TRIESTE CONTEMPORANEA BREDA’S LESSON page 1 page 2 page 1 page 2 page 3 BREDA’S LESSON BREDA’S page 4 page 5 BREDA’S LESSON page 6 Trieste Contemporanea and Juliet Editrice © 2018. Texts © the authors. This book is intended to be used for cultural purposes only. conceived and edited by Giuliana Carbi Jesurun designed by Manuela Schirra editing assistants Costanza Grassi language consultants Ana Čavić Silvia Agostini Nickolas Komninos Katarina Moltedo Liana Rotter Marko Sosič’s text translation Nickolas Komninos printing Grafiche Filacorda Srl - Udine page 7 page 8 page 9 contents page 10 page 11 a few introductory words 14 by Giuliana Carbi Jesurun contributions by JANKA VUKMIR 18 MIHA COLNER 26 MARTINA MUNIVRANA 32 ANA ČAVIĆ 38 FIORA GANDOLFI 46 DUBRAVKA CHERUBINI 50 MARIO FLECHA 54 BERISLAV VODOPIJA 60 MARKO SOSIČ 64 biographies 70 about Breda Beban 74 page 12 page 13 a few introductory words page 14 page 15 It is great pleasure that Trieste been explored, which are closely Contemporanea now makes this related to Beban’s work – such as little book available to friends and artist and morality or photography scholars. This is a collection from (humans and love) on the margins the symposium on the art and life of big stories about geography of Breda Beban organized on April and politics. So, now an intense 22th, 2017 in Trieste, curators Ana and complete portrayal of the Čavić and Dubravka Cherubini and great artistic and moral figure of in association with the artist’s estate Breda, who I too had the honour of and the Kalfayan Galleries (Athens - knowing and loving, emrges from Thessaloniki). these pages. The symposium had the I hope that they are a stimulus for collaboration of the Slade School of further studies and also for the Fine Art, University College London, study of the projects that the artist that gave us the joy of seeing the has left uncompleted and which are video recording of a lecture Breda very current and absolutely worthy gave at this educational institution of being implemented with an in 2008, and amazingly commenting enthusiasm equal to hers. Among her 2006 video The most beautiful them the exciting educational woman in Gucha. project The Endless School, which she has described as “not a school Drawing on the experience of of illusion, but a school of real international art curators and art space; not a school of isolation, world professionals that were but a school of participation; not also Breda’s close friends, this first a school of indoctrination, but a symposium, dedicated to Breda school of inspiration” and whose Beban five years after she died, goal she has focused with the words offered a unique perspective in of Philippe Starck: “To be swept considering the significance and away with euphoria, enthusiasm, impact of her artistic work and the with optimism: to be taken to teaching. extraordinary places which are about With very personal memories, critical our origins, about what life should themes in contemporary art have be today, about what we should page 16 become tomorrow”. As of now, Trieste Contemporanea is ready to help fulfil her dream to put this school into operation – an extremely important new kind of school which is needed today more than ever. a few introductory words words a few introductory I sincerely thank everyone who contributed to the Trieste meeting – Ana Čavić, Miha Colner, Mario Flecha, Fiora Gandolfi, Martina Munivrana, Marko Sosič and Janka Vukmir – and Dubravka Cherubini and Berislav Vodopija that added their love for Breda to this book. Giuliana Carbi Jesurun President Trieste Contemporanea Committee page 17 Janka Vukmir / LEGACY YET TO BE EXPLORED page 18 page 19 What I liked most about this appearances in Belgrade and other invitation, which I thank you for, places in Yugoslavia, and Zagreb of is that this is not only an academic course. Being a child of a mining exploration of Breda’s work, but engineer, she had the Yugoslav-style it also includes the opportunity nomadic life, often moving due to to remember her life. These two her parents’ work-duties, so she things are inextricably interwoven, probably felt at home all around maybe especially so in Breda’s case, the country. This nomadism stayed and I will endeavour to steer my with her all of her time. She made presentation exactly on this thin sudden and unchangeable shifts border line. between units or chapters of her I never worked with Breda, I never life. exhibited or curated her works, but The 80s were the time of a great as I get older, each day, I find myself New Wave in Yugoslav music and belonging to an ever-smaller group overall culture too, so we were all of people who remember Breda travelling