Exhibition at Depo Istanbul: 15 September – 28 October 2022
Mis(s)placed Women? Community Gathering: September 15–22
Live Events: September 20–22
Curated by: Arzu Yayıntaş and Tanja Ostojić
Depo Istanbul presents Mis(s)placed Women? by Tanja Ostojić, an exhibition that reflects upon a collaborative art project initiated by the artist in 2009. Consisting of performances, workshops, and an online platform, Mis(s)placed Women? includes contributions by over 170 individuals from six continents – Individuals who largely identify as women from diverse backgrounds.
“Holding the ‘Mis(s)placed Women?’/’Misplaced Wymyn‘/’Misplaced Human’ Sign”, performed by Sabbi Senior and Vanessa Ponte at Kadıköy Port, Mis(s)placed Women? workshop, Istanbul, (2021). Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
The project’s participants embody and enact some of everyday life’s activities that thematise displacement, and deal with issues of migration, gender equality, climate change, feminism, queerness, gentrification, inclusion, accessibility, power relations, and vulnerability, particularly as it relates to female and transgender bodies. While investigating privilege by distinguishing between working mobility, forced or desired migration, and how arbitrary laws apply to moving bodies, Mis(s)placed Women? also explores diverse public spaces and the invisibility of certain groups within them, using feminist emancipatory methodologies and artistic and community-building practices.
From the rich project archive, some of the most relevant contributions were selected by Arzu Yayıntaş and Tanja Ostojić to be displayed at Depo, as a two-floor multimedia installation consisting of photos, videos, and performance scores, along with signs, textile works, drawings of performances, artefacts, stories, and maps collected globally in the thirteen years of the project’s development. A part of the exhibition space has been arranged as a gathering place that invites the visitor to be an explorer and participant rather than just a viewer, while the six performance scores are there to be readapted and tried out. Exhibition reader in English and in Turkish, edited by Ostojić, can be collected in the venue and is as well available as a free download PDF.
Depo’s distinguished political profile and engagement with civil society makes it an ideal venue to host this socially engaged project interested in interweaving artistic and activist practices. The exhibition is a collateral event of the 17th Istanbul Biennial.
Exhibition Contributors:Teresa Albor, Nela Antonović, Gaby Bila-Günther aka LADY GABY, Dagmara Bilon, Mia Bradić, Ines Borovac, Tatiana Bogaceva, Amy Bryzgel, David Caines, Nati Canto, Paula Chambers, Hiuwai Chan, Anaïs Clercx, Azad Colemêrg, Camilla Conocchi, contactzone, Luciana Damiani, Jelena Dinić, Nazlı Durak, Kathryn Fischer aka Mad Kate, Dyana Gravina, Karen Kipphoff, Li Fu, Hieu Hanh Hoang Tran aka Hany Tea, Selma Hekim, Monika Janulevičiūtė, Elena Marchevska, Valentina Medda, Susan Merrick, Ashley McNaughton, Branko Milisković, Persefoni Myrtsou, Marta Nitecka Barche, Mahlet Ogbe Habte, Tanja Ostojić, Sigrid Pawelke, Vanessa Ponte, Darija S. Radaković, Rhea Ramjohn, Alejandra Robles Sosa, Bahar Seki, Sabbi Senior,Evdoxia Stafylaraki, Suncica Sido, Tan Tan, Mare Tralla, Tanya Ury, Katja Vaghi, Bojana Videkanić, Roberta Weissman Nagy, Anastasio William, Hyla Willis, Jiachen Xu, Arzu Yayıntaş, Gülhatun Yıldırım, Gizem Yılmaz aka Epifani, and Suzy van Zehlendorf, among others.
Mis(s)placed Women? workshop, Istanbul, a collective performance in a tea house, Mis Street (2021), with the participation of: Arzu Yayıntaş, Bahar Seki, Gülhatun Yıldırım, Gizem Yılmaz, Nazlı Durak, Persefoni Myrtsou, Vanessa Ponte, Sabbi Senior, Selma Hekim and Tanja Ostojić. Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
A sixty-eight minute documentary will also be on display at Depo, which follows the collective and individual performances and reflections of the participants in the “Mis(s)placed Women?” workshop which was realised (in collaboration with Performistanbul and Tarabya Cultural Academy) in Istanbul in September 2021. The workshop uses the principles of Art as Social Practice that both explores a variety of public spaces and the possibilities for temporary interventions within them, and empowers participants via a Master-class-like block seminar, a laboratory outside of an official educational institution.
As part of the exhibition, a public programme consisting of live discussions, performances, and an international community gathering of Mis(s)placed Women? participants will take place September 20-22, 2022 at Depo and across the city of Istanbul.
September 15, 6pm – Exhibition opening at Depo
Tuesday,September 20, 5pm – Guided tour with Tanja Ostojić in English
September 20, 6:30pm– Artist talks and Q&A with Tanja Ostojić, Arzu Yayıntaş, and the live events participants
Wednesday, September 21, 5-7pm Public performancesat Depo
Thursday, September 22 outdoor performances across the city 11am-4pm. Meeting point Galta Square 11am
Saturday, October 15, 4pm, Guided Tour with Arzu Yayıntaş in Turkish
Friday, October 21, 6pm, Guided Tour with Arzu Yayıntaş in Turkish
Last day of the exhibition Friday, October 28, 2022.
Live events with the participation of: Gaby Bila-Gunther aka LADY GABY, Dagmara Bilon, Selma Hekim, Kathryn Fischer aka Mad Kate, Susan Merrick, Tanja Ostojić, Vanessa Ponte, Hieu Hanh Hoang Tran akaHany Tea, Arzu Yayıntaş, Gülhatun Yıldırım, Gizem Yılmaz and Mürüvvet Türkyılmaz, among others.
ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Alumni-Fonds of the Tarabya Cultural Academy, FfAI – Foundation for Arts Initiatives, Depo Istanbul, Anadolukultur, Mis(s)placed Women? community, Performistanbul, Stiftung Kunstfonds and NEUSTART KULTUR.
Please save a date and let us know if you can join us in September in Istanbul for the:
Mis(s)placed Women? Exhibition at DEPO: September 15 — October 30, 2022
Mis(s)placed Women? Live Events: September 20–22, 2022
Mis(s)placed Women? International Community Gathering: September 15 —22, 2022.
Mis(s)placed Women? workshop, Istanbul, a collective performance in a tea house, Mis Street (2021), with the participation of: Persefoni Myrtsou, Arzu Yayıntaş, Bahar Seki, Gülhatun Yıldırım, Gizem Yılmaz, Nazlı Durak, Vanessa Ponte, Sabbi Senior, Selma Hekim and Tanja Ostojić. Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
Mis(s)placed Women? is a collaborative art project that I started in 2009, consisting of performances, workshops and an online platform, including contributions by over 170 individuals from six continents—individuals who largely identify as women from diverse backgrounds. Within this project we embody and enact some of everyday-life’s activities that thematise displacement, dealing with migration issues, gender democracy, feminism, gentrification, inclusion, power relations, and vulnerability, particularly concerning female and transgender bodies—aspects that figured prominently in the past almost three decades of my art practice. On one hand, we are investigating privilege by making a distinction between working mobility, forced or desired migration, and how arbitrary laws may apply, and on the other hand, we are exploring diverse public spaces and the invisibility of certain groups within them, using feminist emancipatory methodologies of artistic and community-building practices.
Mis(s)placed Women? workshops use principles of Art as Social Practice that both explore a variety of public spaces and the possibilities for temporary interventions in them, and empower participants in a creative laboratory that develops and produces new collective and individual works. The processes that unfold within the workshops are precious, as are the moments of communication with the passers-by that we meet on the streets and the audience members in the venues where exhibitions and discussions take place.
This upcoming Mis(s)placed Women? Exhibition on 410 sqm in DEPO, one of the most relevant political cultural venues in the region, is an opportunity to reflect upon this long-term project together with artists and diverse social groups, particularly the feminist and queer scene in Istanbul, and to get more visibility for the project thanks to the Istanbul Biennale as its accompanying event.
From the rich project Archive, some of the most relevant contributions touching upon topics of accessibility, feminism, queerness, and displacement will be selected and displayed in a two floor multimedia installation consisting of photos, videos, and drawings of performances, along with signs, textile works, artefacts, performance scores, stories, and maps collected globally in the 13 years of the project’s development.
During the performance weekend, with guided tours and roundtables, some of the most active, local and international members of the Mis(s)placed Women? community will have the opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and perform together. Therefor we are inviting everyone with whom we collaborated successfully in the past to attend, as this is a great opportunity for us to get in touch with each other and the vibrant art scene in Istanbul.
(Tanja Ostojić)
“Score #2: Holding the ‘Mis(s)placed Women?’ Sign”, performed by Sabbi Senior, Vanessa Ponte, Persefoni Myrtsou, and Gülhatun Yıldırım at Kadıköy Port, Mis(s)placed Women? workshop, Istanbul, (2021). Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
Mis(s)placed Women? Exhibition at DEPO, Istanbul, September 15 — October 30, 2022
Curated by: Arzu Yayıntaş and Tanja Ostojić
With the participation of: Teresa Albor, Gaby Bila-Günther aka LADY GABY, Dagmara Bilon, Mia Bradić, David Caines, Nati Canto, Hiuwai Chan, Azad Colemêrg, Luciana Damiani, Nazlı Durak, Kathryn Fischer aka Mad Kate, Li Fu, Hieu Hanh Hoang Tran, Selma Hekim, Monika Janulevičiūtė, Susan Merrick, Branko Milisković, Persefoni Myrtsou, Marta Nitecka Barche, Tanja Ostojić, Vanessa Ponte, Rhea Ramjohn, Alejandra Robles Sosa, Bahar Seki, Sabbi Senior, Evdoxia Stafylaraki, Tan Tan, Tanya Ury, Katja Vaghi, Hyla Willis, Arzu Yayıntaş, Gülhatun Yıldırım and Gizem Yılmaz, among others.
Live Events at DEPO and across the city of Istanbul: September 20–22, 2022
With the participation of: Gaby Bila-Günther aka LADY GABY, Dagmara Bilon, Nazlı Durak, Kathryn Fischer aka Mad Kate, Hieu Hanh Hoang Tran, Selma Hekim, Persefoni Myrtsou, Tanja Ostojić, Vanessa Ponte, Arzu Yayıntaş, Gülhatun Yıldırım and Gizem Yılmaz, among others.
Please let us know if you would like to come to Istanbul from September 15-22, 2022 to the Mis(s)placed Women?Exhibition at DEPO, International Community Gathering, and the live events. In case you think you could apply for funding (to cover your travel, accommodation, and further costs) where you are based, please let us know, so we can provide for you an official invitation letter and related information. Let us know if you are coming and how you envision your participation.
In case your performance-video or related text are not yet included in the Misplaced Women? Video channel and/or on the project blog, and if you would like them to be part of the Project Archive and future exhibitions, please send your contributions at your earliest convenience.
If you would like to be part of the Mis(s)placed Women? Mailing List, please let us know.
