DOPLGENGER (Isidora Ilić i Boško Prostran):
BENEATH A STARLESS SKY AS DARK AND THICK AS INK
9.–30.9.2018
MSUV / Gallery S, Dunavska 37, Novi Sad

Curator:  Gordana Nikolić

BENEATH A STARLESS SKY AS DARK AND THICK AS INK is a larger body of work in which Doplgenger explore the complex and intricate relations of labor, war, and economy. They focus on, and question, the media representation of labor—from the phenomenon of the temporary economic migration of gastarbeiter in postwar 1960s Europe to the labor market debate around the polarization between economic and war refugees in the course of today’s massive migration into Europe. Historic literary texts that deal with different labor contexts provide the inspiration and the titles for the works created so far. The project’s title refers to the opening passage from Émile Zola’s novel Germinaldescribing the labor conditions of 19th-century French miners. Beneath a starless sky as dark and thick as ink is an installation that consists out of several artworks by Doplgenger.

Doplgenger is an artist duo Isidora Ilić and Boško Prostran from Belgrade. The work of Doplgenger deals with relation between art and politics through exploring the regimes of moving images and modes of its reception. They rely on the tradition of experimental film and video and through some of the actions of these traditions intervene on the existing media products or produce in the expanded film form. Although their main media is moving image, their work is realized through the text, installations, performances, lectures and discussions.

Doplgenger’s  work has been presented in Serbia and internationally both in group or solo exhibitions and film/video festivals: VIDEONALE.16 (Kunstmuseum Bonn, 2017), Museum of Contemporary Art (Zagreb, 2016), Fundació Antoni Tàpies (Spain, 2016), Centre Pompidou (Paris, 2016), International Film Festival Rotterdam (Netherlands, 2016) Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival (Germany, 2015), Museum of Contemporary Art Novi Sad (Serbia, 2015), Gallery Podroom/Cultural Centre of Belgrade (Serbia, 2015), Seattle International Film Festival (USA, 2015), Anya and Andrew Shiva Art Gallery (New York, 2015), Trieste Contemporanea (Italy, 2015), Resolution 827 (Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam, 2015), Node Gallery (Helsinki, 2015), South by Southeast (Osage Gallery, Hong Kong, 2015), Cairo Video Festival (Cairo, 2014), Festival des cinémas différents et expérimentaux de Paris (2014), 55th October Salon (Belgrade, 2014), STATE ABED (Gallery of Fine Arts Split, 2014), Open Systems (GPL Contemporary, Vienna 2014), Salon Video (Romania, 2013), VIDEOEX – International Experimental Film & Video Festival Zurich (2013), VIDEFORMES – Art vidéo et cultures numériques (Clermont-Ferrand, 2013), Art Biennale Pančevo (2012), Gallery ArtPoint (Vienna, 2011), TINA B. –The Prague Contemporary Art Festival (2011), Belgrade Summer Festival (BELEF, 2010), This Is Not A Gateway (London, 2009), Video in progress (Photon gallery,Ljubljana 2009), performIC (Innsbruck, 2009), Remont Gallery (Beograd, 2009), O3one Gallery (Belgrade, 2008), Alternative Film-Video Festival (Belgrade, 2008), International Belgrade Documentary & Short Film Festival (2007), etc.

Doplgenger is the recipient of Politika Award for the best exhibition in 2015. They were granted with Artist-in-Residence Programs at Motel Trogir (Dalmatia, 2017/16), AIR CELEIA (Celje, 2016), AIR KREMS (Krems an der Donau, 2015), KulturKontakt Austria (Vienna, 2011), Fringe MK (Milton Keynes, 2010/2009), Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen Art and Theory Programme (Innsbruck, 2009), Braziers International Artists Workshop (Oxford, 2007).

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