Izvolite ispraznite svoje džepove

izvolite ispraznite svoj e dĹžepove

Siniša Labrović — Arkadija (Hrvatska narodna banka) | Arcady (Croatian National Bank), 2009.

— Izvolite ispraznite svoje džepove Please Empty Your Wallets

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Hans Richter

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— Inflacija | Inflation, 1927. – 1928.

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Kristian Kožul & Damir Žižić

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— Standard, 2016.

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Matthew Cornford & David Cross

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— Black Narcissus, 2014.

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Gildo Bavčević

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— Kugla | Orb, 2012.

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Jasmina Cibic

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— Iskustvo nije potrebno. (Osvojite nastup u londonskoj galeriji) | No Experience Necessary (Win a Gallery Show in London), 2012.

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Ola Pehrson

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— Nasdaq Vocal Index, 2004.

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Gabriel Lester

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— The Big One, 2011.

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— Izvolite ispraznite svoje džepove Please Empty Your Wallets — Ksenija Orelj

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— Kasino kapitalizam Casino capitalism — Mislav Žitko

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— Promjenjive vrijednosti Položaj današnje umjetnosti u društvu mijena i besmisla Shifting Values Position of current art in a transforming society that is losing its sense — Michal Koleček

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— Radovi na izložbi Exhibited Works

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— Izvolite ispraznite svoje džepove

Velika razlika između običnog kazina u koji možete zaći ili koji možete zaobići te globalnog kazina visokih financija sastoji se u tome što potonji sve uvlači u svoju igru.

— Susan Strange

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Izvolite ispraznite svoje džepove donosi radove iz muzejskog fundusa i pozvanih autora, uglavnom nastale u posljednjih desetak godina.

Nastoji sagledati izmijenjen društveni krajolik, označen vrtoglavim financijskim formulama i maglovitim protokom novca, usporediv sa distopijskim filmom Hansa Richtera. Inflacija, snimljena za vrijeme Velike depresije (1927. – 1928.), djeluje kao anticipacija suvremenog doba globalne krize. U razdoblju transumerizacije svijeta, obećanje neograničenog rasta i prosperiteta, najavljeno uspostavljanjem globalno otvorenog tržišta, pokazuje se iluzornim. Više se ne nalazimo u sustavu rasta, nego prerastanja i zasićenja koji se sažimlju u činjenici da je ovoga previše. Posvuda ga je previše i sustav se slama zbog ekscesa. Svaki process eksponencijalnog rasta sa sobom donosi neki zid: zid brzine, topline, informacije, transparentnosti, zid virtualnog. (...)

Eksces kapitala uzrokuje spekulaciju i slom. Eksces informacije izaziva činjeničnu neodlučivost i duhovnu pomutnju. 1 Neizvjesnost kao oznaka današnjeg društvenog horizonta pritom je usporedna destabilizaciji sustava rada u kojem porast nezaposlenih ide u korak s povećanjem moći super-bogatih. Istovremeno iznosi javnog duga rastu u nedogled.

Kao umjetnički komentar možemo navesti Sitniš, seriju radova Gilda Bavčevića započetu 2012. Rapidno ispadanje srednje klase opisano je podudarno s devalvacijom najmanje jedinice nacionalne valute, uz izravnu aluziju na ambivalentnu prirodu novca, Money, so they say / Is the root of all evil today (…) Money, it’s a gas / Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash. Bez obzira o kojem kraju svijeta govorimo,

— Please Empty Your Wallets

The great difference, between an ordinary casino which you can go into or stay away from, and the global casino of high finance, is that in the latter we are all involuntarily engaged in the day’s play.

— Susan Strange Please Empty Your Wallets is comprised of the pieces from the Museum’s holdings and the works of invited artists, created mainly over the past ten years. The attempt of this exhibition is to depict an altered social landscape, marked by dizzying financial formulas and vague money flow, such as the one described in Hans Richter’s dystopian film.

Inflation, filmed during the Great Depression (1927 – 1928), represents a sort of anticipation of the global crisis in the modern age. In the times of transnumerization of the world, the promise of immeasurable growth and prosperity, given with the establishment of the globally open market, turns out to be an illusion. We are no longer in a system of growth, but of excrescence and saturation, which can be summed up in the fact that there is too much. There is too much everywhere, and the system cracks up from excess. (…) Every process growing exponentially generates a barrier: the speed barrier, the heat barrier, the information barrier, the transparency barrier, the Virtual barrier. And that barrier is insuperable. (...)The excess of capital engenders speculation and financial collapse. The excess of information engenders undecidability of facts and confusion of minds. 1 Uncertainty, as the mark of today’s social horizon, goes hand in hand with the destabilization of labor, where unemployment grows parallel with the power of the super-rich.

Public debt also keeps growing. The series of works by Gildo Bavčević, Coins, can serve as an artistic comment of this situation. They suggest that the rapid disappearance of the middle class coincides with the devaluation of the smallest unit of the Croatian currency, and directly

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autonomija financijske sfere izgleda samorazumljivo, odriješena čvrstih regulacijskih mehanizama. I sadašnjost i budućnost pojavljuju se u mutnim prognozama, podsjećajući na igru brojeva u kojoj su omjeri minimuma i maksimuma, realnih mogućnosti i onih projiciranih izvan konteksta, napregnuti do samih granica. Dvojac Matthew Cornford i David Cross u Crnom Narcisu (2014.) predstavlja istodobno začudan i tjeskoban socio-pejzaž. Uspon i pad prometa na vertikalnoj skali strmo je stupnjevan, nalik stijenama, hridima i gudurama. Horizontalno prikazan prolazak vremena obuhvaća povijesno razdoblje 2003. – 2013. Od američke invazije na Irak, preko globalne financijske krize i pojave ‘online zviždača’, krajolik utjelovljuje desetljeće traume, kaosa i revolucije. 2 Videoslika, softverski generirana iz financijskih statistika, odražava prijeteće planinske litice, analogno opasnostima kakve su nekada proizlazile prvenstveno iz prirodnih katastrofa.

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Sa savezništvom financijskog kapitala i informacijske tehnologije, kultura tržišta postala je sveobuhvatna i bestežinska, protok kapitala neograničen (...) postavljen izvan geografskih granica ili okvira opipljivog novca. 3 Istovremeno se stječe dojam da novi trgovinski pakt dubinski mijenja radne navike i modalitete rada, percepciju stvarnog i obvezujućeg, generirajući nove obrasce ponašanja u kojem je spekulativno poslovanje često neodvojivo od svojeg dvojnika – trgovine maglom. Nastojeći okupiti medijski različita uobličenja domaćih i stranih autora, izložbom se priklanjamo hotimično karikaturalnom osvrtu na aktualni sustav kao vjerodostojni model svijeta. Rastućem konformizmu pretpostavljamo karnevaleskne izraze i crnohumorne intervencije u svakodnevicu koji i samu umjetnost sagledavaju kao dio spekulativnog poduhvata. Tako su i radovi često bazirani na igrama na sreću koje kao specifična vrsta društvenih igara, u prvi plan ispostavljaju moć predviđanja, kalkuliranja povoljnih ishoda i upuštanja u rizik radi osvajanja što više bodova i prolongiranja potencijalnog užitka. Igre na sreću dakako nisu izum 21. stoljeća, ali njihova rasprostranjenost i sporni odnos dobiti i gubitka pružaju uporište za sagledavanje današnjeg ustroja kao natjecateljske utrke u umnoženim prostorima globalne kockarnice. Nasuprot napornog rada ili trpnog iščekivanja kakvog-takvog posla, igre na sreću mame obećanjem brzog uspjeha. Sumiraju dobro znani, često ignorirani paradoks kasne potrošačke kulture u kojoj naoko široka mogućnost

point to the ambivalent nature of money. Money, so they say / Is the root of all evil today (…) Money, it’s a gas / Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash. Regardless of which part of the world is being discussed here, the autonomy of financial sphere seems selfexplanatory, free from strict regulatory mechanisms. Both the present and the future appear in foggy forecasts, reminding of the game of numbers in which the ratios of minimum and maximum, of real and far-fetched possibilities, are stretched to the extremes. Matthew Cornford & David Cross in Black Narcissus (2014) reveal a social landscape that is wondrous and foreboding at the same time. The rise and fall of trade in the vertical scale of the graphs emerges as steep gradients resembling rock faces, cliffs and ravines. The passage of time on the horizontal scale encompasses the historical period 2003—2013.