Please write to: TanjaOstojicArt (AT) gmail.com
Subject: Mis(s)placed Women? Community gathering Istanbul, or Mis(s)placed Women? Archive/Video Channel/Mailing List
Realisation in collaboration with wonderful local and international team working on the project’s implementation, including: Marina Papazyan, project coordinator at DEPO, Aya Labanieh, editorial assistant of the exhibition reader and english editor, Performistanbul and many others.
With the support of: MIS(S)PLACED WOMEN? COMMUNITY, Anadolu Kultur, DEPO Istanbul, Alumni-Fonds of the Cultural Academy Tarabya, IFA, Stiftung Kunstfonds, and NEUSTART KULTUR.
A Review of the Tanja Ostojić’s Performance Art Workshop in the Public Spaces
By Performistanbul
Do you know the powerful and satisfying feeling you have after protesting in a public space and collectively claiming your rights out & loud? This is how Tanja Ostojić’s workshop made us all feel. We were re-discovering the strength of gathering and expressing oneself (both bodily and orally) as well as the power of public spaces through performance art; a fluid, non conformist, unique practice.
As a performance art platform we are constantly and passionately working on liveness, but this project felt like life itself.
From the beginning till the end, it has been a great challenge for the participants but also for the coordination and documentation team. How to coordinate a group of women and queers moving, acting/performing freely in the streets of the city in a country/culture where social gatherings and public protests are banned/prohibited? How to document a series of public performances as they are created and developed organically at the moment it is happening?
The Open Call
The journey started with an open call. Participants of all backgrounds and genders that can commit to participate for the entire duration of the workshop were invited to apply. After we received around 40 applications, along with Performistanbul’s team (Simge Burhanoğlu, Azra İşmen, Ayda Bayram), Tanja Ostojić meticulously analysed each application. The selection was the key-point. The process during which we discovered each applicant’s personal stories was very emotional and at moments moving to tiers.
Nine powerful women and queer persons (Nazlı Durak, Gizem Yılmaz, Selma Hekim, Persefoni Myrtsou, Vanessa Ponte, Sabbi Senior, Bahar Seki, Arzu Yayıntaş, Gülhatun Yıldırım — unknown to each other), who were experiencing/dealing with issues of migration, marginalisation, displacement, empowerment, feminism and queerness were selected regardless of their experience in the field or in any other field of art.
The First Part
Tuesday, September 7, 2021 – Performistanbul Building – Galata
The first part of the workshop included getting together, informing and communicating, whereby the participants were invited to exchange with each other about individual experiences and the aims of the project. As the public performances as well as the whole workshop process had to be documented by a professional photograph and video team (Burçin Aktan, Gülbin Eriş, Kayhan Kaygusuz, Gün Üçok), the recordings started from the first meeting moment.
At the beginning of the first day of the workshop, the artist and the participants gathered in Performistanbul’s building’s garden situated in Galata, one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Istanbul. This first meeting was a start to get to know each other by discovering the unique paths of each participant. Ostojić started by creating a human circle before getting to the exercises. During the session, they raised their voices, moved their bodies, discussed the endless definitions of performance art/performing, their backgrounds and the reason why they applied to be a part of this experience and the relation they had with the public space. Before getting to the creative and artistic part, Ostojić was already setting up the tone of the workshop as the whole experience was about freeing the mind — freeing the voice — freeing the body while developing trust, promoting sensibility, supporting, sharing and caring of the other “without leaving anyone behind” (with Ostojić’s own words) .
Ostojić’s unique style favoured the building of trust relations with the participants and created a unity. Her human based practice is transferred naturally through her guidance, confidence, sense of freedom and undeniably strong presence. Providing/building a secure space for all the participants, as soon as they started to feel safe and confident, it was finally time to take to the streets of Istanbul and start the second part of the workshop. Participants selected three itineraries/neighbourhoods for each day of the workshop; Beyoğlu, Nişantaşı, Kadıköy.
From the first day, Ostojić formed the love circle and brought the whole group together. Every person became each other’s sibling, a supporter and a carer to each other starting from day one. A strong group hug was made before leaving the building. The hug made us feel united like we were preparing for the battle we were about to have on the streets.
Protest Scarves Against Turkey’s Retreat from the Istanbul Convention, 2021. İstiklal Street, Istanbul, 07 09 2021. a collective performance action realised in the framework of Mis(s)placed Women? workshop by Tanja Ostojić, with the participation of: Arzu Yayıntaş, Bahar Seki, Gülhatun Yıldırım, Gizem Yılmaz, Nazlı Durak, Persefoni Myrtsou, Vanessa Ponte, Sabbi Senior, Selma Hekim and Tanja Ostojić. Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
The Second Part
Tuesday, September 7, 2021 – Beyoğlu
During the second part, the participants were encouraged and supported to enact live performances and interventions in the streets, parks and stations of Istanbul.
Thus, the second part of the workshop started on the second half of the first day. On a sunny late summer afternoon, a group of women, accompanied by our team and the documentation crew started their walk to join the İstiklâl (Independence) Street. It was the September 7, marking the anniversary of the anti-Greek pogrom; a series of state-sponsored mob attacks directed primarily at Istanbul’s Greek minority on 6–7 September 1955. Dealing with issues such as displacement, misplacement and migration, the historical event affected the spirit of the first collective performance. While going up through the street of Bostan, where the old German High School is located, all the participants started walking backwards inspired by and referring to Gülhatun Yıldırım’s (one of the participants) performance Just Like the Past (Istiklal Street, public/video performance, 2015). Sharing one action as a group has always a uniting and strengthening effect on both its members and spectators. This is how performances followed one after another till the end of the workshop.
As the group reached Istiklâl Street, a symbolic space for social movements, female and queer bodies walking backwards turned into making up a statement, it became a protest action given that it is forbidden to gather and demonstrate in Istiklâl Street since Gezi Protests (2013).
Protest Scarves Against Turkey’s Retreat from the Istanbul Convention, 2021, İstiklal Street, Istanbul, 07 09 2021. a collective performance action realised in the framework of Mis(s)placed Women? workshop by Tanja Ostojić, with the participation of: Arzu Yayıntaş, Bahar Seki, Gülhatun Yıldırım, Gizem Yılmaz, Nazlı Durak, Persefoni Myrtsou, Vanessa Ponte, Sabbi Senior, Selma Hekim and Tanja Ostojić. Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
Arzu Yayıntaş, one of the participants, grabbed a scarf and started waving it with the wind. Other participants followed her by using their own scarves or borrowed some of Persefoni Myrtsou’s grandmother’s unused dowry that she brought with her and shared with others during the whole workshop as performance props. Arriving in front of the banner displayed on the Istanbul Bar Association Building, on which we could read in Turkish: “The Istanbul Convention saves lives”, all the participants stopped and continued waving various beautiful colourful fabrics that became flags and expressed themselves on Turkey’s withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention. They have created a kind of huge “tableau vivant” that drew the attention of the public. Some of the crowd just stopped to contemplate the group and some of them started imitating their reverse walk. This is when we had to face the first police interruption and our first warning. After three distinct patrols checked all the papers and filming permits that we had, and then two other patrols interrupted the walk, we were informed that we could not walk and film through İstiklâl Street and that we could only continue our “activities and actions” in the backstreets. As Performistanbul team, our main role has been to be dealing constantly with authorities, so that the performance and documentation process were the least affected. It has been made quite clear that we had to re-think our relation to public spaces and the right we have to make use of it; What is a public space? What is/isn’t allowed in public spaces? Who/which groups are tolerated to gather in public spaces?… Those questions would only keep repeating in our minds till the end of the workshop process.
This is how the whole group decided to settle and occupy a space in a traditional street “tea house”, located in Mis Street, mostly populated by men. All the group started exploring Persefoni Myrtsou’s dowry and spreading it. Each participant selected a piece and started transforming it with embroidery while Myrtsou was preparing Turkish coffee for fortune telling. The performance established a safe bubble transforming the space into a place dedicated to womanhood as well as queer-hood. The female presence and aesthetics took over the place. Some of the passers by took a break and watched the amusing and meditative imagery created by the group asking questions about what was happening. It was the end of the first day.
“Mis(s)placed Women?” workshop, Istanbul, a collective performance in tee house, Mis Street (2021), with the participation of: Arzu Yayıntaş, Bahar Seki, Gülhatun Yıldırım, Gizem Yılmaz, Nazlı Durak, Persefoni Myrtsou, Vanessa Ponte, Sabbi Senior, Selma Hekim and Tanja Ostojić. Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
Wednesday, September 8, 2021-Nişantaşı
On the second day of the workshop, all the participants gathered in front of the Teşvikiye Mosque. The first meeting to plan the day was made in the Mosque’s garden. After a conversation about what happened the previous day, Ostojić and the participants started discussing the progression of the day, making different propositions and already setting a frame for the upcoming performances. “To be present for the other, listening and communicating. Unity, trust, empowerment, devotion, sincerity” were the main keywords that would lead the workshop.
Before reaching the square in Kadırgalar street [a posh street of Istanbul surrounded by luxury brands and cafes], the performance space for the day that the participants selected together, Arzu Yayıntaş made a proposition for the first collective performance of the day. Most of the participants were randomly complimenting and catcalling men that they came across during the walk. Selma Hekim contributed to the walk with the uncommon sound of her traditional erbane/daf, also known in Syrian, Arab, Kurdish, Armenian and Persian communities; women played this instrument as they believed it to be a cure for fear and diseases. Living in a patriarchal society, the confusing behaviour of the performers mostly produced positive reactions in the public, setting a smile on the faces of audiences. Even though women experience the catcalling act as a form of aggression, men seemed to be quite pleased with the attention they received and sometimes even shocked by this unexpected behaviour. The performance was repeated multiple times while the group was walking.
Since the first day, each participant brought some performance props with them. It was time to start exploring the props both individually and collectively. Once the group reached the performance space, various group and solo performances started to pop up. Bahar Seki grabbed her dry shampoo bottle and started performing by making continuous and repetitive movements with her whole body along with Selma Hekim’s playing erbane.
“Mis(s)placed Women?” workshop, Istanbul, a performance by Bahar Seki (2021) Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
Nazlı Durak, Gizem Yılmaz, Vanessa Ponte, Arzu Yayıntaş, Selma Hekim and Persefoni Myrtsou started performing simultaneously. Some of the individual performances connected with each other creating a collective performance while some others differed with each other. Persefoni Myrtsou performed while being blindfolded one of the “Mis(s)placed Women?” project scores: “unpacking and repacking” a bag in the public space. The rest of the group started unpacking and interacting with their props and each other. Arzu Yayıntaş explored objects associated with womanhood by society. Combining many clothing objects and wearing them in an unusual way while moving her body in a displeasing eccentric way in opposition to what is expected from womanhood. Meanwhile, Vanessa Ponte and Gizem Yılmaz, were displaying beautifying actions such as putting on makeup and dressing up in the most absurd ways accentuated by repetitive movements. Next to this duo, Nazlı Durak was exploring Yayıntaş’ props. Dressing up herself with princess costumes for children, she tries to fit into society with a new unexpected identity. During the whole session Selma Hekim accompanied the group by playing erbane.
