhibition by Behzad Khosravi Noori, Professor Balthazar and a Monument to the Invisible Citizen will be in front of the main entrance to the Home of HDLU, on Thursday, July 2, 2020. at 7 p.m.

For the summer atmosphere and pleasant socializing at the opening, we have prepared the music for you, which will be played by Lina Kovačević.

Professor Balthazar is a smart scientist who wishes everyone well. He lives in the picturesque and somewhat crazy city of Balthazargrad. Professor Balthazar can use his magic machine to solve all the problems of citizens. The exhibition gives us the opportunity to meet this ingenious character or, for those who watched the animated television series as a child, to revive the memory of him. Also, we can experience the monument that gave the exhibition its name and be inspired by the ability of Professor Balthazar to solve problems in the workshop space of the exhibition. The exhibition also encourages us to see more of the children’s program and to take a closer look at the social and artistic conditions that influenced Professor Balthazar’s production. Behzad Khosravi Noori draws a new political and cultural map of the Cold War period, commonly described as a period in which the world was divided into East and West, and focuses on the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) that coexisted as a counterpoint to the Eastern and Western Cold Blocs. Among other things, the NAM was founded by the Yugoslav leader Tito, with the aim of putting an end to armaments and threats of war. The movement was also dedicated to fighting colonialism and racism and promoting peaceful coexistence. This influenced not only the global political situation but also the Zagreb School of Animation, where Professor Balthazar was born.

Preface

 

Behzad Khosravi Noori takes this transnational children’s program created in the Zagreb Film Studio in the period 1967-1978 as a starting point for a pink-yellow installation in the form of a climber made of a metal structure reminiscent of a scaffold with a slide and on the other hand extensive research on the creation of an animated series.

Thus, children will be able to enjoy a pink-yellow climber with a slide and watch the adventures of this famous inventor through selected episodes, while parents, through two documentaries, will be able to learn about the

history of the animated series and the political context of the time.

The project Professor Balthazar and the Monument to the Invisible Citizen has so far been shown in the form of a solo exhibition in several Swedish cities (Stockholm, Malmö, and Kalmar) and at the Art Encounters Biennale in Timisoara, Romania, and the final stop is a solo exhibition opening on July 2, 2020. in HDLU and lasts throughout the summer holidays.

At the end of the exhibition, the artist GIFTS the sculptural installation FOR PUBLIC USE, for which competition has been announced.

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

BEHZAD KHOSRAVI-NOORI (1976, Tehran) studied Motion pictures at Tarbiat Modaress University in Tehran and Art in Public Realm at Konstfack Stockholm. In his research-based art practices, Khosravi-Noori emphasizes on micro history and narrative strategy within hyper-politicized socio-political milieus in films and time-based materials. His recent exhibition include: 2017: Accessing Utopia, Venice Bienale, Research Pavilion; A Short Story about A Cat, Tranzit Iash, Romania; Around About, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center, Ramallah, 2016: Aran Gallery, Tehran, The life of an itinerant through a pinhole; Skånes konstförening, Lund, 2014: Incandescence, Tensta Konsthall, Stockholm; 2013: Vibration, Tensta Konsthall,and Konstfack, Stockholm, and 2012: The Black eyes of Bruce Lee, MKC, Stockholm.  Currently, he is holding a PhD position at Konstfack in collaboration with school of architecture at Royal Collage of Technology KTH in Stockholm. Khosravi-Noori lives and works in Stockholm.

 

 

Supported by:

 

 

Sponsors:

 

Project is produced by Marabouparken in collabration with Malmö konstmuseum and Konstfack.

 

Exhibition opening hours:

Wednesday: 11-19h; Thursday: 11 am-5pm; Friday: 12-19h; Saturday: 10 am-4pm; Sunday: 11-16h

The gallery is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and public holidays.

 

The exhibition remains open until September 6, 2020

*Remark*

At the entrance to the Gallery there is a bottle with a disinfectant for visitors, which are obliged to disinfect their hands when entering the Gallery.
The security guard at the entrance to the Gallery will have a protective mask and gloves and control the number of visitors.
Visitors are required to maintain a distance of 2 meters.
Doorknobs and any other surfaces that are frequently touched by visitors will be regularly disinfected.