From the US invasion of Iraq, through the Global Financial Crisis, and the emergence of ‘online whistleblowers’, the landscape embodies a decade of trauma, chaos and revolution. 2 The video image, digitally generated from financial statistics, reflects an ominous mountain range, reminding of the dangers that were once posed primarily by natural disasters.

With the alliance of financial capital and information technology, the culture of the market has become total and weightless, capital flow becomes unrestricted (…) and has installed itself in a time beyond geography and touchable money. 3 There is an impression that the new trade pact profoundly changes working habits and labor modalities; it changes the perception of what is real and what is mandatory, generating new patterns of behavior in which speculative business is just smoke and mirrors. In an attempt to gather different works of the Croatian and foreign artists, this exhibition leans toward a caricature description of today’s system as the credible model of the world.

The growing conformism is replaced by carnivalesque expressions and black humor interventions into the everydayness, which treat art itself as part of a speculative endeavor. Therefore, the exhibited works are often based on games of chance, which rely on prediction, calculation of favorable outcomes and risk in order to gain as many points and prolong potential pleasure. Of course, games of chance were not invented in the 21st century, but their prevalence and the arguable relationship of winning and losing gives grounds for an

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izbora zapravo vodi bezbroju sličnih rezultata i predvidljivih načina reagiranja, što je i okosnica serije radova na temu marketinških trikova tandema Žižić/Kožul, započetih 2014. Ultimativni konzumerizam javlja se kao izvrnuta zrcalna slika tradicionalnih imperativa doživotnog rada, skrbi i štednje. Cash and carry, igraj i osvoji, uzmi i zažmiri na posljedice… Satirički osvrt posreduje intervencija u javnom prostoru Jasmine Cibic, izvedena uoči kulturne Olimpijade u Londonu 2012.

Umjetnica se već naslovno poigrava s idejom kako za ostvarivanje uspjeha radno iskustvo nije potrebno – No Experience Necessary (Win a Gallery Show in London). Slučajnog prolaznika poziva na igru pogađanja u kojoj neznani sretnik možda osvoji izložbeni nastup u prestižnom galerijskom svijetu. 4

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Presijecanjem sfera financijske, marketinške i zabavne industrije, muzejski prostor postaje nastanjen mešetarima, mogulima, guruima, zvjezdoznancima, spin doktorima, figurama koje možemo prepoznati i u stvarnosti samoj. Njime također kruže nerazrješivi dužnici koji poput onih iz sistema izopćenih, podsjećaju na demonsku stranu korporativnog svijeta. Kroz izdvajanja ishitrenih aspekata današnjeg sustava, izložbom se dotičemo kulture kazina kao učestalog sinonima vremena, uz 24/7 protok kapitala i fluktuirajuće tržišne vrijednosti, podrazumijevajući rizična ulaganja i rastuću korupciju. Mnogi teoretičari začetke uviđaju u sedamdesetim godinama kada se paralelno deindustrijalizacijskim procesima odvija osamostaljivanje financijske ekonomije i jačanje spekulativnog tržišta u odnosu na realnu proizvodnju. Ukidanje zlatnog standarda, širenje digitalnih tržišta, uvođenje novih monetarnih instrumenata i formula, uz komodifikaciju rizika te uvođenje do tada nepomišljanih predmeta spekulacije, neki su od primjera. 5 U vremenu Numeričkog boga, zbiljska komunikacija nalikuje lutanju u mreži virtualnih supstituta. Tome nasuprot umjetnički radovi apstraktne transakcije prevode u osjetilno dojmljive forme, opirući se levitiranju u elektronskoj izmaglici, poput videa Nasdaq Vocal Index Ole Pehrsona (2003. – 2004.). Promjene u kretanju dionica na NASDAQ burzi, prvoj svjetskoj i najvećoj američkoj elektroničkoj burzi, Pehrson prenosi kroz glasovnu izvedbu lokalnih zborova u gradovima diljem svijeta. Polazeći od metamorfičnog karaktera novca koji

analysis of today’s system as a race competition taking place in the multiplied spaces of the global gambling house. In contrast to hard work and eager expectation of any employment, games of chance lure us with promises of instant success. They sum up the well-known, but often ignored, paradox of the late consumer culture where a seemingly wide range of choices actually leads to a number of similar results and predictable reactions. This served as the basis for works about marketing tricks, which Žižić & Kožul duo began creating in 2014. The ultimate consumerism emerges as a distorted mirror image of the traditional imperatives of life-long labor, care and moneysaving. Cash and carry, play and win, take it and close your eyes to the conseqences... Jasmina Cibic’s public space intervention, performed on the occasion of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad in London, offers a satirical description of the situation. The idea that one does not need any work experience to succeed is suggested in the very title of the work – No Experience Necessary (Win a Gallery Show in London). In this project, a random passer-by is invited to play a game of guessing, in which the lucky stranger may win a performance in the prestigious gallery world. 4 By fusing the spheres of financial, marketing and entertainment industry, the museum space becomes filled with brokers, moguls, gurus, astronomers, spin doctors… Eternal debtors also wander around, as the outcasts of the system, reminding of the demonic side of the corporate world. By identifying contrived aspects of today’s system, this exhibition describes casino culture as the synonym of our time, marked by a nonstop flow of capital, market fluctuations, risky investments and an increasing corruption. Many theorists detect the beginnings of this situation in the 70s, when deindustrialization coincided with the liberation of financial economy and the development of speculative market. The abandonment of gold standard, expansion of digital markets, introduction of new monetary instruments and formulas, along with the commodification of risk and the inauguration of speculation, which was unimaginable at the time, are just some of characteristics. 5 In the times of Numeric God, real communication looks like wandering in a network of virtual substitutes. In contrast to that, these artworks

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masovno određuje prihvatljive vizije sreće i dobrog života, umjetnički radovi oslovljavaju začaravajući jezik kapitala. Njegove enigmatične konfiguracije kojima se pokazuje kao povijesna forma spasa, dovode do apsurda. Ironiziraju mit zamamnog preobilja koji vabi ponudom o lakom uspjehu i neposrednom zadovoljenju želje, onkraj realnih mogućnosti i mimo uvriježenih kontrolnih mehanizama. Nadmenim scenarijima i upitnim pokrićima, slijede ciklusi pada, u beskonačnim petljama. Smjena egzaltiranosti sa stanjima ispuhanosti i tjeskobe učestale su slike na izložbi. Osobito su naglašene u radovima koji se izravno bave fenomenom igara na sreću, u kontekstu njihovog integriranja u industriju zabave, a time i masovne popularizacije.

Radovi se dotiču za lutrijske igre karakterističnog elementa vertiga, 6 istražujući vremenske procjepe i vrtoglave prostore globaliziranog teritorija. Začarani krug u kojem konkretne koordinate vremena i prostora, a i fizičkog osjećaja tijela bivaju suspendirane, podsjeća da svako doba razvija specifične modalitete obmana, kompenzacija i načina sučeljavanja. Spektakularno iščekivanje lutrijske objave u The Big One Gabriela Lestera (2011.) nalikuje očekivanju božanskog ukazanja, bez jasnih ishoda. Zatvoreni, luksuzan ambijent u potpunoj je opreci sa poslijetranzicijskim krajolikom prikazanim u Brojčaniku Kristine Benjocki (2014.). U videu tumaraju mahom stariji ljudi zapeli u ekonomskoj nedođiji, pokušavajući se oduprijeti potpunom zaboravu.

Vraćajući se na globalnu ekspanziju spekulativnog tržišta, pozadinsku dinamiku možemo sažeti kao prekinutu vezu između informacijskog neba iznad naših glava i egzistencijalnog tla pod našim nogama, 7 a financijske centre kao nevidljivu ruku koja okreće Fortunin kotač najširih masa. Takav upliv, odnosno vremenski i teritorijalno neograničeno djelovanje financijske elite, čini se dovodi do kolokvijalnog pojašnjenja da nadnaravne sile dirigiraju tijek događaja. Razlike između ozbiljne ponude i očite ludorije, provjerene analize i tek vjerojatne statistike, doimaju se porozne. Metode predviđanja rezultata, prevođenja kalkulacija i iznalaženja načina njihovog predstavljanja kao optimalnih rješenja, u umjetničkim su radovima korelirane onima koje podrazumijevaju moć sugestije i zadobivanje povjerenja afirmativnom retorikom. Uz rasterećujuću komiku, umjetnički radovi posreduju obnovljen interes za raznolike proročke prakse, od horoskopa do astro-psiholoških savjeta i inih

translate the abstract transactions into sensory impressive forms, resisting the levitation in electronic haze, such as Ola Pehrson’s video Nasdaq Vocal Index (2003-2004). Pehrson presents the trends in NASDAQ, the world’s first and the USA’S largest electronic stock market, through a vocal performance of local choirs in different cities across the world. Starting from the metamorphic character of money, which largely determines the acceptable visions of good life and happiness, these works depict the alluring language of capital.