“Mis(s)placed Women?” workshop, Istanbul, a performance by Arzu Yayıntaş (2021) Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
After the lunch break, the next stop was the Teşvikiye Mosque. We had legitimate concerns about performing at a mosque courtyard in Turkey. Yet, Ostojić was sure of herself with each step of the process. If it comes to that, we could maybe get warned, or kicked out but she insisted on defending our right to use this public space. Tanja always encouraged us by moving forward with a fighting and protesting spirit, an inclusive dominant identity of a female, independent of geography and culture. Due to our concerns about us being from Istanbul and people’s traditional values, we were able to move forward with Tanja’s leadership and the safe space Ostojić provided for us.
“Mis(s)placed Women?” workshop, Istanbul, a performance by Gülhatun Yıldırım (2021) Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić
Gülhatun Yıldırım performed next to an empty fountain pool at the Mosque’s garden. Sitting by the fountain, Yıldırım placed dozens of ice cubes on her lap and stood still, enduring the burning pain of ice for approximately two hours, until the last ice cube melted and leaked into the empty pool. As a performance artist, water and its various forms is part of Yıldırım’s practice. She is in constant research of her body limits while searching new ways of interacting with water. The ephemerality and the transformative effect of the material referring to the issues of forced nomadism, migration and displaced communities, attracted the artist, so this is how this durational piece has been created.
After a while, the group left Yıldırım’s performance to continue their journey. But she was not on her own, one camera person and a member of the production team stayed with her until the end of the performance. Nobody was left alone during the whole workshop.
For the second part of the day, Ostojić invited participants to rethink about their performance and to reperform some of the performances as they needed to be deepened and to be worked on.
In the wake of individual and collective re-performances, Myrtsou continued working with her grandmother’s dowry, displaying all its content, sharing it with other participants. Then she started hanging the dowery pieces on one side of the square with the help of some of the participants. While Myrtsou finished unpacking, Nazlı Durak installed herself comfortably in her luggage creating a safe and cozy space. After building herself a spinose crown made of knitting needles and yarn with the help of Selma Hekim she started to give herself to a domestic female activity; knitting. Her work brought up questions in mind such as “Where is home? What is home? Can any place turn into a home? How does it feel to be forced to quit home?”.
Reconsidering the recent police attack to the queer picnic organised in Maçka Park — which was very close to the square — Gizem Yılmaz and Sabbi Senior wanted to revive a surreal queer picnic scenery. They went exploring the construction site next to the square in order to bring together some props for their “Queer Breakfast” piece. A gasoline bottle, cement, stones became snacks and treats. Enjoying cheerfully that nonsensical breakfast that slowly transformed into a queer playing house for adults. The message was simple; to draw attention to the innocence of their act.
Close to Myrtsou, Arzu Yayıntaş and a passerby that joined her began embroidery activities. Simultaneously, another embroidery performance session started with Tanja Ostojić and Bahar Seki on the opposite side of the square. Later on, Persefoni Myrtsou and Selma Hekim joined the duo.
Embroidery became like a uniting therapeutic closing ritual of the day.
Collective performance actions realised at the Teşvikiye Square, Istanbul, 08 09 2021. in the framework of Mis(s)placed Women? workshop by Tanja Ostojić, with the participation of: Bahar Seki, Gizem Yılmaz, Nazlı Durak, Persefoni Myrtsou, Sabbi Senior, Selma Hekim and Tanja Ostojić. Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
The whole square turned into an installation in which various performances popped up. Knitting, embroidering, beautifying, cooking, playing house — all the performances were related to traditional feminine activities mainly destined to be practiced indoors, however the act of displaying those activities outdoor in a public space and deviating from its essential aim became a feminist/queer statement itself.
During the performances at this location we only have been interrupted once by a policeman that politely asked us to leave as we found it at the ending time of the workshop. We had different types/groups of audience. Some of them were only passersby who stared at the scenery very briefly while some of them stayed and watched the performances. Many questions were raised and comments were shared as they were trying to relate the performances to the actuality trying to analyse it according to their background. And this is how the second day came to an end.
Thursday, September 9, 2021-Kadıköy
On the third day of the workshop that comprised public interventions, the whole group met in front of the Kadıköy Ferryboat Docks. The day started with the “Holding the Mis(s)placed Women? Sign” score. The first score was performed by Vanessa Ponte, they arrived at the meeting point already holding their sign and placed themselves next to the Kadıköy Ferryboat Docks with the historical Haydarpaşa Railway Station and the Bosphorus view in the background. They were holding a sign on which they wrote “Misplaced Human/Misplaced Woman”, standing still with her red hoodie, worn backwards, covering her face. It was a very strong image. Knowing that there is a human inside that body without being able to identify anything about it had a strong effect on the audience. Many passersby stopped by to watch. Sabbi Senior joined Ponte with her own sign on which we could read “MIS(S)PLACED WYMYN”. With a very feminine wear (a crop top and mini skirt), they stand still next to Ponte. Next to them, Persefoni Myrtsou and Gülhatun Yıldırım who have just prepared their own signs in Turkish joined the performance. Many asked why only “women”, they suggested that it should also include men.
Score #2: Holding the “Mis(s)placed Women?” Sign, performed by Sabbi Senior, Vanessa Ponte, Persefoni Myrtsou and Gülhatun Yıldırım, Kadıköy Port, “Mis(s)placed Women?” workshop, Istanbul, (2021). Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
15-20 minutes after Ponte started performing, a police patrol came to interrupt both the filming and the performance and took one of Performistanbul’s team members with them to start an interrogation about “what was happening”. A dozen police officers gathered in a prefabricated cabin and they started preparing a police statement informing the team member about the illegal nature of the activities that the participants have been doing in public space. We were not allowed to show and film people holding signs in public space, one policeman qualified the performance as a terrorist act. After a long negotiation, they let us go without a fine but we had to stop the performances and move immediately to another location. We have been literally chased away from the meeting spot and we were forbidden to resume the performances unless we get extra permission documents from the prefecture and the district police department of Kadıköy. While the participants and some of the coordination and documentation team continued their walk inside the small streets of Kadıköy, Performistanbul’s staff and the camera woman went to collect new permissions documents. It took almost two hours to gather all the documents —that were not necessary— and come back to the performance location. Meanwhile, after the group left, two undercover policemen started to follow the group. The two policemen stayed with the group until the end of the day, they also documented the performances and reported what was going on to the police station. Sometimes they gave warnings to the coordination team about what can/can’t be done in public spaces (without directly interrupting the workshop) and also asked many questions about the project, the performances as well as the discipline itself.
The group was led to the small streets of Kadıköy Bazaar. After walking for a while, they gathered in circle at the small square in front of Surp Takavor Armenian Church where numerous security cameras were installed and started performing some warming-up exercises. Soon, policemen warned the group that they have to move to another location. It was time for lunch, until the group got to the restaurant, they started performing with their voice. Words were forbidden but screaming was not. Therefore, the group of ten women and queers raised their voice together through the small streets of Kadıköy. The magical moment happened when senior people started hitting some objects with their canes to support the “protest” actions of the group.
After the lunch break, the group moved to Bahariye Street in front of the Süreyya Opera. Vanessa Ponte proposed a performance referring to the oppression of the queer community in Istanbul tackling the male gaze. Along with Sabbi, Nazlı and Gizem, Vanessa started to tie up their hands and legs. Then the music started and they started to dance depicting the struggles of a queer body in public space while freeing it and celebrating its existence.
A collective performance with the participation of: Nazlı Durak, Sabbi Senior, Gizem Yılmaz and Vanessa Ponte, 2021. Realised in the framework of Mis(s)placed Women? workshop by Tanja Ostojić. Süreyya Opera House, Istanbul, 09.09.2021. Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić
Following this performance Ponte continued proposing; they also included Persefoni Myrtsou and Arzu Yayıntaş. Ponte’s body was tied up and pulled in different directions while they were trying to put make up on their queer face wearing a purple moustache. The absurdity and struggle caused by the action was expressing both the oppression and vulnerability of the queer body.
Selma Hekim took over the performance space. Her performance was about “leaving traces” dealing with issues such as immigration, the sense of belonging, the kinship between past and present, as well as the need to leave a legacy. She lied on the floor and asked Sabbi Senior, Arzu Yayıntaş, Vanessa Ponte and Persefoni Myrtsou to draw the outline of her body on the floor. Each time the group started drawing, Hekim continuously moved her body until the floor was covered by multicolour lines.
A performance by Selma Hekim with the participation of: Arzu Yayıntaş, Nazlı Durak, Persefoni Myrtsou, Sabbi Senior, Selma Hekim and Vanessa Ponte, realised in the framework of Mis(s)placed Women? workshop by Tanja Ostojić, Süreyya Opera House, Istanbul, 09 09 2021. Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
The group moved to Kadıköy Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Bishop, where Persefoni Myrtsou presented her solo performance. She started by unpacking her grandmother’s dowry that she carried in her suitcase during the entire workshop since the day one. It was not a simple luggage, with all the different sorts of dowry, it also contained memories of her grandmother and community as well as their migration story and past history. It was time to fully engage with them and confront what was embedded in them. Myrtsou started covering herself with each piece of dowry. With the help of Ostojić, passing by women and other participants, she covered her whole body creating a bridal gown made of dozens of dowry pieces. Then she started distributing the rest of the dowry to the passersby. The dowry would continue to live in different lives, being part of different stories. Somehow Myrtsou found a way to communicate and reconcile with her past through her grandmother’s untouched dowry and share it with others. We could hear her soft sobs through the multiple layers of textiles. At the same moment it started raining, it was like the sky was empathising with her trying to carry away her sadness. It was a visually and contently very strong piece that deeply touched each of us. At the end all the participants gave a huge hug to Myrtsou and helped her get out of this “heavy” dress.
“Mis(s)placed Women?” workshop, Istanbul, Doily Monster-Bride, a performance by Persefoni Myrtsou. (2021) Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
Just before the workshop ended, Gizem Yılmaz sat down on the street next to a sign on which she wrote “Poor Artist”. Covering her face with a veil, she randomly started playing an ukulele while singing a ridiculous song about the situation of the “poor woman artist”. Nazlı Durak joined the performance spontaneously, accompanying Gizem with her absurd dance. Looking like a mixture of beggars and/or extravagant boheme street artists, they tried to depict humorously the situation and struggles of the artists in our current society. It was the end of intense three days long performance interventions on the street.
“Mis(s)placed Women?” workshop, Istanbul, a performance by Gizem Yılmaz and Nazlı Durak (2021) Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz. Copyright: Tanja Ostojić.
The Third Part
Saturday, September 24, 2021-Beykoz Kundura Cinema
Next time the entire group gathered was at Beykoz Kundura Cinema, to watch together the first edit of the documentary movie depicting the workshop, to discuss and present the outcomes to the public. All participants of the workshop were invited to take active part in the presentation and the following discussion led by Tanja Ostojić. Each participant discussed their experience analysing it thoroughly with comments of Ostojić and other participants.
