Ismar Čirkinagić (Bosnia and Herzegovina / Denmark)
The House in a Forest on a Coast
Bačva Gallery, Home of HDLU (Meštrović pavilion)
July 22-August 22, 2021

The opening of the exhibition by ISMAR ČIRKINAGIĆ, THE HOUSE IN A FOREST ON A COAST will be on Thursday, July 22 at 8pm, in Bačva Gallery, Home of HDLU (Meštrović pavilion).

“The House in a Forest on a Coast is a total installation composed of elements in various media of art. Horizontally, there is a representation of a house foundation covering the floor, whereas a large-scale representation of sails on a ship is vertically stretched out towards the ceiling, amid which a sound piece auditorily unites the two aces by veiling over all the exhibited components and resonating in the space between them. […] According to the artist, this systematic display of debris is a “re-enactment” of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) routine, which often appears as a consequence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Just as the debris convey memories about places that no longer exist in their original form, the clothes convey memories of bodies and persons who were once wearing them. The sails are, namely, sewn from the clothes that belonged to people who died as victims of violence with political backgrounds, such as armed conflicts, terrorist attacks and forced migration.

[…] The result is an artistic organisation of mnemonic elements from different geographical and historical contexts on display next to one another, which invites the viewer to interpret the exhibition from the transcultural perspective of humankind, rather than from specific national orientations. [The artist’s] desire is to show the universality of the human experience by focusing on similarities rather than differences among humans. […] Oneness with humanity is thus the key to unlocking The House in a Forest on a Coast. “

from the preface, written by the curator Tijana Mišković

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Ismar Čirkinagić was born in 1973 in Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was a part of the Socijalist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He came to Denmark in 1992, following the breakdown of the country and the brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing in his region of Northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1997 Čirkinagić enrolled at the Copenhagen Art School and remained there until 2000 when he was admitted to The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Most of his artistic practice is thematically related to the socio-political themes and mainly produced in the form of a conceptual installation consisting of videos, photos, texts, and object-based elements. In recent years he has had exhibitions in museums and kunsthalle in Denmark and internationally. Čirkinagić’s artworks can today be found in several Danish public collections.

EXHIBITION WORKING HOURS:

Wednesday – Friday: 11am – 7pm h
Saturday and Sunday 10am – 6pm h
Mondays, Tuesdays and holidays closed

Exhibition will be opened until August 22, 2021.

Special thanks to:

Afghanistan: Guilda Chahverdi, Mohsin Taasha and Jawad Zawulistani from Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization, The Royal Danish Embassy in Afghanistan

Croatia: Udruga Kamensko

Egypt: Embassy of Denmark in Egypt, Khaled Ramadan and Yara Mekawei

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras: Marcela Turati from Quinto Elemento Lab, Analorena Delgadillo, Marisol Méndez, Alicia Moncada Acosta (Glenda Pineda, Eva Ramírez, Cecilia del Carmen Avalos Guillen) from La fundación para la justicia y el estado democrático de derecho.

Israel/Palestine: Parents Circle – Families Forum

Northern Irland: MAC and Paul ‘Donzo’ Donnelly from Dead Centre Tours

Serbia: Meris Mušanović and Ivana Zanić from Humanitarian Law Center

Syria: Zenia Bredmose Henriksen Ab Yonus and Hosam Aldeen Ghathwan

Uganda: Ndugwa Hassan from UMYDF

Ukraine: Embassy of Denmark to Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia, Iryna Polikarchuk from ARTSVIT