Enigmatic configurations, through which capital presents itself as the historic form of salvation, prove as absurd. They ironize the myth of seductive wealth that lures us by offering quick success and instant gratification, beyond real possibilities and away from the usual control mechanisms. Exaggerated scenarios and questionable excuses are to end up in a series of falls, in endless loops. The shifts from the states of intensity to the states of deflation are frequent images in this exhibition. They are especially emphasized in the works that describe the games of chance, in the context of their integration into entertainment industry and their mass popularity. The works incorporate the element of vertigo, which is typical for lottery games, 6 exploring time gaps and dizzying spaces of the globalized territory.

The vicious circle, in which concrete coordinates of time and spaces cease to exist, remind of the fact that each age creates its own modalities of deception, compensations and coping mechanisms. The spectacular anticipation of lottery announcement in The Big One by Gabriel Lester (2011) resembles an expectation of God’s apparition, but with an unclear conclusion. Lester’s luxurious interior is in sheer contradiction with the post-transitional landscape described in Clock Face by Kristina Benjocki (2014). Benjocki’s video shows elderly people drifting aimlessly in an economic Neverland, struggling to elude utter oblivion.

As for the global expansion of speculative market, its underlying dynamic can be shortly described as a fundamental disconnect between the informational sky above our heads and the existential ground beneath our feet, 7 where financial centers act as an invisible hand that spins the Rota Fortunae of the largest masses. Such an effect, that is, the temporally and territorially unlimited influence of the financial elite, seems to offer an informal explanation that

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pripravaka za potpomaganje lagodnijeg raspoloženja, istodobno potičući razmišljanje o njihovoj podudarnosti s okultizmom suvremene ekonomije. Spomenimo Telemistiku Christiana Jankowskog (1999.) u kojem se autor kod TV-astrologa raspituje o uspjehu svojeg skorašnjeg nastupa na Venecijanskom bijenalu. Ili videoperformans Kapital: Čarobni recepti za ljubav, sreću i zdravlje Anette Mona Chişe i Lucije Tkáčove (2006.), u kojem proročko štivo o sablastima kapitalizma, Marxov Kapital, postaje medijem za ugađanje osobne budućnosti.

Znamenke i kockice, numeričke formule i financijski dijagrami povezuju se u svojem dvojbenom pristupu stvarnosti, i na karakterističan spekulativan način koji evocira umnoženo značenje speculari – promatrati, procjenjivati, pretpostavljati, proricati, pogađati, nadgledati, nadzirati... Pritom nas činjenica da je upravo društvo znanja iznjedrilo ovako osebujne oblike rada, upućuje na staru tezu o bujanju sive ekonomije u prijelomnim razdobljima u kojima se tradicionalna uporišta pokazuju nestabilnima. Mahnitost i bojazni. Hirovita eksplozija nesigurnosti, dozivanje magičnih formula i rješenja, čarobiranja na nepredvidivoj liniji budućnosti, tek su neki od simptoma krize koja se pretražuju izložbom. Čudnovate pa i utvarne pojave česta su pratnja umjetničkih radova. Upućuju na raskorak između simbola prosperiteta i svakodnevnog stanja stvari. U crtežima Mirne Kutleše (objavljenim u Le Monde diplomatique 2015. – 2016.), realna ekonomska nelagoda odražena je situacijama klopke. Lovine i predatori, životinjski likovi, glavni su akteri, aludirajući na znanu izreku o animalnim pobudama koje pokreću tržišna kretanja. Za razliku od Kutlešinih karikatura koje personificiraju stanje malih igrača u tržišnim kretanjima, Arkadija Siniše Labrovića (2009.) okrenuta je satiri o središtima društvene moći.

Realne su fasade zamijenjene fotošopiranim iluzijama blagostanja u kojima obitavaju svemoćne sile, nalik ukazanjima nebesa. Jer kad pomislimo na našu Vladu i naš Sabor, Hrvatsku narodnu banku i Katoličku Crkvu (...), zar nam se ne javljaju prizori sklada i radosti, znanja i požrtvovnosti, junaštva i časti, ljepote i veličajnosti, idealizma i ljubavi, pregalaštva za istinu i marnog rada za opće dobro?! 8 — Ksenija Orelj

the course of events is dictated by supernatural forces. Differences between a serious offer and plain foolishness, between a confirmed analysis and slightly probable statistics, appear porous. The methods of result prediction and interpretation of calculations, including the examination of ways of presenting the calculations as optimal solutions, are compared with methods that involve the power of suggestion and the earning of trust using affirmative rhetoric. With a lightening humor, the artworks present a renewed interest in various practices of prophesying, from horoscopes and astropsychological advice to different formulas of mood-lifting, hinting at their similarity with the occultism of the contemporary economy. We should mention Telemistica by Christian Jankowski (1999), where the artist asks TV astrologists about his upcoming performance at the Venice Biennial.

Or video titled The Capital: Magic Recipes for Love, Happiness and Health by Anetta Mona Chişa and Lucia Tkáčova (2006), in which the visionary book about demons of capitalism, Marx’s Capital, becomes the medium of adjusting personal future. Numbers, squares, formulas and financial diagrams are joined in unity by their questionable approach to reality. It happens in a characteristically speculative way, which calls to mind the multiple meaning of the word speculari – to observe, to appraise, to foretell, to guess, to monitor, to oversee… The fact that it is precisely the society of knowledge that gave rise to such peculiar forms of work points to the old theory about the proliferation of grey economy in transitional periods when traditional strongholds prove unstable. Madness and dreads. A capricious explosion of insecurity, invocation of magic formulas and solutions, sorcery performed along the unpredictable frontiers of future; these are just some of the crisis symptoms examined in this exhibition. Strange, even eerie manifestations accompany these artworks, suggesting there is a disagreement between the symbols of prosperity and the actual state of affairs. In the drawings of Mirna Kutleša (published in Le Monde diplomatique 2015 – 2016), the real economic unease is reflected in the images of traps. The main protagonists are predators and prey, which reminds of well-known theory that markets are driven by animal spirits. In contrast to Kutleša’s caricatures, which personify the state of small players in the market, The Arcadia by Siniša Labrović (2009) acts as satirical description of the centers of social power. Real facades are replaced with retouched illusions of prosperity, inhabited

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— 1 Jean Baudrillard, Inteligencija zla ili pakt lucidnosti, Naklada Ljevak, Zagreb, 2006., str. 183.

— 2 Usp., http://www.cornfordandcross.com/ projects/2014/blacknarcissus/index.html. O imaginariju novca u umjetnosti od 18. stoljeća do danas http://imageoffinance.com/. Projekt je jedan u nizu primjera koji tematiziraju povijest i posljedice ekonomskih kriza.

— 3 Joseph Vogl, Das Gespenst des Kapitals, Diaphanes, Zürich, 2010., str. 4.

— 4 Ken Pratt, http://jasminacibic.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/09/Cibic_Ken-Pratt-NoExperience-Necessary.pdf — 5 Za ilustraciju specifičnih primjera usp., http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/ out-of-control-the-destructive-power-of-the-

financial-markets-a-781590-4.html. O nastanku kazino kapitalizma i simptomima ekonomske i financijske krize usp., http://www.untag-smd.ac.id/ files/Perpustakaan_Digital_2/NEOLIBERALISM%20 Millennial%20Capitalism%20and%20the%20 Culture%20of%20Neoliberalism.pdf — 6 Usp., Roger Caillois, Man, Play and Games, University of Illinois Press, 2001., te specifično za igraće automate, Natasha Dow Schüll, Addiction

by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas, Princeton University Press, 2013.