The whole workshop was a (re)discovery of what is/isn’t/can be performance art. Through her inclusive and pedagogical practice, Tanja Ostojić gave to the nine distinct participants the opportunity to discover, create, explore and develop a performative practice. By providing a safe space (even though in the public spaces) and continuous support, Ostojić encouraged both self-expression, public presence, collective creation and community building. It was a huge experience full of emotions for all the participants as well as the documentation and coordination team.
We were on the edge the entire time on the streets. It felt like we were on a battlefield. A battle we were already having every day. A war, we have against the difficult conditions of being a woman/a queer in Turkey, and for the performance art practice we produce and try to protect. It was a very inspiring and empowering experience for us Performistanbul as well. Thanks to Ostojić, we were finally able to come out to the streets and make our voices heard as we always wanted and needed.
We were not direct participants… yet, to be with the participants at all times, to be the meeting bridge in order to make their voices heard made us part of the workshop and community as facilitators. Making public performances possible, supporting the participants and the artist during the process, to ensure the smooth running of Ostojić’s workshop was actually Performistanbul’s performance. Ostojić’s sharp, determined, confident nature became her guide. At the same time, her humble approach, loving embracing and openness to each idea created a space that encouraged free expression and communication. Such a unique and one of a kind experience was created that just like the particles colliding with each other in the creation of the universe, the participants grew and propagated by listening and reading each other, interacting, communicating…
Many of the interventions were not completely understood by the diverse audiences, but that did not matter, as it was not a show but a display of an expressive stance. Performance was not present as an academic discipline and it was not essential. As Performistanbul, since our establishment we approached performance art as a communication tool to bring people together, to vibrate and to heal collectively and it also has been Ostojić’s way to connect with the participants and the public. We prioritised our natural needs over the technical ones. This openness of heart and transparency led us to live art rather than producing it. We were present at that moment, fully feeling its liveliness.
We are grateful, thankful for all the participants and Tanja Ostojić for revealing and sharing their unique identities, memories, experiences, and sorrows with us. We would like to sincerely thank Ostojić for making us a part of this long adventurous journey that led us to a discovery of ourselves, of performing in public spaces and producing a collective/participative creation.
Now remembering our strength as women, we feel together, and we know that we have each other.
By staying a collective, staying whole, we continue transforming and keep transforming…
The Writing Part as a Post Scriptum:
At the end of the second part of the workshop (performances on the street) all participants, including the coordination team, have received Ostojiić’s instructions on how to write reviews and short texts including reflections about our experience of the workshop. First drafts of the texts were due before the screening and the round table at Beykoz Kundura so that participants could prepare for the public presentation. Those short texts and essays are in the process of editing by Tanja Ostojiić in order to be gradually published on the project blog.
This review has been written a half a year after the workshop took place and includes a chronological description and brief analysis of all performances and the workshop’s process as a whole, comprising reflections on Tanja Ostojiić’s practice and our own experience as a performance art platform that coordinated the project.
Besides digging in our memories, we went through the 90-minutes-long documentary video about the workshop process, the notes that we have gathered in September as well as all the reflections shared by the participants. The reflections were a crucial part of the workshop in which each participant shared and analysed their own experiences of both the performance(s) they realised as well as the one(s) they witnessed. In our review, we tried to include as much as possible their approach in respect of their intentions and analysis, to avoid misinterpretations and confusions which may sometimes compromise the main motives of creation. The participants’ perspectives and intentions can not be extricable from the analysis. Thus, we would like to acknowledge and thank all the participants who indirectly contributed to the creation of this review, especially Persefoni Myrtsou who wrote an extremely meticulous and detailed reflective essay on the whole workshop process.
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Review written by: Azra İşmen & Simge Burhanoğlu, Performistanbul
Edited and first published on the MIS(S)PLACE WOMEN? blogue by Tanja Ostojić on June 1, 2022. (Anniversary of the beginning of the Gezi-Park-Protests June 1, 2013.)
Gülbin Eriş – Camera, Video Editing, Gün Üçok – Camera Assistant, Burçin Aktan – Sound Operator and Kayhan Kaygusuz – Photographer
Performistanbul Team
Azra İşmen & Simge Burhanoğlu – Organisers and Ayda Bayram – Coordinator
Cultural Academy Tarabya
Çiğdem İkiışık – Program Coordinator
The Mis(s)placed Women? production in cooperation with Cultural Academy Tarabya and Performistanbul in the frame of Ostojić’s four-months-long residence in Cultural Academy Tarabya (June-September 2022).
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Save the dates:
June 18, 2022, Istanbul premier of the ‘Mis(s)placed Women? Istanbul’ 68 min documentary by Tanja Ostojić:Mis(s)placed Women? Performance Art Workshop by Tanja Ostojić(2021-22), at the Tarabya Summer Festival, Istanbul.
The video documents collective and individual performances, reflections and the process of the Mis(s)placed Women? workshop realised over four days in several neighbourhoods of Istanbul during September 2021. The workshop uses principles of Art as Social Practice that on one side explores a variety of public spaces and the possibilities for temporary interventions in them, and on the other, empowers participants via a Master-class-like block seminar, a laboratory outside of an educational institution. Istanbul itinerary of the project (ongoing since 2009) was marked by massive police presence, appreciative responses from the people on the street, and the participants who were amazingly supportive of each other, highly motivated to engage in the collaborative work and in agency to work with the issues of displacement, feminism, queer issues and the public space.
September 15, 2022, ‘Mis(s)placed Women?’ Project retrospective, exhibition opening at DEPO Istanbul
September 20-24, 2022, ‘Mis(s)placed Women?’ International community gathering in Istanbul and live events at DEPO and outside
Tanja Ostojić was a recipient of the Cultural Academy Tarabya, Istanbul, Fellowship in 2021 and is currently a recipient of the Stiftung Kunstfonds NEUSTART KULTUR Stipend for the contemporary visual arts in 2022.
A Review of the Tanja Ostojić’s Performance Art Workshop in the Public Spaces
By Culture Hub Croatia
(Scroll down for Croatian)
Tanja Ostojić’s performance workshop “Misplaced Women?” was held from April 6-8, 2021 in Split, organized by platform Culture Hub Croatia (CHC), as part of the year-round program of the project Voids2021. The following participants, selected on the basis of an open call, attended the workshop: Mia Bradić, Ines Borovac, Katarina Duplančić, Lissette Nicole Josseau and Alejandra Robles Sosa, as well, the workshop leader and the organizers from CHC joined as well. A public presentation showcasing the results of the workshop was held on April 8 in the Amphitheater of the Youth Center (Dom Mladih), with participants sharing reflections after their performances.
“Misplaced Women?” is an art project by Tanja Ostojić consisting of performances, series of performances, workshops and delegated performances, which has been running since 2009, so we were extremely glad to be part of this distinguished project, especially because we managed to gather participants from different profiles and generations, who told their stories, touched upon numerous topics and opened some important questions with their performances.
“Misplaced Women?” workshop was held as part of the program of the project Voids2021, which, among other things, deals with the issue of space, so our work in the public space was above all a natural development of the program. Although so far within the project we have operated mainly in private spaces, or those on the border of public and private (with occasional “trips” to the completely public – as, for example, during last year’s performance of Mia Kevo’s “Common Sense”), in this year’s edition we chose to enrich activities in the public space. Public space, which by definition suggests something accessible to all, nevertheless includes restrictions (for example, determined by pandemic measures or city regulations), which indicate a certain power over the space of those who set these restrictions. At the same time responding to these constraints and challenging them, performance is in this sense a dialogue with the city, with the meanings of its places and public space that is in itself already strongly performative.
“Misplaced Women?” Workshop by Tanja Ostojic, Split, April 2021, video documentation of the workshop, 9 min
As an organization that has been operating without a physical space for work (hub) since its foundation, we are used to carrying out activities nomadically – in the premises of other organizations, cafes, souvenir shops, restaurants. Going out and acting in a public space in our work is a perfectly logical option. However, public space in a pandemic takes on an additional role or, more specifically, in our example, gains in importance – given the existing epidemiological measures and limited capacity of closed / private spaces, we are forced to use public space in our work if we want to carry out certain activities. We met the first challenge of not having our own space on the first day, when the introductory conversation was held and the participants were introduced, both to each other and to the work methodology. Due to the rain, staying outdoors was difficult, so we spent this introductory day on the stairs of the porch of the Fine Arts Gallery, where we learned more about the project “Misplaced Women?”, about different ways to participate and agreed on guidelines for the work on the following day. Participants were given instructions to think about their performance until the next meeting and to choose the personal items they want to use.
On the second day of the workshop, we met in the temporary office of “Voids” – Diocletiano souvenir shop in Bosanska 4. Some of the participants already had a clear picture of what they wanted to do, while the rest of the details formed in the later stage – even literally – being related to locations, as well as specific elements of individual performances. It was interesting to follow the process of developing the very idea of performance that was then taking place.
One of the main principles of the “Misplaced Women?” Platform, community building and building of the safe space for the realization of performances, was reflected in the fact that workshop participants, leaders, organizers, as well as friends of the organisation and gallery formed a dozen women and girls who moved around the city and supported each other especially in the process of the actual performances, collaborating on a creative and organizational level and participating in the works of other participants when it made sense, as well as giving feedback during discussions after each of the performances. By participating in this project, we have all become part of a large international community and were invited to join future international activities and meetings such as Misplaced Community performance weekends, exhibitions and gatherings.
Misplaced Women? workshop, by Tanja Ostojic, Split, April 2021, photo: Neli Ruzic
Finally, places of particular social and historical significance were selected, each corresponding to a particular performance. First, Peristil – as a place of power, in Tanja Ostojić’s performance “On Attempts at Rape” collaborating with Mia Bradić and Alejandra Robles Sosa, served as a place from which a woman is speaking from a “position of power” literally, while opening the public space to expression of trauma while facing with it within that space.
A different connotation of the Peristil came from the performance by Ines Borovac – with her back turned to the bell tower of Saint Doimus, which in its masculine form towered over the fragile female body, naked and exposed to the storm and the cold.
Riva as a place of display of our own personality, like a catwalk, a place of validation (of women) was used in performance by Nicole Lissete Josseau, inviting us to symbolically leave everything that belongs to us as a decor and constructs our external identity. An interesting link here can be made with a commercial gallery or fair, but with the catwalk, where, in this case humanoid exhibits are on display, observed and evaluated as objects.
Two places – the bus station and the ferry port, as places of transition, crossing, movement, are symbols of nomadic life. They have become places of expression for those who are forced to travel (Mia Bradić) and those who are looking for ways to stay (Alejandra Robles Sosa).
The only performance moved from the city center, the performance of Katarina Duplančić, held on the plateau in front of the Youth Center (Dom Mladih), dealt with the topic of the precarity of cultural workers and the inability to separate private and professional spheres.