to concerts and exhibitions from her times in Zagreb. between Zagreb, Belgrade and I knew of Breda from attending Ljubljana. By the mid-80s Sarajevo exhibitions in Zagreb and from as well. The whole country was the places we were all went to, in a flux after Tito’s death in 1980 regardless of age-group. Breda was – politically, economically, and the most beautiful woman in town culturally. There were great parties and she was part of a strikingly all over the country, but it wasn’t all beautiful couple together with her positive, unrest was in the air and husband Ognjan. We lived in a the war was coming. similar neighbourhood, so I would Her first solo exhibition was in SKC see them strolling past my house. Gallery in Belgrade, she appeared Breda was already an artist when I several times in Belgrade Television was still a school pupil and student, TV Gallery program curated by although the age difference today legendary Dunja Blažević, she made wouldn’t have been that substantial. TV performances and had a solo She started exhibiting in the early exhibition in 1987 in the Salon of 80s, with her first solo show, and the Museum of Contemporary Art many other later professional in Belgrade. page 20 In Zagreb, she exhibited solo in the images by hand and by brush, and PM Gallery, on 17–24.3.1981, just by whose repetition I perform spatial after the gallery was established and temporal rhythm of painting, a at the end of January of the same simple net which forms a decorative year. Her exhibition, entitled structure of the painting – object. My Work – Paintings [Moj rad – I feel the impulse, or I feel forced, slike], was among first 10 events to paint, paintings are the material organised there. Her paintings were proof of my need to eliminate the exhibited, and she herself wrote energy exactly in this way.1 the introduction text: I have been Two days after the show closed, LEGACY YET TO BE EXPLORED solving my own dilemma for a long the magazine “Maj 75 – F” was time: is the material language of the published/promoted, where she painting a trap for the soul? What published a conceptual piece: a is more important – the content or photograph of herself, with arrows the form? showing parts of her body she Janka Vukmir / Janka Vukmir The answer now seems to be very wants to use. simple: “As long as the human eye “Maj 75” was an independent can see, there is something to look magazine - catalogue initiated by at.” The body speaks according to the group of friends who have held the soul, the form equally so. exhibition-actions since 1975. And It finally became clear to me that I the “F” issue was made with the have the right to everything in my intention to present the works of life. I wish to be the participant and female artists whose works can be the witness of this right. included within the problematics of My aim is to make a work of art “New art practice”.2 which will become an object in this Breda was in her late twenties then, world, not a commentary on this but the general direction of her world. work was obvious, she was growing My work is not determined by up, emancipating, she was always the intention towards originality oriented to her body but was at and achieving the skill of painting this time more inclined to painting by the hand; but I am devoted to and narration, icons and grids than decorative painting. conceptualisation. It makes me happy to form little Breda’s artistic practice of the early page 21 80s became part of what was – due to her 1983 art residency in called the New Image, in Yugoslavia the monastery of Sopoćani in the the New Painting, an equivalent south of Serbia.5 to Transavanguardia or the Neue Those paintings were superficially Wilde. She participated in a major simpler, geometrical and were painting show of the time titled based on Byzantine mysticism, Nova slika / New Painting curated spiritualism and rituals. Her art and by Zvonko Maković in Zagreb live performances went in the same 1981, and the exhibition Podobe / direction, taking place in darkness Immagini (19.3–3.4.1982) in Piran and in the candlelight. It was a kind and Celje, organised by Piranske of withdrawal from her geographical galerije, curator Andrej Medved, place of existence to the places assisted by Zvonko Maković, with a related to her by a memory and text written by Achille Bonito Oliva.3 probably other personal issues. Curator and art critic Zvonko The whole generation of the Maković describes her works as: above-mentioned artists of the 80s She presents herself with large left Yugoslavia, and many of them format paintings, where she never returned there, many never continuously repeats, in a regular returned to art.