— 7 Brian Holmes, https://brianholmes.wordpress. com/2009/11/06/is-it-written-in-the-stars/ — 8 Siniša Labrović, http://blog.dnevnik.hr/ catwalk/2009/06/1626375872/trazi-se-sinisalabrovic.html

by almighty powers that look like heavenly apparitions. When we think of our government and the parliament, don’t we think of the scenes of harmony and joy, knowledge and sacrifice, heroism and honor, beauty and magnificence, idealism and love, dedication to truth and hard work for common good?! 8 — Ksenija Orelj

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— 1 Jean Baudrillard, Inteligencija zla ili pakt lucidnosti, Naklada Ljevak, Zagreb, 2006., p. 183.

— 2 http://www.cornfordandcross.com/ projects/2014/blacknarcissus/index.html; on the image of finance from the 18th century onwards: http://imageoffinance.com/. The project is one of the examples that thematicize history and the effects of the economic downturns.

— 3 Joseph Vogl, Das Gespenst des Kapitals, Diaphanes, Zürich, 2010., p. 4.

— 4 Ken Pratt, http://jasminacibic.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/09/Cibic_Ken-Pratt-NoExperience-Necessary.pdf — 5 For specific examples, cf. http://www. spiegel.de/international/business/out-ofcontrol-the-destructive-power-of-the-financialmarkets-a-781590-4.html. For more information

about the development of casino capitalism and the symptoms of the economic and financial crisis, http://www.untag-smd.ac.id/files/ Perpustakaan_Digital_2/NEOLIBERALISM%20 Millennial%20Capitalism%20and%20the%20 Culture%20of%20Neoliberalism.pdf — 6 Cf. Roger Caillois, Man, Play and Games, University of Illinois Press, 2001, and specifically for gambling machines, Natasha Dow Schüll, Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas, Princeton University Press, 2013 — 7 Brian Holmes, https://brianholmes. wordpress.com/2009/11/06/is-it-written-in-thestars/ — 8 Siniša Labrović, http://blog.dnevnik.hr/ catwalk/2009/06/1626375872/trazi-se-sinisalabrovic.html

— Kasino kapitalizam

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Eisensteinov nedovršeni projekt ekranizacije Marxovog Kapitala možemo uzeti za početnu točku razmišljanja o mogućnosti da se kroz umjetničke prakse predstavi i zatim onkraj akademske podjele rada promisli sama kapitalistička dinamika. Iako Klugeov hommage Eisensteinu 1 može funkcionirati kao pokušaj da se uđe u dijalog s njegovim razumijevanjem političnosti umjetničke proizvodnje, temeljna pitanja o mogućnosti predstavljanja dinamike kapitalizma drugim, naime umjetničkim sredstvima nisu zaključno odgovorena.

Kako je uopće moguće umjetničkim sredstvima predstaviti temeljne Marxove kategorije poput robe, novca, vrijednosti ili profita koje imaju tako prominentno mjesto u Kapitalu?

Navrh tog skupa problema otvara se novi, u današnjem post-kriznom vremenu jednako tako izazovan i važan, a tiče se transformacija samog globalnog kapitalizma od vremena Marxa, pa onda i Eisensteina. U razmjerno širokom spektru od Richterovog pokušaja tematiziranja trauma hiperinflacije 1927. do suvremenih ekranizacija financijske krize, dovoljno se sjetiti McCayevog The Big Short, čini se da je dokumentarizam bio glavni oslonac rekonstrukcije ekonomske dinamike s uobičajenim, ali važnim nadopunama u pogledu kulturnopsihologijske dimenzije krize. Odgovor na pitanje mogu li umjetničke prakse dati još nešto onkraj gotovo prinudnog dokumentarizma može se tražiti samo u polju umjetničke proizvodnje, no prije je potrebno nešto reći o spomenutim transformacijama kapitalizma.

Pritom je implicitna oklada da povratak na teoretizaciju mijena u procesu akumulacije kapitala (mijena za koje je još Marx držao da su neizostavna i inherentna obilježja kapitalizma), može biti od koristi za refleksiju i vrednovanje onoga što se događa ili će se događati u umjetničkom polju.

— Casino capitalism

Eisenstein’s unfinished project of making a screen version of Marx’s Capital may be taken as the basis for reflection about a possibility of using artistic practices to depict the dynamic of capitalism, beyond the bounds of the academic division of labor. Although Kluge’s homage to Eisenstein 1 may function as an attempt to engage in a dialogue with his understanding of the politicality of art production, fundamental questions about the possibility of depicting the dynamic of capitalism using other, particularly artistic means, have not received a definite answer. How is it possible to interpret fundamental Marx’s categories, such as commodity, money, value or profit, which have such a prominent position in The Capital, in the language of art?

There is another problem lying on top of that, a problem equally challenging and equally important in this age of post-crisis, and it concerns the transformations of global capitalism since Marx’s and Eisenstein’s times. In a broad specter of efforts, starting from Richter’s attempt of thematicizing the traumas of hyperinflation in 1927 to the contemporary screen versions of the financial crisis – it is enough to remember McCay’s The Big Short – it seems that documentarism has been the basic means of reconstruction of the economic dynamic with usual, but important, additions relating to cultural and psychological dimension of the crisis. The answer to the question whether art practices can offer something else beyond an almost forced documentarism can be searched only in the field of art production, but before that, it is necessary to say something about the aforementioned transformations of capitalism. There is an implied suggestion that returning to the theoretization of changes in the process of accumulation of capital may be useful for contemplation and evaluation of what happens or will be happening in the realm of art.

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Pojam kasino kapitalizam ušao je u teorijski, a zatim i opći javni optjecaj na krilima publikacija poput one britanske političke ekonomistice Susan Strange. Njezina istoimena knjiga (Casino capitalism) iz 1986. ocrtava promjene u globalnoj financijskoj arhitekturi nakon sloma regulatornog okvira formuliranog nakon Drugog svjetskog rata u Bretton Woodsu. Međunarodni monetarnoregulacijski režim koji je tada inauguriran predstavljao je krov društveno-ekonomske zgrade koja je utemeljena na principima kejnzijanske ekonomske teorije i intervencionističkim institucijama države blagostanja. Takva međunarodna regulativa, zajedno s pripadajućim institucijama i ekonomskom politikom omogućila je da razdoblje od 1945. do ugrubo početka 1970ih bude obilježeno ekonomskim rastom, proširivanjem socijalnih prava, značajnim investicijama u javnu infrastrukturu i ukroćenim financijama. Iako se gdjekad navodi kako je riječ o zlatnom razdoblju u povijesti kapitalizma, mi ćemo se suzdržati historijski obvezujućih vrijednosnih sudova i ostati samo na navedenim indikatorima razdoblja. Razlog tomu leži u činjenici da razdoblje nastajanja država blagostanja unutar razvijenih kapitalističkih formacija, uza sve progresivne aspekte, istovremeno karakterizira opresivno-disciplinarno djelovanje prema vlastitom stanovništvu, te imperijalne tendencije u međunarodnim odnosima koje su se često sukobljavale s demokratskim tendencijama u zemljama Prvog i Trećeg svijeta.

Ostavljajući to zasad po strani, isticanje Bretton Woods režima i kejnzijanske države blagostanja ovdje služi prije svega kao pozadina na kojoj se može jasnije i preciznije razmotriti silna volatilnost na financijskim tržištima i nesigurnost na tržištima rada koje dolaze kao posljedica uspona financija i uspostave novog interpretacijskog obrasca u javnim raspravama kojega najbolje poznajemo pod nazivom neoliberalizam.

Kasino kapitalizam je, prema tome, sintagma koja nam pokušava nešto reći o usponu financija i novim visokorizičnim praksama financijskog poslovanja koje donose visoku dobit za investitore, odnosno financijske institucije, ali istovremeno siju ekonomsku nejednakost i fragilnost ekonomskog sustava koja se po posljedicama može usporediti Velikom depresijom iz tridesetih godina prošlog stoljeća. Glavno je pitanje pritom što je ono novo što donosi kasino

The term casino capitalism entered the theoretical and general public sphere on the wings of publications such as those written by the British political economist Susan Strange. Her book of the same name, Casino capitalism, published in 1986, depicts changes in the global financial architecture following the breakdown of regulation framework formed after the World War 2 in Bretton Woods. The international monetary regulation regime that was inaugurated in that period represented the roof of a socio-economic building whose foundation was laid on the principles of Keynesian economics and interventionist institutions of the Welfare State. Owing to this system of international regulation and the accompanying institutions and economic policies, the period from 1945 to the beginning of the 1970s was marked by economic growth, expansion of social rights, considerable investments in public infrastructure and tamed finance.