Finally, our performance, “Misplaced Organization?” is an act of struggle for the space of action. It was the only performance within the workshop with the score to perform no. 2: holding inscriptions, while the performances of Nicole, Alejandra and Mia took place according to the score for the performance no. 1: unpacking the personal bag. The scores served as an orientation and a frame, and the final form of the performance could be developed inside or outside of them.
Tourists were mostly those participating as public, which did not surprise us. From our experience, local people are mostly either surprised, or hesitant, or completely ignorant (what usually occurs after the initial surprise). This was particularly evident in Nicole’s performance. Thus, she became just another exhibit, almost instantly the subject of observation with somewhat hesitant interest, but without actually joining the performance act or questioning what exactly it was about. Finding new methods to encourage participation is proving to be necessary; however, we consider these individual contributions a significant step and progress.
A wide range of possibilities of reading and interpretation affects our understanding of public space but also our relationship to it. We must constantly remind ourselves that this can be a space of expression and a space of freedom, but that it remains a space in which power relations are very much visible. Therefore, any displacement from it should be questioned evermore.
In the post-production phase, a video of each performance was created, and every participant prepared a text about their work, the process and motivation. Video performances are posted on Misplaced Women? Vimeo channel, and bilingual texts on “Misplaced Women?” blog.
List of performances realised in the frame of “Misplaced Women?” workshop in Split:
Radionica performansa Tanje Ostojić „Misplaced Women?“ održala se od 6. do 8. travnja 2021. godine u Splitu, u organizaciji platforme Culture Hub Croatia (CHC), a u sklopu cjelogodišnjeg programa projekta Praznine2021. Na radionici je sudjelovalo ukupno pet polaznica koje su odabrane na osnovu javnog natječaja koji je prethodno bio objavljen: Mia Bradić, Ines Borovac, Katarina Duplančić, Lissette Nicole Josseau i Alejandra Robles Sosa, a u izvođenju performansa pridružile su im se i voditeljica radionice, kao i organizatorice iz CHC-a. Javna prezentacija na kojoj su predstavljeni rezultati radionice održala se 8. travnja u Amfiteatru Doma mladih, pri čemu su sudionice iznijele refleksije nakon izvedenih performansa.
“Misplaced Women?” je umjetnički projekt Tanje Ostojić koji se sastoji od performansa, serija performansa, radionica i delegiranih performansa, a koji traje od 2009. godine, stoga nam je bilo izuzetno drago da smo postale dio ovog značajnog projekta, a posebice što smo uspjele okupiti sudionice različitih različitih profila i generacija, koje su ispričale svoje priče i svojim performansima dotakle brojne teme i otvorile neka važna pitanja.
Radionica “Misplaced Women?” održana je kao dio programa projekta Praznine2021 koji se, između ostalog, bavi i pitanjem prostora, stoga nam je rad u javnom prostoru bio nadasve prirodan slijed programa. Iako smo do sada u okviru projekta djelovali pretežno u privatnim prostorima, ili onima na granici javnog i privatnog (s povremenim „izletima“ u onaj potpuno javni – kao, primjerice, tijekom prošlogodišnjeg performansa Mie Kevo „Common Sense“), ovogodišnje izdanje Praznina odlučile smo obogatiti aktivnostima u javnom prostoru. Javni prostor, koji po svojoj definiciji sugerira nešto svima dostupno, ipak uključuje ograničenja (primjerice, određena protupandemijskim mjerama ili pak gradskim pravilnicima), a koja ukazuju na određenu moć nad prostorom onih koji postavljaju ta ograničenja. Istodobno odgovarajući na ta ograničenja i izazivajući ih, performans je u ovom smislu dijalog s gradom, sa značenjima njegovih mjesta i javnim prostorom koji je sam po sebi već snažno performativan.
Kao organizacija koja od svog osnutka djeluje bez fizičkog prostora za rad (hub-a), naviknule smo aktivnosti provoditi nomadski – u prostorima drugih organizacija, kafićima, suvenirnicama, restoranima. Izlazak i djelovanje u javnom prostoru u našem se radu otkriva kao jedna savršeno logična opcija. Ipak, javni prostor u pandemiji poprima dodatnu ulogu ili, konkretno, u našem primjeru, dobiva na važnosti – s obzirom na postojeće epidemiološke mjere i ograničenost kapaciteta zatvorenih/privatnih prostora, primorane smo koristiti javni prostor u svom radu ako želimo provesti određene aktivnosti. S prvim izazovom ne-imanja vlastitog prostora susrele smo se već prvog dana radionice, kada je održan uvodni razgovor i upoznavanje sudionica, kako međusobno, tako i s metodologijom rada. S obzirom na kišu, boravak na otvorenom bio je otežan pa smo ovaj uvodni dan provele na stepenicama trijema Galerije umjetnina, gdje smo saznale više o samom projektu “Misplaced Women?”, o različitim načinima sudjelovanja u istom te dogovorile okvirne smjernice za sutrašnji rad. Sudionice su dobile upute da do sljedećeg susreta razmisle o svom performansu i da odaberu osobne predmete koje žele koristiti u njemu.
Drugog dana radionice susrele smo se u privremenom uredu “Praznina” – suvenirnici Diocletiano u Bosanskoj 4. Neke od sudionica imale su već jasnu sliku o onome što žele izvesti, dok se većina detalja iskristalizirala u hodu – pa i doslovnom – kako onih vezanih za lokacije, tako i specifičnih elemenata pojedinih performansa. Bilo je zanimljivo pratiti proces razvoja same ideje performansa koji se pritom odvijao.
Jedan od glavnih principa rada “Misplaced Women?” platforme, comunity buliding i building of the safe space for the realizaton of performances, ogledao se u tome da su sudionice radionice, voditeljica, organizatorice, kao i prijateljice udruge i galerije formirale grupu od desetak žena i djevojaka koje su se zajedno kretale gradom i podržavale jedna drugu, posebno u procesu realizacije performansa, surađujući na kreativnom i organizacijskom nivou i participirajući u radovima drugih sudionica kada je to imalo smisla, kao i u davanju povratnog mišljenja u procesu diskusije nakon svakog od realiziranih performansa. Sudjelovanjem u ovom projektu sve smo postale i dijelom velike međunarodne zajednice te smo pozvane da se priključimo budućim međunarodnim aktivnostima i susretima Misplaced Community pefromance weekends, exhibitions and gatherings.
U konačnici, izabrana su mjesta od osobitog društvenog i povijesnog značaja od kojih je svaki odgovarao određenom performansu. Najprije, Peristil – kao mjesto moći, u performansu “O pokušajima silovanja” Tanje Ostojić u kojem su sudjelovale Mia Bradić i Alejandra Robles Sosa, poslužio je kao mjesto s kojeg žena koja progovara s „pozicije moći“ u doslovnom smislu, pritom otvarajući javni prostor za izražavanje traume i suočavanje s njom unutar njega.
Drugačija konotacija Peristila proizašla je iz performansa Ines Borovac – okrenute leđima zvoniku svetog Duje, koji se u svom maskularnom obliku nadvio nad krhko žensko tijelo, ogoljeno i izloženo buri i hladnoći.
Rivu kao mjesto izlaganja, poput modne piste, te mjesto vrednovanja (žene) iskoristila je u svom performansu Nicole Lissete Josseau, pozvavši da simbolično ostavimo sve ono što nam pripada kao dekor i konstruira naš vanjski identitet. Zanimljiva je ovdje korelacija i s komercijalnom galerijom ili sajmom, osim one s modnom pistom, gdje se, a u ovom slučaju humanoidni, eksponati izlažu, promatraju i vrednuju na temelju izloženog.
Dva mjesta – autobusna stanica i trajektna luka, kao mjesta tranzicije, prelaska, kretanja, simboli su nomadskog života. Postala su to mjesta ekspresije onih koji su primorani putovati (Mia Bradić) i onih koji traže načine za ostanak (Alejandra Robles Sosa).
Jedini izmješten iz centra grada, performans Katarine Duplančić, održan na platou ispred Doma mladih, dotaknuo se tema prekarnog rada kulturnih djelatnika/ca i nemogućnosti odvajanja privatnog i profesionalnog.
Konačno, naš performans, “Misplaced Organization?” čin je borbe za prostor djelovanja. Bilo je to jedino poigravanje s partiturom za izvođenje performansa br. 2: držanje natpisa u okviru radionice, dok su se performansi Nicole, Alejandre i Mie odvili prema partituri za izvođenje performansa br. 1: raspakivanje osobne torbe. Partiture su poslužile kao orijentacija i okvir, a konačna forma performansa mogla se razviti unutar ili izvan njih.
Za participaciju od strane javnosti uglavnom su bili zaslužni turisti, što nas nije iznenadilo. Iz našeg iskustva, lokalno stanovništvo je uglavnom ili zatečeno ili oklijeva, ili potpuno (i najčešće, a što se obično događa nakon prvotne zatečenosti) ignorira. To je osobito došlo do izražaja u performansu Nicole. Ona je tako postala samo još jedan eksponat, gotovo instantno predmet promatranja, s ponešto oklijevajućim interesom, ali bez stvarnog pridruživanja izvedbenom činu ili pak propitkivanja o čemu se točno radi. Iznalaženje novih metoda za poticanje participacije pokazuje se kao nužnost; ipak, i najmanji pomaci po tom pitanju u vidu individualnih doprinosa vidimo kao značajan korak.
Širok raspon čitanja i interpretacija utječe na naše razumijevanje javnog prostora, ali i odnosa prema njemu. Moramo se konstantno podsjećati da to može biti prostor izražavanja i prostor slobode, ali da je još uvijek prostor u kojem se odnosi moći itekako manifestiraju. Stoga svako izmještanje iz njega treba zauvijek propitivati.
U fazi postprodukcije uz svaki performans realiziran je i video, a svaka od sudonica reflektirala je u tekstu o radu vlastite procese i motivaciju. Video performansi su objavljeni na “Misplaced Women?” Vimeo kanalu, a dvojezični tekstovi na “Misplaced Women?” blogu.
Performansi realizirani u okviru radionice “Misplaced Women?” u Splitu:
7-9 Eylül 2021 tarihleri arasında, Tanja Ostojić ile İstanbul’un çeşitli kamusal alanlarında gerçekleşecek 4 günlük performans sanatı atölyesi Mis(s)placed Women?, uluslararası performans sanatı platformu Performistanbul ve Tarabya Kültür Akademisi işbirliğiyle düzenleniyor. Atölye, 25 Eylül Cumartesi günü, Beykoz Kundura Sineması’nda gerçekleşecek halka açık sunum ile sona eriyor. Tarabya Kültür Akademisi’nde konuk edildiği süre kapsamında gerçekleştirdiği atölyede Ostojić, bireylerin yerinden edilme deneyimleri üzerinden Canlı Sanat pratikleri ile metodolojilerini araştırıyor. Başvuru için son tarih 31 Ağustos 2021.
