Demokracija (2019)

The exhibition "Democracy" by Marko Vojnić Gin opened in the Living Room Gallery of the Rojc Community Center

Anarchy for sale...

In the relaxed atmosphere of the Living Room Gallery, without an introductory presentation, an exhibition of ready-made objects under the title "Democracy" was opened last Friday in the Rojc Social Center. The author, the established Pula artist Marko Vojnić Gin, questions through it the time in which we find ourselves, the structure of everyday life and the ways in which people perceive it, with a strong skepticism towards the concept of democracy and its manifestations and interpretations in today's world. 

As the motto of the exhibition, Gin chose a quote from Louis-Ferdinand Céline about life's journey: "This journey of ours is completely fictional. That's his strength. It goes from life to death. People, animals, cities and things are all made up. It's a novel, just a fictional story. After all, everyone can do the same. It is enough to close your eyes. It leads beyond life". Similar to such a conception of life, this ready-made display may at first glance appear sparse and confusingly incomprehensible, but if we "close our eyes" to each exhibit, associations, questions, dilemmas, and maybe even some answers will appear. There are, among other things, banners from some protest carelessly scattered on the yellow couch, then a large black banner with the message (in English) "The masses are the decisive force in any social change", provocative quotes and titles of books by many authors, Antonio Gramsci's book "Problems of revolution" and KUD Idijoti's cassette "Bolivia R'n'R" together like some ancient artifacts placed upright in a glazed museum pedestal, a map of the world over which "Foreigners Everywhere" is written in white paint, etc. 

Also interesting is the inscription "Anarchy for sale", under which there is a light advertisement with the inscription "Bedtime for democracy", which is actually the title of one of the Dead Kennedys' albums. It also features "Anarchy for sale", about our world in which everything and everyone, including anarchy and all of us, are just consumables on sale.

All the works are part of Gin's personal memorabilia, dear memories of a convinced activist who, through his artistic work, refers to a contemporary moment in which there is more and more dissatisfaction, as evidenced by the recent protests of oil workers in Pula and those against beach concessions, as well as the increasingly frequent riots on the streets around the world. Vojnić explains his activist side and the need to talk about the things that disturb him through art: "I am also part of that "mob" that goes out into the streets, that's why I dare to talk about it through art as well. Unfortunately, I know a lot of artists who engage in engaged art, but if the author himself is not active, that work is fake, even though his works may be aesthetically interesting."

Gin advocates individualism that does not exclude cooperation, but he emphasizes that he does not believe in democracy, because "We constantly protest something, we constantly complain about something, but in my opinion not much is achieved because democracy is one big lie. All kinds of things are promised, proposed, especially during the pre-election period, and after that the politicians sit in their armchairs and do something else. What exactly is democracy? What is wrong with the existing arrangement, when the people on the street are so dissatisfied? What kind of social and political context do we actually live in? Now compare that with the term democracy! Everyday life is full of contradictions and paradoxes, I'm not sure if it's even healthy to question it and if these works can even be considered art? Today's state of "democracy" in my opinion generates a strong dose of patriotism, to which I can respond with a quote from Emma Goldman: "Patriotism is a superstition that robs a person of self-respect and dignity, and it increases his arrogance and self-love." Social or existential issues often appear in my works. I often emphasize revolt against the current state of society and the desire for change. This exhibition presents works that were created as a feeling of powerlessness against the politics of late capitalism, and they refer to concrete events, on a local but also on a global level."

Asked if he considers himself an anarchist, Vojnić replied: "I don't know, but certainly anarchism is more attractive to me than all other political philosophies, because it practices cooperation and solidarity in different ways." There is a whole series of stereotypes about anarchism that have nothing to do with it. Anarchism is not violence. For me, violence is democracy based on national identity, whose by-products are fear and slavery."

The opening was followed by an after-party in Karlobar, with Rafiki Selector and Foreigners Everywhere. It is less known that Marko Vojnić Gin is hiding behind the latter title again, this time in the role of a DJ with an original mix of anarchist messages from dub, reggae and punk bands like Bad Brains, The Clash, Bob Marley, etc.

Text by Daniela Knapić for the Kulturistra portal