Although this period is widely known as the Golden Age of Capitalism, we prefer to refrain from such historically binding conclusions and stick only to the above described indicators of the era. The reason lies in the fact that the period of welfare states formation on the territories of developed capitalist establishments was simultaneously characterized by oppressive and disciplinary actions taken against own citizens. In addition, the period was characterized by imperialistic tendencies in international relations, which often came in conflict with democratic tendencies in the countries of the First and Third World. Putting this aside for the moment, reference to the Bretton Woods regime and Keynesian Welfare State serves here primarily as a background against which we can more clearly and more precisely observe the high volatility of financial markets and major insecurity on labor markets, which came as results of the ascension of finance and the establishment of a new interpretation pattern in public discussions, best known under the name of neoliberalism.

Therefore, casino capitalism is a phrase that tries to tell us something about the rise of finance and new high-risk practices of financial business. Such practices generate large profit for investors, i.e., financial institutions, but at the same time they cause economic inequality and fragility of economic system, fragility that can be compared to the Great Depression of 1930s. The main issue is: what novelties are brought by casino capitalism and is the casino

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kapitalizam, te da li je metafora kasina dovoljno dobro pogođena da obuhvati ključne promjene? Poznato je da ekonomska globalizacija nije fenomen ekskluzivno vezan za kasno 20. stoljeće budući da je takozvana prva globalizacija u razdoblju od ugrubo 1850ih do početka Prvog svjetskog rata također vođena skokovima u tehnološkom razvoju, liberalizacijom trgovinskih odnosa i razmjene, te povećanom mobilnošću ljudi i kapitala. Distinktivna obilježja kasino kapitalizma odnose se na nove uloge institucija poput rejting agencija, mirovinskih i hedge fondova i offshore financijskih centara u održavanju globalne mreže ekonomskih odnosa, te novih oblika financijske imovine poput financijskih derivata i drugih dužničkih instrumenata u širenju utjecaja financija sve do razine svakodnevnog života.

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Metaforu kasina u tom smislu ne treba shvatiti doslovno. Kada bismo htjeli pokazati kako obilježja suvremenog kapitalizma korespondiraju s obilježjima kasina kao mjesta potencijalne zarade putem igara na sreću, morali bismo ustvari opisati ekonomiju u kojoj su sudionici, poput primjerice igrača ruleta, suočeni s istim rizicima, odnosno istim vjerojatnostima dobitka ili gubitka bogatstva. Međutim, svaka nova ekonomska kriza zaključno s onom posljednjom iz 2008. pokazuje da igrači za kapitalističkim stolom nisu u istoj poziciji.

Insajderske informacije, prikrivanje gubitaka, prenošenje rizika na treće stranke, te izdašne državne financijske injekcije za posrnule banke i fondove (tzv. bail-out paketi) samo su neke od pojava koje nas upućuju na činjenicu da suvremeni financijalizirani kapitalizam nije tek obični kasino.

Možda stoga vrijednost kasino metafore treba tražiti u elementima kockarskog života koje ne možemo opisati u jednostavnim terminima vjerojatnosti i rizika. Patologija kockanja, kriminalne aktivnosti, iracionalni spekulativni pothvati, uništavanje društvenog bogatstva i promatranje svijeta kroz isključivu prizmu dobiti predstavljaju ono na što zapravo cilja metafora kasino kapitalizma. U mjeri u kojoj se svijet financija proširio iz domene banaka i investicijskih fondova na domenu kućanstava i svakodnevnog života, pretpostavljeni nositelji demokratskog života postaju kalkulirajući subjekti usredotočeni na vlastitu mrežu dugova i imovine, suviše zabavljeni mogućim

metaphor appropriate for encompassing the key changes that have taken place? It is generally known that economic globalization is not a phenomenon related exclusively to the end of 20th century.

The so-called “first globalization�, which took place approximately from the 1850s to the beginning of the World War 1, was also driven by breakthroughs in technological development, by liberalization of trade, and by increased mobility of human resources and capital.

Distinctive aspects of casino capitalism refer to new roles that financial institutions, like credit rating agencies, pension and hedge funds and offshore financial centers, have in the maintenance of global network of economic relations. These aspects also include new forms of financial assets like financial derivatives and other debt instruments, which also have their part in the expansion of influence of finance onto the sphere of everyday life.

In that sense, the casino metaphor should not be taken literally.

In order to show how the features of contemporary capitalism correspond to the features of casino as the place of potential earning by playing games of chance, we would have to describe an economy in which all protagonists, like roulette players, are faced with same risks, i.e., with same probabilities of losing or winning. However, each new economic downturn, including the latest, the 2008 financial crisis, shows that the players sitting at the capitalist gaming table are not in the same position. Insider information, disguising of losses, shifting of risks onto third parties and hefty financial injections given to fallen banks and funds (the so-called bailout packages) are just some of the phenomena pointing to the fact that contemporary financialized capitalism is not just an ordinary casino.

Perhaps the meaning of the casino metaphor should be sought in elements of gambling life, elements that cannot be described in simple terms of risk and probability. Gambling pathology, criminal activities, irrational speculative endeavors, destruction of social wealth and observation of the world solely through the prism of profit are the aspects which casino metaphor aims at. Since the world of finance has spread from the domain of banks and investment funds onto the domain of households and everyday life, the presumed holders of democracy have turned into calculating entities focused

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ishodima u igri za koju će se kasnije ispostaviti da je namještena da bi primijetili kako financijska dinamika korumpira političke institucije i onemogućuje osmišljavanje zajedničkog djelovanja.

Vraćajući se na Eisensteinov problem reprezentacije Kapitala možemo, nakon crtica recentne ekonomske povijesti, postaviti pitanje o tome što je ključna dimenzija ekonomije sagrađene oko složenih financijskih instrumenta i institucija. Prema jednoj interpretaciji, Eisenstein je u postupku prevođenja Kapitala u filmski jezik želio po svaku cijenu izbjeći snimanje burze jer je držao da slike mjesta trgovine dioničkim kapitalom skrivaju pravu istinu procesa robne proizvodnje. Važno je uočiti da se ovdje ne radi tek o Eisensteinovoj pedagoškoj intenciji da sadržaj marksističke teorije oblikuje na način podoban za radničku klasu koja nema privilegiju akademske dokolice, već o mnogo fundamentalnijem pitanju s kojim se nedvojbeno susreće i suvremena umjetnička proizvodnja.

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Do koje mjere su fenomeni koje nastojimo obuhvatiti kroz tematizaciju visokih financija i kasino kapitalizma izvedenice jednog temeljnijeg problema koji leži u samoj domeni ekonomske proizvodnje? Na to pitanje ne možemo ovdje dati konačan odgovor, ali možemo podcrtati još jednom da razumijevanje opsega, brzine i volatilnosti financija zbog kojih nam se čini da je suvremeni svijet pretvoren u veliku kockarnicu, treba biti utemeljeno ne samo na zahvaćanju unutrašnjih promjena financijskog sustava, nego, istovremeno, na društvenim, a zatim i specifično klasnim odnosima.

Bez pomjeranja odnosa rada i kapitala, te posljedičnog redefiniranja njihovih pregovaračkih pozicija, kretanje prema financijalizaciji kapitalizma bilo bi mnogo teže i mnogo sporije, nego što je to historijski slučaj. Kockanje moćnih financijskih organizacija i prebacivanje rizika na one koji nikad nisu ni bili u prilici da nešto u toj igri dobiju, ovisno je podjednako o novoj tehnologiji koja facilitira takve prakse i političkim procesima koji institucionalno omogućuju stvaranje i održavanje fragilne ekonomije vođene financijskim mjehurima, radije nego proizvodnjom upotrebnih vrijednosti. To je lekcija koju treba usvojiti kao preduvjet tematiziranja kasino kapitalizma, a do koje mjere će umjetnička praksa to uspjeti možemo suditi samo kroz aktivni doticaj s njezinim artefaktima. Pritom je jedini

on their own networks of debts and assets and they are too consumed in potential outcomes of the game, which will eventually prove to be rigged, to notice that the finance dynamic corrupts financial institutions and hinders any form of common activities.

Returning to Eisenstein’s problem of reinterpretation of The Capital, we may, after these short lines describing the recent economic history, pose the question about the key dimension of economy built around complex financial instruments and institutions. According to one of the interpretations, Eisenstein, in his process of translating The Capital into the language of film, wanted to avoid, at all costs, filming the stock exchange because he believed that such places concealed the real truth behind the process of commodity production. It is important to notice that this was not just Eisenstein’s pedagogical intention to shape the content of Marx’s theory in a way suitable for working class, who do not have the privilege of enjoying academic leisure.