Tanja Ostojić’in 2009 yılından bu yana devam eden Mis(s)placed Women? sanat projesi, uluslararası sanatçılarla farklı sosyal çevrelerden gelen kişilerin katkılarını da içeren performanslar, performans serileri, atölye çalışmaları ve temsili performanslardan oluşuyor. Bu proje kapsamında, geçici veya uzun süreli göçmenler, savaş ve doğal afet mültecileri ile queerler, evsizler… ve hayatlarını kazanmak için dünyayı dolaşan gezgin sanatçıların da çok iyi bildiği, yerinden edilmeyi konu alan bazı günlük yaşam faaliyetleri somutlaştırılıp hayata geçiriliyor. Bu performanslar, Ostojić’in geçmiş birçok çalışmasında öne çıkan nitelikteki, hareket hâlinde olma ve özellikle de kadın bedeni üzerinden göç temaları ile güç ve kırılganlık ilişkilerini incelemeyi sürdürüyor.
Misplaced Women? performance by Tanja Ostojić on the La Grand Escalier de la Gare du Saint Charles a Marseille, 2013. With the participation of: Jane Kay Park, Emma-Edvige Ungaro, Alix Denambride, Kim Mc Cafferty, Robyn Hambrook, Helen Averley, Patricia Verity and Tanja Ostojić, Préavis de Désordre Urbain, Marseille
Atölye, sürecin tamamına katılmayı kabul eden, tüm yaş, cinsiyet, köken, sosyal çevre gruplarından, deneyim seviyesi gözetmeksizin herkese açıktır. Göç, performans sanatı, kendini kadın olarak tanımlamanın beraberinde getirdiği koşullar, toplumsal cinsiyet temsilleri ile kamusal alanda sanat konularına ilgi duyanları özellikle davet ediyoruz. Katılımcılar, göç, marjinalleşme, yerinden edilme, maruz kalma ve ayrıcalıklı olma konularındaki deneyimlerini karşılıklı paylaşmaya ve Mis(s)placed Women? performanslarının bazılarını hayata geçirmeye davet ve teşvik ediliyor. Atölye ücretsiz olup, içecek, atıştırmalık ve yemek ikramı ile katılımcıların çalışmalarının profesyonel fotoğraf ve video dokümantasyonu sağlanacak. Sınırlı sayıda yer olması nedeniyle katılmak isteyenlerden başvuru yapmalarını önemle rica ediyoruz. (Başvuru bilgileri aşağıdadır.) Atölye İngilizce dilinde gerçekleşiyor. Katılımınız için herhangi bir özel gereksiniminiz olması durumunda, motivasyon mektubunuzda konuyu bizimle paylaşmanızı rica ederiz, örneğin işaret dili çevirisi vb. ihtiyaçlar için…
Atölye ve sunum sürecinde Koronavirüsün yayılmasını engellemek adına tüm hijyen önlemleri uygulanacaktır. Katılımcıların tümü kamusal alanlarda performans sergileme imkânına sahip olacak ve atölyenin çıktıları, dokümantasyon görüntülerinin de yer aldığı halka açık bir söyleşi formatında kamuoyuna sunulacak ve Misplaced Women? sanat projesinin proje blogu ile proje arşivine dâhil edilecek.
Program:
Atölye: 7-9 Eylül Salı, Çarşamba ve Perşembe. 11:00-17:00 arası (Molalar dâhil). İlk toplantı ve tanışma Performistanbul’un Galata’daki binasında, geri kalan atölye ve performanslar ise İstanbul’un çeşitli semtlerinde gerçekleşecek.
25 Eylül Cumartesi günü saat 17:30’da Beykoz Kundura Sinema’sında izleyicilerin de katılabileceği, atölye sunumları hakkında katılımcılarla söyleşi gerçekleştirilecek.
Başvurular için son tarih Salı günü, 31 Ağustos 2021.
Başvuranlara en geç 6 Eylül tarihine kadar bilgi verilecektir.
Atölye ve başvuru hakkında detaylı bilgileri aşağıda bulabilirsiniz:
Sanatçı ve Atölye Yürütücüsü Hakkında:
Tanja Ostojić 1972 yılında Yugoslavya’da dünyaya geldi. Disiplinlerarası çalışan performans sanatçısı. Uluslararası platformda kurumsal cinsiyet eleştirisi alanının öncülerinden olan sanatçı, toplumsal ve siyasal katılım temelli feminist sanat ve kamusal alanda sanat çalışmalarıyla tanınmaktadır. Sanatsal çalışmaları üst düzey teorik referanslar içermekte olup, çok sayıda kitap, dergi ve antolojide incelendi. The Guardian tarafından yakın zamanda Looking for a Husband with EU Passport (2000-05) çalışması ile 21. yüzyılın en iyi 25 sanatçısı arasına seçildi.
Ostojić, Sırbistan’da Belgrad Sanat Üniversitesi’nde Heykel, Fransa’da École Régionale des Beaux-Arts Nantes’ta Serbest Sanat öğrenimi gördü, Universität der Künste Berlin’de disiplinlerarası araştırmalar alanında Albert Einstein araştırma bursu kapsamında çalışmalarını sürdürdü (2012-14). Çeşitli bağışlar ve ödüller aldı; 1994’ten beri performansları ve sanat eserleri dünya çapında birçok önemli sanat mekanına ve festivale ulaştı. Eserleri önemli müze koleksiyonlarının bir parçasıdır, Avrupa ve Amerika çevresindeki akademik konferanslarda ve sanat üniversitelerinde konuşmalar, konferanslar, seminerler ve atölyeler vermiştir.
Tanja Ostojić Haziran ile Eylül 2021 tarihleri arasında Tarabya Kültür Akademisi konuk sanatçısı olarak İstanbul’da bulunuyor.
Atölye Hakkında:
Mis(s)placed Women? projesi, kamusal bir alanda bavul, poşet, el çantası ya da benzeri bir nesnenin içinin açılarak boşaltılmasını içerirken bu nesneler yoluyla geçici ve süreli göçmenlerin, evsizlerin, savaş ve doğal afet mültecilerinin günlük deneyimlerinde yaygın bir tema olan yerinden edilme hâlini temsil ediyor. Atölye, katılımcıları bu konularla ilişki kurdurarak, onları tartışmaya açmaya ve çeşitli kamusal alanlarda müdahalelerde bulunmaya teşvik etmeyi amaçlıyor.
Atölyenin ilk bölümü, bir araya gelme, bilgilendirme ve iletişim kurmayı içeriyor; bu sayede katılımcılar bireysel deneyimleri ile projenin amaçları hakkında birbirleriyle fikir alışverişinde bulunabiliyor.
İkinci bölüm sürecinde katılımcılar, İstanbul’un sokak, park ve istasyonlarında canlı performanslar ile müdahaleler gerçekleştirmeye teşvik edilip destekleniyor. Halka açık olan performanslarla atölye süreci, profesyonel fotoğraf ve video ekibi tarafından belgelenecek.
Atölyenin dördüncü gününde, Beykoz Kundura’nın Sinema’sında atölye çalışmalarından kesitler izleyicilere sunulacak. Atölyenin tüm katılımcıları sunuma ve sonrasında gerçekleşecek olan söyleşiye etkin olarak katılmaya davetlidir.
Atölyenin dokümantasyonu, notları, yazılı metinleri ile yansımaları Performistanbul tarafından toplandıktan sonra editlenmiş ve çevrilmiş hâliyleMis(s)placed Women? sitesinde yayınlanacak.
Nasıl başvurulur:
Atölye, sürecin tamamına katılmayı kabul eden, tüm yaş, cinsiyet, köken sosyal çevre gruplarından, deneyim seviyesi gözetmeksizin herkese açıktır. Katılımınız için özel gereksiniminiz olması durumunda, motivasyon mektubunda konuyu bildirmenizi rica ederiz.
Atölye ücretsiz olup, sınırlı sayıda yer olması nedeniyle ilgilenen kişilerin katılmak için başvuru yapmasını rica ediyoruz. Başvurmak için, başvuru formunu doldurabilir veya kısa motivasyon mektubunuz ile biyografinizi içeren metinleri misplacedwomen@performistanbul.org adresine gönderilebilir. Kişisel bilgilerinizle – eğer varsa – internet sitenizi de paylaştığınız bilgilere ekleyebilirsiniz.
Atölye Tarihleri:
Atölye: 7-9 Eylül Salı, Çarşamba ve Perşembe. İstanbul’un farklı semtlerinde 11:00-17:00 arası (Molalar dâhil).
Atölye sonuçları ve halka açık sunum: 25 Eylül Cumartesi, 17:30
Başvurular için son tarih Salı günü 31 Ağustos 2021.
Başvuranlara en geç 6 Eylül tarihine kadar bilgi verilecektir.
Open Call: Mis(s)placed Women? Ein Performance-Workshop im öffentlichen Raum Istanbuls von Tanja Ostojić
Open Call für die Teilnahme am 4-tägigen Performance-Kunst-Workshop Mis(s)placed Women? mit Tanja Ostojić, der vom 7. bis 9. September 2021 an verschiedenen öffentlichen Orten in Istanbul stattfinden wird. Der Workshop wird organisiert von der internationalen Performance-Kunst-Plattform Performistanbul in Zusammenarbeit mit der Kulturakademie Tarabya, gefolgt von einer öffentlichen Präsentation der Ergebnisse im Beykoz Kundura Cinema am Samstag, den 25. September. Der Workshop findet während Ostojićs Aufenthalt an der Kulturakademie Tarabya statt und erforscht Praktiken und Vorgehensweisen der Live Art in Zusammenhang mit individuellen Erfahrungen der Vertreibung im weitesten Sinne. Bewerbungsschluss ist Dienstag, der 31. August 2021.
Mis(s)placed Women? ist ein von Tanja Ostojić 2009 begonnenes Kunstprojekt, das aus Performances, Performance-Serien, Workshops und Performances von Künstler:innen aus aller Welt mit Menschen unterschiedlichster Herkunft verwirklicht wird. Im Rahmen dieses Projekts werden alltägliche Aktivitäten von Menschen die Vertreibung erlebt haben verkörpert und gezeigt VonMigrant:innen, Kriegs- und Katastrophenflüchtlinge, ebenso wie genderqueeren Menschen, Obdachlosen, Menschen auf der Durchreise… und die durch die Welt reisenden Künstler:innen, die so ihren Lebensunterhalt bestreitenDiePerformances setzen sich mit Themen der Migration und der Beziehungen von Macht und Verletzlichkeit hinsichtlich des bewegten und insbesondere des weiblichen Körpers auseinander, ein Aspekt, der bereits in zahlreichen früheren Arbeiten von Ostojić eine tragende Rolle spielte.
