House not on sale / installation / photographs, photo print on canvas, object
variable size / 2020
The self-portrait with an improvised advertising sign is part of the multimedia work “HOUSE NOT ON SALE”. By posing in her studio, the artist hints at her physical absence by obviously moving out of the context of the family house to which she refers in a statement in the advertisement. Ironically allowed by artists’ emigration status, this stand takes on the additional weight of a female descendant who does not renounce her heritage despite living in a completely different environment.
Unlike in the hands of the artist, the print of the advertisement in the hands of other family members testifies to the resistance to the challenging living conditions in Bosnia – indicated by the condition of the house behind them. While on one side it celebrates the value of maintaining the family property, on the other side, The Sign criticizes the conditions that increasingly deny normal and points to its only remaining possibilities.
The unpredicted level of compassion among the audience became a relevant part of the work the moment they started activating it by taking photos with exhibited sign and adopting the claim stated on it.
exhibition view: Domestic wall, Reflektor Gallery photo credits: Dejan Klement