The question is much more fundamental and it certainly concerns the contemporary art as well. To what extent are the phenomena we try to grasp through thematization of high finance and casino capitalism derivatives of a single, more vital problem which lies in the very domain of economic production? We cannot provide a definite answer to that question here, but we can re-emphasize the fact that understanding the scope, speed and volatility of finance, which send an impression that the present world has been transformed into a giant gambling house, should be based not just on understanding changes inherent to the financial system, but also on comprehending social and class relations. Without changes in the relation between labor and capital and the consequent redefinition of their positions of negotiation, the process of financialization of capitalism would have taken place much harder and significantly slower. The gambling of powerful financial organizations and the processes of shifting the burden of risks onto those who have never had the opportunity to win anything in this game rely on new technologies which facilitate such practices. These processes depend on political developments that allow for establishment and conservation of a fragile economy lead by financial bubbles, rather than production of usable values. This is the lesson that has to be learned as the prerequisite for thematization

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stvarni neuspjeh u pokušaju umjetnički posredovanog suočavanja s ekonomskom stvarnošću od kojeg treba strahovati, zauzimanje apstraktne i indiferentne pozicije kakvu zauzima sam kapital u ekonomskom polju.

— Mislav Žitko

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— 1 Mislimo na njegov devetosatni filmski kompozit iz 2008. pod naslovom Nachrichten aus der ideologischen Antike - Marx/Eisenstein/Das Kapital

of casino capitalism. The extent to which art will succeed in this endeavor can be assessed only in an active relationship with its artifacts. The only real failure in the attempt of an artistically mediated confrontation with the economic reality – failure that should be feared of – is in taking an abstract and indifferent position similar to that taken by capital itself in the economic sphere.

— Mislav Žitko

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— 1 We refer to his nine-hour film from 2008, titled Nachrichten aus der ideologischen Antike - Marx/Eisenstein/Das Kapital

— Promjenjive vrijednosti Položaj današnje umjetnosti u društvu mijena i besmisla

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Istinski etičko ponašanje u sferi umjetnosti zahtijeva prostor za kritički i kreativan dijalog; takav dijalog čini samu srž umjetničkoetičkog ponašanja. Kako bi se pridonijelo etičkim interakcijama u drugim područjima, bilo da je riječ o potrazi za političkom pravdom, djelotvornim gospodarskim upravljanjem ili kulturnom solidarnošću, umjetnost mora biti ključni društveni prostor za imaginativno otkrivanje istine. Dijalog i otkrivanje istine predstavljaju žile kucavice umjetničke etike. Kroz njih teče životna sila umjetničkog doprinosa društvenom moralu. 1 Promotrimo li umjetnička djela koja spajaju naizgled različita područja ljudske aktivnosti, poput stvaranja gospodarskog profita, kreiranja estetskih vrijednosti ili potrage za etičkom dimenzijom postojanja, nedvojbeno je da se moramo okrenuti osnovnim problemima koji karakteriziraju današnji društveni kontekst, no važno je i to da se prisjetimo određenih povijesnih promjena koje su predodredile današnju situaciju. Ovakva definicija prvenstveno se odnosi na specifične pozicije zemalja koje su nedavno izašle iz razdoblja totalitarizma pod utjecajem sovjetskog imperija, da bi se potom našle u već poodmakloj fazi neoliberalizma. Posvemašnja preobrazba iz društvenih odnosa utemeljenih na poštivanju znatne redukcije privatnog vlasništva i tržišnih mehanizama u gotovo neograničenu dominaciju kapitala i gospodarske moći korporacija uzrokovala je u ovakvim zajednicama kontradiktorne reakcije. Ove reakcije osciliraju između euforičnih faza nekritičke opčinjenosti i faza kobnog razočaranja, što često dovodi do radikalnog ekstremizma.

Možda je upravo ovo iskustvo ‘drugosti’ u strujama trenutačnog globalnog razvoja potaknulo mnoge autore koji su odrastali

— Shifting Values Position of current art in a transforming society that is losing its sense

Properly ethical conduct within the arts requires a space for critical and creative dialogue: such dialogue lies at the center of artethical conduct. Moreover, to contribute to ethical interactions in other domains, whether in pursuit of political justice or economic stewardship or cultural solidarity, the arts need to be a vital societal site for imaginative disclosure. Dialogue and disclosure are the heartbeat to the ethics of art. Through them flows the lifeblood of art’s contribution to social ethics. 1 When observing the artworks connecting seemingly different areas of human activities, such as production of economic profit, creation of aesthetic values ​​and search for ethical dimension of existence, we must undoubtedly turn to basal issues characterizing the current social context, but also commemorate certain specific historical shifts that the current situation fundamentally predestines. This definition primarily seeks for specific positions of countries that recently experienced the totalitarian period under the influence of the Soviet empire which was followed in quick peak by late stage of neoliberalism. The absolute transformation of social relations based on a system of adoration of substantial reduction of private property or market mechanisms into almost boundless domination of capital and economic power of corporations caused contradictory reactions in the transforming society, oscillating between euphoric phases of uncritical fascination and fatal disillusionment, which often incites radical extremism.

It is perhaps this experience of otherness in the stream of current global developments which led many authors growing up from the totalitarian atmosphere toward formulation of topics reflecting the

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u totalitarističkoj atmosferi da se okrenu istraživanju tema koje odražavaju okvir stvarnih vrijednosti suvremene kulturne proizvodnje. Veza između stvaralačkog potencijala umjetnika, novca i gospodarskog vrednovanja umjetnosti te šire prepoznavanje umjetnosti unutar društvenog razvoja predstavlja bogat metaforički potencijal, što je doprinijelo nastanku rasprava oko kvalitete naših “novih” života napadnutih nepopustljivim diktatom posvemašnjeg konzumerizma. Slovenski teoretičar umjetnosti Igor Zabel već je 2004. upozorio na potencijal skriven u ovoj iskustvenoj dihotomiji umjetničkih djela iz razdoblja političke i gospodarske transformacije.

U eseju pod nazivom Zar nam nije dosta? Zabel kaže: Zar nam nije dosta središnje Europe? Da i ne. ‘Da’, ako mislimo na političke i kulturne podjele i strategije marginalizacije, etnizacije, isključivanja i (kontroliranog) uključivanja. Ali te se podjele ne mogu ukloniti pretvaranjem da one ne postoje i da su one tek vanjska okolnost koja ne dotiče ‘srž’. Taj bi se problem mogao riješiti jedino ponavljanjem, vraćanjem na traumu i njezinom proradom, a ne potiskivanjem, ignoriranjem i zaboravom. ‘Ne’, ako mislimo na ponovno vrednovanje društvenih i kulturnih potencijala istočne Europe i njihovih sposobnosti da se mijenjaju, a time i mijenjaju europski identitet. 2 Ovdje je jasno da autor cilja na kritičku reinterpretaciju totalitarističke prošlosti regije i na modeliranje inovativnih društvenih funkcija nastalih na marginama procesa političke i kulturne reprezentacije.

Zabel je svakako bio svjestan ograničenja tadašnjeg razvoja Europe i njezinih sustava integracije i inzistirao je na inovativnom pristupu u oblikovanju novog, sveobuhvatnog europskog identiteta, koji bi se, osim gospodarskih parametara, u velikoj mjeri pozabavio trenutačnim etičkim i intelektualnim izazovima. Poguban fokus na postizanje blagostanja i podređivanje političkih i duhovnih ciljeva svemoćnom diktatu gospodarskog rasta i uspjeha pokazao se – s današnjeg aspekta – nesumnjivo razornom strategijom koja je dovela do duboke krize koja prijeti povratkom na nedemokratske društvene trendove znane iz neslavnog razdoblja totalitarizma.

Kao određeni paradoks ovdje možemo istaknuti činjenicu da je čak i u ovom kontekstu moguće dobiti nadahnuće od nezavisnih intelektualaca koji se opiru agresivnoj moći represivnih režima.

frame of actual values of contemporary cultural production. The relationship between the creative potential of artists, money and economic evaluation of art, and/even its wider recognition within the social environment represented a rich metaphorical potential, which has contributed to the development of debates over the quality of our “new” lives attacked by an unrelenting dictate of the ubiquitous consumption. The potential that was hidden in this experiential dichotomy of art works representing the period of political and economic transformation, warned the Slovenian art theorist Igor Zabel as early as 2004 in his essay Haven’t We Had Enough?, in which he wrote: ‘Haven´t we had enough of Central Europe?’ Yes and no.