Teilnehmende jeder Herkunft, aller Altersgruppen, Genders und Erfahrungsgrade sind herzlich eingeladen sich zu bewerben. Wir möchten insbesondere diejenigen ermutigen teilzunehmen, die sich für Fragen der Migration, Performance-Kunst, Bedingungen für diejenigen, die sich als Frauen identifizieren, Darstellungen von Geschlecht und Kunst im öffentlichen Raum interessieren. Die Teilnehmenden sind eingeladen und dazu angehalten, Erfahrungen und Themen wie Migration, Marginalisierung, Vertreibung, Ausgesetztheit und Privilegien zu erörtern und auszutauschen sowie einige der Misplaced Women? Performances zu erarbeiten. Der Workshop ist kostenlos, für Erfrischungen und eine leichte Mahlzeit ist gesorgt, eine professionelle Foto- und Videodokumentation der Arbeiten der Teilnehmenden wird ebenfalls zur Verfügung gestellt. Da die Anzahl der Plätze begrenzt ist, bitten wir Sie, sich anzumelden. Der Workshop wird in englischer Sprache abgehalten; teilen Sie uns in Ihrem Motivationsschreiben bitte etwaige besondere Bedürfnisse mit, damit wir versuchen können, Übersetzungen für z. B. sehbehinderte Personen und Gebärdensprache für hörgeschädigte Teilnehmende etc. anzubieten.
Während des Workshops und der Präsentation werden alle erforderlichen Hygienemaßnahmen zum Schutz vor der Verbreitung des Coronavirus befolgt. Alle Teilnehmenden werden die Möglichkeit haben, im öffentlichen Raum zu performen, und die Ergebnisse werden der Öffentlichkeit in Form eines Publikumsgesprächs in Verbindung mit Bildmaterial präsentiert und in den Blog des Projekts Misplaced Women? sowie in das Projektarchiv aufgenommen.
Zeitplan:
Workshop: Dienstag, Mittwoch und Donnerstag, 7. bis 9. September. Von 11:00 bis 17:00 Uhr (einschließlich Pausen). Das erste Treffen und die Einführungssession finden im Gebäude von Performistanbul in Galata statt, der Rest des Workshops und die Performances werden in verschiedenen Vierteln Istanbuls durchgeführt.
Ein Gespräch über die Ergebnisse des Workshops mit den Teilnehmenden und der Öffentlichkeit findet am Samstag, den 25. September um 17:30 Uhr im Beykoz Kundura Cinema statt.
Die Bewerbungsfrist endet am Dienstag, den 31. August 2021.
Alle Bewerber:innen werden bis spätestens 6. September benachrichtigt.
Nachstehend finden Sie weitere Informationen über den Workshop und die Bewerbungsmodalitäten:
Über die Künstlerin und Workshopleiterin:
Tanja Ostojić (*1972) ist eine renommierte, in Berlin lebende, in Jugoslawien geborene Performance- und interdisziplinäre Künstlerin, die auch in den Bereichen Forschung und Bildung tätig ist. Sie ist international bekannt als Pionierin der institutionellen Geschlechterkritik und der sozial und politisch engagierten feministischen Kunst im öffentlichen Raum, insbesondere im Kontext von Migrations- und Genderfragen. Ihre Kunstwerke haben einen hohen theoretischen Referenzgrad und wurden in zahlreichen Büchern, Zeitschriften und Anthologien besprochen und veröffentlicht. Der British Guardian bezeichnete Ostojić kürzlich als eine der 25 besten Künstler des 21. Jahrhunderts und würdigte damit ihr Projekt “Looking for a Husband with EU Passport” (2000-05).
Ostojić studierte an der Universität der Künste Belgrad und der École Régionale des Beaux-Arts Nantes, während sie 2012-14 Stipendiatin an der Graduiertenschule für die Künste und Wissenschaften an der Universität der Künste Berlin war. Sie hat etliche Stipendien und Preise erhalten; ihre Performances und Ausstellungskunstwerke haben sie seit 1994 zu zahlreichen wichtigen Kunststätten und Festivals weltweit geführt. Ihre Werke sind Teil bedeutender Museumssammlungen, sie hat Vorträge, Vorlesungen, Seminare und Workshops auf wissenschaftlichen Konferenzen und an Kunsthochschulen in Europa sowie in Nord- und Südamerika gehalten.
Ostojić ist derzeit Stipendiatin der Kulturakademie Tarabya in Istanbul (Juni-September 2021).
Über den Workshop:
Das Projekt Mis(s)placed Women? beinhaltet das Auspacken eines Koffers, einer Plastiktüte, einer Handtasche oder eines ähnlichen Objekts im öffentlichen Raum, wobei diese Objekte für das Thema Vertreibung stehen, das in den alltäglichen Erfahrungen von Transitreisenden, Migrant:innen, Obdachlosen, Kriegs- und Katastrophenflüchtigen vorkommt. Der Workshop zielt darauf ab, die Teilnehmenden mit den Themen vertraut zu machen und Diskussionen und Interventionen in der Vielfalt des öffentlichen Raums anzuregen.
Der erste Teil des Workshops umfasst ein Kennenlernen, Informieren und Kommunizieren, wobei sich die Teilnehmenden über individuelle Erfahrungen und die Ziele des Projekts austauschen sollen.
Während des zweiten Teils werden die Teilnehmenden ermutigt und dabei unterstützt, Live-Performances und Interventionen in den Straßen, Parks und Bahnhöfen Istanbuls zu verwirklichen. Die öffentlichen Performances und der Workshopverlauf werden von einem professionellen Foto- und Videoteam dokumentiert.
Die Ergebnisse des Workshops werden zwei wochen später im Beykoz-Kundura Cinema der Öffentlichkeit vorgestellt. Alle Teilnehmenden des Workshops sind herzlich eingeladen, sich aktiv an dieser Präsentation und der anschließenden Diskussion zu beteiligen.
Die Dokumentation, die Aufzeichnungen, die gesammelten Texte und die Reflexionen des Workshops werden von Performistanbul zusammengetragen und später bearbeitet, übersetzt und auf der Webseite des Projekts Mis(s)placed Women? veröffentlicht und werden Teil des Projektarchivs, das dem Publikum über Ausstellungen zugänglich gemacht wird.
Wie Sie sich bewerben können:
Wir bitten Teilnehmende zu gewährleisten, dass sie an allen Terminen des Workshops und der Dokumentation anwesend sein können. Wir freuen uns auch über Interessent:innen mit jeglicher Art von Beeinträchtigung. Bitte geben Sie in Ihrer Bewerbung etwaige besondere Anforderungen an.
Die Veranstaltung ist kostenlos, jedoch bitten wir interessierte Personen, sich zu bewerben, da die Anzahl der Plätze begrenzt ist. Bewerber:innen werden gebeten, dasBewerbungsformular auszufüllen oder eine E-Mail mit einem kurzen Abschnitt über ihre Motivation und ihren Lebenslauf an misplacedwomen@performistanbul.org zu senden. Gerne können Sie einen Link zu Ihrer persönlichen Homepage hinzufügen, falls vorhanden, sowie Angaben zu Ihren Kontaktdaten.
Termine des Workshops im Überblick:
Workshop: Dienstag bis Donnerstag, 7. bis 9. September. Von 11:00 bis 17:00 Uhr (inklusive Pausen) in verschiedenen Vierteln Istanbuls.
Besprechung der Ergebnisse des Workshops und öffentliche Präsentation: Samstag, 25. September, 17:30 Uhr
Die Bewerbungsfrist endet am Dienstag, den 31. August 2021.
Die Bewerber:innen werden bis spätestens 6. September benachrichtigt.
U jeku aktuelnih progona, pretnji, i vređanja savremenih umetnika u Srbiji, a posebno performans umetnika, strip crtača, kao i članova Upravnog odbora i Tela ULUS-a koji orkestriraju mediji, pojedinci i grupe ekstremista, pozivam sve na solidarnost! Pripremajući svoj rad za pretstojeću Jesenju izložbu* Udruženja Likovnih Umetnika Srbije u Paviljonu Cvijeta Zuzorić na Kalemegdanu, upućujem poziv za jedan praktični ogled, za vas, vašu decu i prijatelje: pokušajte da se bavite performans umetnošću uz primenu ovih jednostavnih instrukcija. Tu sam ako bude pitanja.
Tanja Ostojić: MISPLACED WOMEN? (2009-2020) delegirani performans
Partitura za izvodjenje performansa, br.2: Držanje natpisa
Manje od sat vremena, sa ili bez priprema, jedan performer
Instrukcije:
Odaberite javni prostor značajan za migracije koji vas posebno intrigira.
Napravite svoj Misplaced Women? / Misplaced Man? / Misplaced Human?natpis ili baner (na kartonu, komadu papira, ili na tkanini. Može biti crtež, vez ili kolaž).
Držite natpis stojeći na odabranom mestu barem pola sata.
Zamolite nekoga da vas fotografiše dok tako stojite.
Možete da izvedete istu akciju na različitim lokacijama ili u različita doba dana, i da ih uporedite. U tom slučaju možete nacrtati mapu lokacija na kojima ste izveli performans.
Drawing by David Caines of Elena Marchevska holding the “Misplaced Women?” sign at Heathrow Airport London, realised in the frame of the “Misplaced Women?” performance art workshop in the public space by Tanja Ostojić, organized by LADA, London, December 2016.
Napomena:
Pozivam vas da razmislite o tome kako se osećate dok držite natpis, kako to rezonuje sa vašim životnim iskustvom, kako lokacije koje ste odabrali pulsiraju. Budite otvoreni za razgovor sa prolaznicima o natpisu koji držite, o problemima kojih se on dotiče i o tome šta oni imaju da kažu o tome.
Objavljivanje:
Donesite svoj prilog (u formi natpisa, crteža, beleški, fotografija) na Jesenju izložbu* ULUS-a, Paviljon Cvijeta Zuzorić, Mali Kalemegdan, Beograd. / Pošaljite svoj prilog za objavljivanje na Misplaced Women? blogu
Autorstvo i objavljivanje:
Sa “Misplaced Women?” projektom obraćamo posebnu pažnju na koautorstvo. Molimo vas da potpišete sopstvenu akciju kada je delite na društvenim mrežama sa: Misplaced Women?, delegirani performans Tanje Ostojić, Score#1 / Score#2, vaše ime i prezime, datum, trajanje i lokacija. Mi ćemo učiniti isto sa vašim prilozima. Molimo vas da nas obavestite da li ste saglasni sa objavljivanjem vašeg priloga na Misplaced Women? blogu i u kontekstu izložbi arhiva projekta.
U jeku aktuelnih progona, pretnji, i vređanja savremenih umetnika u Srbiji, a posebno performans umetnika, strip crtača, kao i članova Upravnog odbora i Tela ULUS-a koji orkestriraju mediji, pojedinci i grupe ekstremista, pozivam sve na solidarnost! Pripremajući svoj rad za pretstojeću Jesenju izložbu* Udruženja Likovnih Umetnika Srbije u Paviljonu Cvijeta Zuzorić na Kalemegdanu, upućujem poziv za jedan praktični ogled, za vas, vašu decu i prijatelje: pokušajte da se bavite performans umetnošću uz primenu ovih jednostavnih instrukcija. Tu sam ako bude pitanja.
