Curator Radmila Janković, director Gallery PM, Zagreb, Croatia/ 2007

Gallery PM/ BACVA  Gallery, House of Croatian Artist,  Zagreb, Croatia

TEXT Inserts of the video:

 

In the present we can follow a trend of social engagement, which results in many works yet it happens to often that projects are made without depth, staying in art space and not reaching the public space as they were supposed to.

Why this project is successful?

 It derives from art content. The initial stage takes part in the city of Zagreb in a taxi that Aprilija uses as her media; the project respects ethical codes and protects the integrity of victim/ survivals. It creates the atmosphere of coming out communication, which is hard to achieve and Aprilija has an incredible feeling how to make it happen. The success of the project is in opening of both sides.

 

The exhibition is set in a monumental gallery in which every woman got her space. Without listening to the stories the first effect was very strong. Women are exhibited as large portraits except those who wished/had to stay anonymous.

 

 In Croatia the whole project has been noticed in media, radio and on television in high rating show Good Morning Croatia. Although it deals with social problem the project in Zagreb gained dignity as a visual art event.

 

The success of such project measures in public sphere, as culture professionals we can follow and lean on the theories that are excellent, fantastic, stimulants  and parallels of the happening of the art world.

 

The criterion for the success of such project is the break through to the public space and the reaction it gets. It depends of the artist how good media he/ she can be for the voices of other. That is never only looking at the other it has to be a two way view communication. Aprilija derives from painting where she researched auto portrait for a long time, as she went into engagement, in a sincere and direct way by dealing with herself, auto portraits and I believe it is the reason that conditioned such intensity and in a way rescuing her-self and the stamina of winning over this problem.

 

 The invitation, the publishing of the artist’s call had been published in one of the biggest Croatian newspapers, Večernji list, on the front page and it has been crucial to the development of the project.

 

 It was the first media discussions on this problem as a crucial theme, with real engagement. A reporter followed the project and published it in the Daily Events section which is an enormous success, the project had managed to become alive for entire population not only for selected cultural public. This does not happen frequently even though artists work on awareness rising, mostly such projects never come to the right ears. 

 

 The art system is only a platform the modus has to be found by the artist himself/herself. Aprilija achieved the unique. It is a project that can be produced again and again and will always come alive.