‘Yes,’ if we mean the political and cultural division and strategies of marginalization, ethnicization, exclusion, and (controlled) inclusion.

But one cannot resolve such divisions by pretending that they do not exist and that they are simply an external circumstance that does not touch the ‘essence’. It is only through repetition, trough returning to and reworking the trauma, that it can perhaps be slowly resolved, and not by repressing, ignoring, and forgetting it. ‘No,’ if we mean a re-evaluation of the social and cultural potentials of Eastern Europe and their ability to transform themselves and thereby transform European identity. 2 It is clear that the author was targeting the critical reinterpretation of the totalitarian past of our region and modeling the innovative social functions developed at the edge of the processes of political and cultural representation. Zabel was certainly aware of the limits of the then development of Europe and its systems of integration, while he forced the innovative approach to shape a new comprehensive European identity, which in addition to the economic parameters would affect a large extent of the current ethical and intellectual challenges. A fatal focus on welfare and subordination of political and spiritual goals to seemingly omnipotent dictate of economic growth and success was – to be seen from current perspective – an undoubtedly distorting strategy leading us to a profound crisis that threatens to return undemocratic social trends known from the infamous period of totalitarianism.

As a certain paradox we may indicate the fact that even in this context, it is possible to get inspired by the attitudes of independent

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Na primjer, češki dramatičar i politički aktivist i disident, a poslije i predsjednik, Václav Havel, u svojem eseju Moć nemoćnih (1978.), koji je nastao kao reakcija na mučnu situaciju nakon objave Povelje 77, ključnog programa opozicije, stavlja naglasak na pronalaženje zajedničke odgovornosti. Osporava slijepu dominaciju racionalnog djelovanja k opipljivom političkom i gospodarskom rezultatu, jer je svjestan prikrivenih opasnosti instrumentalizacije društvenih sustava.

Izražava mišljenje da svaka istinski značajna točka pomaka u životu pojedinca u sebi nosi element univerzalnosti. Drugim riječima, to nije nešto jednostrano, i dostupno samo određenoj skupini ljudi, niti je prenosivo na druge zajednice. Upravno suprotno, to mora biti dostupno svima; mora služiti kao nagovještaj općeg rješenja i, u tom smislu, nije samo izraz introvertirane, samodostatne odgovornosti koju pojedinci imaju prema sebi, već je to odgovornost prema svijetu i za svijet. 3

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Stoga, dobrobit ljudskog djelovanja prema Havelovu viđenju gubi svoj afinitet prema ciljevima pojedinaca i jasno je formuliran u odnosu na opća etička načela. Upravo je ova polazišna točka iznimno aktualna u današnjem turbulentnom društvenom okruženju, zato što potiče ljude da gledaju dalje od vlastitih obzora koji su često ograničeni gospodarskim i društvenim manipulacijama i medijskim kraticama. Čini se da živimo u “boljem svijetu“ od onoga u kojem je živio Václav Havel krajem 1970ih i koji je bio pogubno određen manjkom slobode tijekom takozvanog realnog socijalizma. Unatoč tome sve više težimo da u društvenom diskursu pronađemo brzo i praktično rješenje, dajući prednost ostvarivanju kratkotrajnog i ograničenog profita. Takve težnje, međutim, dovode do dramatične polarizacije zajednice i sve većeg rizika destrukcije osnovnih moralnih načela i demokratskih društvenih struktura.

Kakav se, dakle, prostor “otvara“ za umjetnost, u ovoj sve užoj pukotini kratkotrajnog uspjeha i profita? Lambert Zuidervaart okreće se iskustvu dijeljenja umjetnosti, kako bi podržao i konsolidirao njezinu funkcionalnu strukturu i ulogu u zajednici, a osobito njezinu ulogu u osnaživanju društvene etike u procesu imaginativnog otkrivanja. U njegovim je idejama moguće pronaći želju i odlučnost potrebnu za kreativnu percepciju svijeta, kao vrijednost veću od svakog profita.

— Michal Koleček

intellectuals who faced the aggressive power of repressive regimes.

For example, the Czech playwright and political activist - dissident - and later president Václav Havel, in his essay The Power of Powerless (1978), which responded to an agonizing situation after the publication of Charter 77, a key program of the opposition, put the emphasis on finding common and shared responsibility. He disputes in such way the unquestioning dominance of rational effort to achieve a tangible political or economic result, because he is aware of the latent danger of the instrumentalization of social systems. In such way he expresses the opinions that any genuinely meaningful point of departure in an individual’s life usually has an element of universality about it. In other words, it is not something partial, accessible only to a restricted community, and not transferable to any other. On the contrary, it must be potentially accessible to everyone; it must foreshadow a general solution and, thus, it is not just the expression of an introverted, self-contained responsibility that individuals have to and for themselves alone, but responsibility to and for the world. 3 Thus, the benefit of human activity in Havel‘s concept loses its affinity toward individual goals and is clearly formulated in relation to general ethical principles. It is just this starting point which is extremely topical in the current turbulent social environment, because it encourages people to look beyond their horizons often limited by economic or political manipulations and media shortcuts.

It seems that we live in a "better world" than the one surrounding Václav Havel in the late 1970‘s, being fatally determined by the lack of freedom during the so-called real socialism. Despite that fact, we are increasingly facing the inclination to find in our social discourse a facile expedient solution favoring short-term and limited profits.

Such considerations, however, lead to dramatic polarization of the society and increase the risk of destruction of basic ethical rules and democratic social structures.

What kind of space is thus “opening“ for the arts in this narrowing rift of short-term success and profit? Lambert Zuidervaart turns to experience with art and sharing of art, to support and consolidate its communal role, functional structure and especially the strengthening of social ethics in the process of imaginative disclosure. In the

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— 1 Lambert Zuidervaart, Creating a Disturbance: Art, Social, Ethics, and Relational Autonomy, http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.apaonline.org/ resource/resmgr/Eastern2013/Creating_a_ Disturbance_APA_2.pdf

— 2 Igor Zabel, Haven´t We Had Enough?, u: I. Zabel, Contemporary Art Theory, Zürich, JRP/ Ringier, 2012., str. 121.

— 3 Václav Havel, Moc bezmocných, u: V. Havel, O lidskou identitu, Prague, Rozmluvy, 1990., str. 115.

intentions of his ideas it is thus possible to grasp the desire and determination for the creative perception of the world as a value in excess of all profit.

— Michal Koleček

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— 1 Lambert Zuidervaart, Creating a Disturbance: Art, Social, Ethics, and Relational Autonomy, http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.apaonline.org/ resource/resmgr/Eastern2013/Creating_a_ Disturbance_APA_2.pdf

— 2 Igor Zabel, Haven´t We Had Enough?, in I. Zabel, Contemporary Art Theory, Zürich, JRP/ Ringier, 2012, p. 121.

— 3 Václav Havel, Moc bezmocných, in V. Havel, O lidskou identitu, Prague, Rozmluvy, 1990, p. 115.

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Kristina Benjocki

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— Brojčanik | Clockface, 2014.

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Lukáš Jasanský & Martin Polák

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— Crkve, crkve | Churches, churches, 2012.

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Leo Junek

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— Prema Chardinu | According to Chardin, 1932.

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Darija Žmak Kunić

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— Dijagnoza | Diagnosis, 2016.

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Anetta Mona Chişa & Lucia Tkáčova

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— Kapital: Čarobni recepti za ljubav, sreću i zdravlje | Capital: Magical Recipes for Love, Happiness & Health, 2006.

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Siniša Labrović

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— Arkadija | Arcady, 2009.

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Tomislav Brajnović

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— Zlato | Gold, 2003. – 2004.

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Željko Kipke

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— Ne pomakli ni malim prstom viťe | May They Never Move a Finger, 1999.

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Udruga Kvart — Boris Šitum, Milan Brkić, Rino Efendić

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— Isus | Jesus, 2008.

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Petar Brajnović

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— Dolina odluke | Valley of Decision, 2002.

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Joseph Leard

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— Engleski bankari | English bankers, 1857.

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Christian Jankowski

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— Telemistika | Telemistica, 1999.

