Extra Time U radu Extra time povezujem svoju umjetničku praksu ručnog rada i ljubav prema nogometu. Baš kao i ručni rad, koji se mahom doživljava kao hobistička praksa, i amaterski (i niželigaški) nogomet „inferiorniji“ je od nogometa prisutnog u medijima. Nogometna igra s ulice i gerilski tereni, gdje je nogomet bio i ostao igra, daleko su od glamura i multimilijarderske industrije – glavnih asocijacija na profesionalni nogomet. Još kada sam kao „talentirani dječak“ počeo trenirati, iskorak u profesionalizam nije me zanimao, no ljubav prema nogometu (i igri u širem smislu) zadržala se do danas, kada redovito posjećujem trećeligaške terene, gdje igraju entuzijasti koji preko tjedna rade svakodnevne poslove, a vikendom obuvaju kopačke i 90 minuta uživaju u igri. Upravo tu poveznicu između ručnog rada kao „inferiornijeg“ oblika umjetničkog izričaja i niželigaškog nogometa kao „inferiornijeg“ oblika igre od profesionalnog istražujem u ovom radu. Uz to, ručni je rad itekako prisutan u kontekstu nogometa (šalovi, zastavice, grbovi) te na određeni način omekšava mačizam nogometne igre. Rad Extra time također se nadovezuje na ono nešto „dodatno“ što okružuje profesionalni nogomet, a
Extra Time na određeni način zaobilazi amaterski – opet zbog financijske strukture, a to su memorabilije, kolekcionarski predmeti i ostali popratni materijal koji prati svaku ligu, svako svjetsko i europsko prvenstvo i ostala natjecanja. To su, primjerice, sličice koje smo u djetinjstvu sakupljali da bismo svake četiri godine popunili novi album, igrajući pritom razne igre kako bismo izmjenili „dupliće“ i osvojili sličice koje nam nedostaju. U sklopu ove prostorne instalacije, u kojoj kroz različite tehnike dekonstruiram motive iz nogometnog univerzuma, izrađujem i svoje verzije sličica te ću se zajedno s posjetiteljima upustiti u razne igre prijateljskog karaktera, iskušati vještine „tapkanja“ i drugih igara te evocirati trenutke napetosti koje su nam te igre donosile. Imaginarni amaterski klub „Extra time“, ukrašen memorabilijama tipičnim za klupske prostorije svakog velikog kluba, ovom će prilikom dobiti svoje mjesto u „klupskim“ prostorijama HDLU-a. Željko Beljan
In the work Extra Time, I connect my artistic practice of handcraft and my love for football. Similar to handcraft, often perceived as a hobbyist practice, amateur (and lower league) football is ‘inferior’ to the football present in the media. Street football and guerrilla pitches, where football has always been a game, are far from the glamour and the multi-billion-dollar industry that is associated with professional football. Even when I started training as a ‘talented boy’, I was not interested in making the leap to professionalism. However, my love for football (and the game in a broader sense) has persisted to this day. I regularly visit third-league pitches, where enthusiasts who work regular jobs during the week put on their football boots on weekends and enjoy the game for 90 minutes. It is precisely this connection between handcraft as an ‘inferior’ form of artistic expression, and lower league football as an ‘inferior’ form of the game compared to the professional level, that I explore in this artwork. Furthermore, handcraft is very much present in the context of football (scarves, flags, badges), and in a way, it softens the machismo of the football game. The work Extra Time
also builds on the ‘extra’ aspects that surround professional football while somewhat bypassing the amateur realm due to financial structures. These include memorabilia, collectables, and other accompanying materials that accompany every league, world and European championship, and other competitions. These could be collectable cards that we collected as kids to fill a new album every four years. We played various games to swap duplicates and win the cards we did not have. Within this spatial installation, where I deconstruct motifs from the football universe using different techniques, I also create my own versions of collectable cards. Together with the visitors, I engage in friendly games, test skills like tapping the cards, and evoke moments of tension that these games used to evoke in us. The imaginary amateur club Extra Time, adorned with memorabilia typical for the club rooms of every major team, will find its place in the ‘club’ rooms of the Croatian Association of Fine Artists (HDLU). Željko Beljan