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Mirna KutleĹĄa

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— Mikijeva kamp prikolica | Mickey’s Trailer, 2016.

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— Radovi na izložbi Exhibited Works

Gildo Bavčević — Kugla | Orb instalacija; kovanice, plastična kugla | installation; coins, plastic ball, 2012.

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— Marš! | March! videoanimacija, stereo zvuk | videoanimation, stereo sound, 1’10’’, 2012.

Matthew Cornford & David Cross — Crni narcis | Black Narcissus video instalacija; umjetni planinski krajolik generiran iz financijskih grafikona | video installation, financial graphs rendered into a fantasy mountain landscape, 4’, 2014. produkcija | commissioned by Alistair Robinson, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

Kristina Benjocki — Brojčanik | Clockface HD video, zvuk | HD video, sound, 9’9’’, 2014.

Christian Jankowski — Telemistika | Telemistica SD video, zvuk | SD video, sound, 22’ 8’’, 1999.

Petar Brajnović — Dolina odluke | Valley of Decision mobilni objekt; šperploča, metal, plastika, akril | mobile object; acrylic, plywood, metal, 1520 x 620 mm, MMSU-4460 (1-2), 2002.

Leo Junek — Prema Chardinu | According to Chardin tempera, papir | tempera, paper, 585 x 475 mm, MMSU-313, 1932.

Tomislav Brajnović — Zlato | Gold svjetlosna instalacija, tekst na LED displayu | light installation, text on LED display, 2003. – 2004.

Željko Kipke — Ne pomakli ni malim prstom više | May They Never Move a Finger ulje, platno | oil, canvas, 1200 x 1000 mm, MMSU-2229, 1999.

Jasmina Cibic — Iskustvo nije potrebno.

(Osvojite nastup u londonskoj galeriji) | No Experience Necessary (Win a Gallery Show in London) fotodokumentacija projekta u javnom prostoru | photodocumentation of the project in the public space, 1000 mm x 3300 mm, 1000 x 1070 mm, London, 2012.

Mirna Kutleša — Klopka za ose | Trap for Wasps tuš, akvarel, papir | ink, watercolours, paper, 400 x 300 mm, ilustracija uz tekst Debakl francuske diplomacije, Serge Halimi, Le Monde diplomatique, hrvatsko izdanje br. 35 | illustration for the text Debacle of the French diplomacy, Le Monde diplomatique, Croatian edition No. 35, 2015.

— Mačka i miš | Cat and Mouse tuš, akvarel, papir | ink, watercolours, paper, 300 x 400 mm, ilustracija uz tekst Dobra njemačka politika, Michael Heinrich, Le Monde diplomatique, hrvatsko izdanje br. 35 | illustration for the text Good German politics, Le Monde diplomatique, Croatian edition No. 35, 2015.

— Mikijeva kamp prikolica | Mickey’s Trailer kolaž | collage, 300 x 400 mm, skica za ilustraciju uz tekst Američki ‘mobilni domovi’, Benoit Breville, Le Monde diplomatique, hrvatsko izdanje br. 38 | sketch for the illustration for the text American ‘mobile homes’, Benoit Breville, Le Monde diplomatique, Croatian edition No. 35, 2016.

Siniša Labrović — Arkadija | Arcady (Hrvatska narodna banka, Hrvatska radiotelevizija, Sabor, Vlada, Katedrala, Muzej suvremene umjetnosti | Croatian National Bank, Croatian Radiotelevision, Parliament, Government, Cathedral, Museum of Contemporary Art) digitalno obrađene fotografije / digitally altered photographs 1050 x 1750 mm, 2009.

Joseph Leard — Engleski bankari | English bankers akvarel, papir | watercolours, paper, 257 x 175 mm, MMSU-1718, 1857.

Gabriel Lester — The Big One R3D transferiran u HD video | R3D files transferred to HD video, 12’36, 2011. kamera | kamera: Sal Kronenberg, glazba | music: Job Chajes, produkcija | production: Nan Reunis, koncepcija, dizajn seta, režija i montaža | concept, set design, direction, edit: Gabriel Lester Ola Pehrson — Nasdaq Vocal Index videodokumentacija performansa |videodocumentation of performance, 23’, Färgfabriken 2004.

Holger Pohl — 87 sati sculpture | 87 hours of sculpture instalacija; digitalni sat pred ulazom u MMSU | installation; digital watch in front of the MMSU building, MMSU 7059, 2014.

Lukáš Jasanský & Martin Polák — Koscioly, koscioly | Crkve, crkve | Churches, churches fotografije u boji | color photographs, 800 x 1000 mm, 2012.

Hans Richter — Inflacija | Inflation crnobijeli film, 16mm transferiran u DVD format | b/w film, 16 mm transferred to DVD format, 3’, 1927. – 1928.

Nika Rukavina — Lijeva-Desna | Left-Right performans | performance, 2016.

Anetta Mona Chişa & Lucia Tkáčova — Kapital: Čarobni recepti za ljubav, sreću i zdravlje | Capital: Magical Recipes for Love, Happiness and Health video, zvuk | video, sound, 12’ 17’’, 2006.

Udruga KVART | Association KVART — Boris Šitum, Milan Brkić, Rino Efendić — Isus | Jesus video, zvuk | video, sound, 4’55’’, Badnjak | Christmas Eve, 2008. Isus | Jesus: Nikša Dulčić, kamera i montaža | camera and edit: Vlado Zrnić Kristian Kožul & Damir Žižić — Standard jumbo plakat, videoinstalacija | billboard poster, videoinstallation 2016.

Darija Žmak Kunić — Dijagnoza | Diagnosis ready made; žučni kamenci, zlatni listići | ready made; gallstone, gold leaf, 2016.

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Izvolite ispraznite svoje džepove Please Empty Your Wallets

broj kataloga | catalogue no.

354

23 / 9 / – 23 / 10 / 2016 Muzej moderne i suvremene umjetnosti, Rijeka 8 / 12 / 2016 – 19 / 1 / 2017 Emil Filla Gallery, Ústí nad Labem

u suradnji s | in collaboration with Emil Filla Gallery, Ústí nad Labem www.gef.cz

izdavač | publisher Muzej moderne i suvremene umjetnosti, Rijeka Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijeka za izdavača | for the publisher Slaven Tolj

zahvale | acknowledgements Umjetnici | Artists, Anneli Bäckman, Division of Labour, Nomad, Zagreb; RE:VOIR, Paris, Christine Koenig Gallery, Vienna & Rotwand Gallery, Zürich podržano | supported by Grad Rijeka, Ministarstvo kulture RH; Geothe Institut

kustosica, urednica | curator, editor Ksenija Orelj suradnica na izložbi | curators' assistant Marina Tkalčić

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fotografije | photography Umjetnici | Artists; Boris Cvjetanović, Goran Vranić prijevod | translation Lidija Toman, Josef Procházka (str. | p. 42 – 48)

Grad Rijeka

Podrška izložbenog programa Emil Filla galerije, Ústí nad Labem | Exhibition program of Emil Filla Gallery in Ústí nad Labem is supported by Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and Statutory City of Ústí nad Labem

grafičko oblikovanje | graphic design Marino Krstačić-Furić & Ana Tomić edukacija | education Milica Đilas dokumentacija | documentation Diana Zrilić odnosi s javnošću | public relations Ivo Matulić

medijski pokrovitelji | media coverage Novi list, Moja Rijeka, Kanal Ri, Kulturpunkt, Le Monde diplomatique, Zarez ©MMSU, Rijeka, 2016.

tehnički postav | technical display Vanja Pužar tisak | printing Kerschoffset, Zagreb naklada | print run 500

CIP zapis dostupan u računalnom katalogu Sveučilišne knjižnice Rijeka pod brojem 131016061.

ISBN 978-953-8107-05-4

Gildo Bavčević, Petar Brajnović, Tomislav Brajnović, Kristina Benjocki, Jasmina Cibic, Matthew Cornford & David Cross, Christian Jankowski, Leo Junek, Željko Kipke, Mirna Kutleša, Siniša Labrović, Joseph Leard, Gabriel Lester, Ola Pehrson, Holger Pohl, Lukáš Jasanský & Martin Polák, Hans Richter, Nika Rukavina, Anetta Mona Chişa & Lucia Tkáčová, Udruga KVART – Boris Šitum, Milan Brkić, Rino Efendić; Kristian Kožul & Damir Žižić, Darija Žmak Kunić