Tanja Ostojić: MISPLACED WOMEN? (2009-2020) delegirani performans
Partitura za izvodjenje performansa, br.1: Raspakivanje lične torbe
Oko sat vremena, sa/bez pripremama, jedan/više performera, prostor vezan za migracije
Instrukcije:
Odaberite javni prostor od značaja za migracije koji vas posebno intrigira (javni prevoz, glavna autobuska stanica, aerodrom, granica, džentrifikovani deo grada…)
Kada stignete tamo raspakujte svoju torbu (kao na primer: tašnu, ranac, kofer, ceger sa ličnim stvarima ili praznim plastičnim kesama i pakovanjima od potrošačkih proizvoda…)
Izvadite svaku stvar napolje i izvrnite je naopačke. Izvrnite unutrašnjost torbe napolje. Izvadite sve iz svojih džepova. Izvrnite džepove. Skinite cipele. Izvucite pertle. Nakon što ste sve raspakovali, pogledajte da li možete još nešto da otkrijete.
Za napredne i posebno motivisane: Možete uraditi isto na različitim lokacijama, da vidite da li se vaša akcija različito percipira u drugo vreme i na drugim mestima. U tom slučaju, nacrtajte mapu gde ste sve izvodili performans.
Drawing by David Caines of the performance by Teresa Albor in Westfield Shopping Mall, London, realised in the frame of the “Misplaced Women?” performance art workshop in the public space by Tanja Ostojić, organized by LADA, London, December 2016.
Napomena:
Razmislite o tome kako se osećate dok ovo radite u javnosti. Da li se osećate izloženo? Kako ovo iskustvo rezonuje sa vašim životnim iskustvom i da li vas približava ljudima u izbeglištvu, u tranzitu, sa ljudima koji žive na ulici ili slično… Budite otvoreni za razgovor sa prolaznicima o tome šta radite i zašto to radite. Neka performans traje barem pola sata… Ako ste se hektično raspakovali, nakon kratke pauze i razmene, pokušajte da spakujete svoje stvari sa pažnjom i s poštovanjem (ili obrnuto).
Posebna napomena:
Može se ispostaviti da prostori za koje smatramo da su javni, zapravo to nisu. To znaži da sa ovim performansom možete preispitivati javni prostor i uvideti gde (ni)je moguće izvesti ovu akciju. Obezbeđenje vas može odgurnuti metar od ulaza (u šoping centar ili ono što su danas postale železničke stanice) ili vas policija može pitati — “Šta radite?”–. Savetujem da povedete nekoga sa sobom ko će pokušati da zagovara obezbeđenje, dok ne završite performans. Takođe možete reći da tražite neku svoju stvar (šta god to bilo), kako biste izbegli da budete izbačeni ili uhapšeni.. s obzirom da su performansi i snimanje zabranjeni na mnogim mestima.
Objavljivanje:
Donesite svoj prilog (u formi natpisa, crteža, beleški, fotografija) na Jesenju izložbu* ULUS-a, Paviljon Cvijeta Zuzorić, Mali Kalemegdan, Beograd. / Pošaljite svoj prilog za objavljivanje na Misplaced Women? blogu projekata.
Autorstvo i objavljivanje:
Sa “Misplaced Women?” projektom obraćamo posebnu pažnju na koautorstvo. Molimo vas da potpišete sopstvenu akciju kada je delite na društvenim mrežama sa: Misplaced Women?, delegirani performans Tanje Ostojić, Score#1 / Score#2, vaše ime i prezime, datum, trajanje i lokacija. Mi ćemo učiniti isto sa vašim prilozima. Molimo vas da nas obavestite da li ste saglasni sa objavljivanjem vašeg priloga na Misplaced Women? blogu i u kontekstu izložbi arhiva projekta.
Our Lady of Auguststraße: A Misplaced Women? May Day 2020 Photo-Story from Berlin
Our Lady of Auguststraße: A Misplaced Women? May Day 2020, Photo-Story from Berlin by Tanja OstojićOur Lady of Auguststraße: A Misplaced Women? May Day 2020, Photo-Story from Berlin by Tanja OstojićOur Lady of Auguststraße: A Misplaced Women? May Day 2020, Photo-Story from Berlin by Tanja OstojićOur Lady of Auguststraße: A Misplaced Women? May Day 2020, Photo-Story from Berlin by Tanja OstojićOur Lady of Auguststraße: A Misplaced Women? May Day 2020, Photo-Story from Berlin by Tanja OstojićOur Lady of Auguststraße: A Misplaced Women? May Day 2020, Photo-Story from Berlin by Tanja OstojićOur Lady of Auguststraße: A Misplaced Women? May Day 2020, Photo-Story from Berlin by Tanja OstojićOur Lady of Auguststraße: A Misplaced Women? May Day 2020, Photo-Story from Berlin by Tanja OstojićOur Lady of Auguststraße: A Misplaced Women? May Day 2020, Photo-Story from Berlin by Tanja OstojićOur Lady of Auguststraße: A Misplaced Women? May Day 2020, Photo-Story from Berlin by Tanja Ostojić
Documented and first published by Tanja Ostojić on the Misplaced Women? Blog, May 1, 2020
I am pleased to share Татьяна Bogacheva’s contribution to the January 2018, „Misplaced Women?“ Workshop in the Public Space in Berlin — hosted by Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz, Berlin Weißensee — and her attempts to innerly process and express in performative ways her concerns, fears and experiences around the gendered perspective of homelessness. (Tanja Ostojic)
“Home is a human right”:(Home is the most dangerous place for women worldwide, domestic violence competing only with car accidents as the main cause of death of women; and, non-European perspective on the institutes of human rights reveals their essentially colonial nature.)
A Contribution by Татьяна, Tatiana Bogacheva
Tatiana Bogacheva: “Home is a human right”, January 2018, „Misplaced Women?“ Workshop. Intervention Berlin, Alexanderplatz. Photo: Sajan Mani
Cosmopolitan is the preferred self-description of affluent dwellers of global cities reaping the fruits of the centuries of colonialism and its aftermath, globalisation, international division of labour, justice of transnational institutions and ‘illegal’ migration. Either an explorer or an expat, it is more likely to be a man who abandons one place for another or refuses to be associated with one nation, while women’s migration is a public secret. Study-mamas, oil-wives, domestic helpers, those involved in affective labour and care—neither their individual motivation for migration nor their role in shaping the world are given sufficient recognition—they are modernity’s roadies, not its driving force.
Tatiana Bogacheva: “Home is a human right”, January 2018, „Misplaced Women?“ Workshop. Intervention at Berlin Alexanderplatz. Photo: Sajan Mani
When crossing borders alone for work, women are detained on the suspicion of being trafficked due to the persisting victim-centred approach of international human rights and humanitarian organisations which feed into moralistic and patronising narratives. What is primal, the hysteria about endemic sex trafficking or capitalism’s dependency on the surplus of unpaid domestic work? Constraining migration of women through the narratives of danger, human trafficking being its extreme, legitimises restrictions on the freedoms of women and effaces their political agency and grievances connected with their class, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation.
Tatiana Bogacheva: “Home is a human right”, January 2018, „Misplaced Women?“ Workshop. Intervention at Berlin, Alexanderplatz. Photo: Sajan Mani
Finally, women are barred from the ultimate dropping-out from the societal demands and refusal to do cartwheels to carve oneself a place in the globalised world. You don’t see many female rough sleepers on the streets of Berlin. They sleep in the airports and the sitting couches of overnight trains; on the spare beds in hospitals; at libraries and offices; and at the friends’ sofas and even at their own risk at home with their partners; but they don’t sleep on the street because they—our dutiful daughters, immaculate mothers, virtuous wives and selfless partners—are our only hope on this beautiful,
bright
cosmopolitan
creative
meaningful
modern
peaceful
fair
blue perlaceous planet Earth.
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Tanya Bogacheva worked in human rights, media and education before commencing her graduate studies in critical cultural studies in Berlin.
_______________________
Text written by Tanya Bogacheva
Photo of the public intervention: Sajan Mani
Edited and first published by Tanja Ostojić, 2018/2019 on the Misplaced Women? project blog
Tanja Ostojić is exhibiting photos, stories, videos, drawings, signs and performance scores from the “MISPLACED WOMEN?” participatory art project archives (ongoing since 2009) in the form of multimedia installation in the frame of Beautiful Trouble: Rethinking Art-ivism, Arrival City exhibition at the Art-Lab Berlin.Within this project Ostojić and project contributors of diverse backgrounds embody and enacts some of everyday life’s activities that thematise displacement, as it is known to transients, migrants, war and disaster refugees and to the itinerant artists travelling the world to earn their living.
Tanja Ostojić: “MISPLACED WOMEN?” participatory art project archives (ongoing since 2009) installation view at Art Lab Berlin, September 2018. Photo: Tanja Ostojić
“MISPLACED WOMEN?” , Performance series ongoing since 2009 / Project’s Archive, mixed media installation includes:
2 Works on textile:
1) Tanja Ostojić / Marta Nitecka Barche: “Misplaced Women?” Banner 49,5 X 181,5 cm, 2016, Canvas, marker, embroidery.
4) Delegated performance by Valentina Medda, during Performa festival. White Box, New York City. November 21, 2009, 5 pm, New York time.
5) Performance by Tanja Ostojić, November 21, 2009, 11 pm Berlin time (5pm New York time, simultaneously with Valentina Medda), at the Tegel airport Berlin, Germany. Photos: DNK.
6) “Misplace Women?” sign held by Wai Wai at the arrival section, Zürich International Airport, Switzerland, October 25, 2012. Photo: Tanja Ostojić.
8) “Misplaced Women? Marking the City.” Performance by Kwestan Jamal Bawan at Western Union, Bergen, Norway, November 2, 2011 at 12:55.pm. Organised by Stiftelsen 3,14. Photo: Mariel Lødum.
10) Performance by Sigrid Pawelke, (during the “Missplaced Women?” workshop conducted by Tanja Ostojić). Shopping district, Aix-en-Provence, France, December 16, 2015. Photos: Tanja Ostojić.
12) Performance by Ashley McNaughton on Torry bridge, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, during the “Misplaced Woman?” workshop with Tanja Ostojić in Torry neighbourhood, organised as a part of the Aberdeen Festival of Politics 2016. March 10, 2016. Photo: Renée Slater.
13) Performances by Kirsty Russell and Marta Nitecka Barche in front of the public library in Torry, as a part of “Misplaced Woman?” workshop with Tanja Ostojić during the Aberdeen Festival of Politics 2016. March 10, 2016. Other participants: Amy Bryzgel, Caroline Gausden, Sarah Jackson, Karolina Kubik, Angela Margaret Main, Ashley McNaughton, Marta Nitecka Barche, Tanja Ostojić, Kirsty Russell, Francesco Sani, Renée Slater, Gabriel Tracy, Rowan Young and many other amassing people. Photo: Renée Slater.
14) Performance by Tanja Ostojić on the La Grand Escalier de la Gare du Saint Charles / railway station, Marseille, France 2013. Participants: Helen Averley, Alix Denambride, Robyn Hambrook, Tanja Ostojić, Kim Mc Cafferty, Jane Kay Park, Emma Edvige Ungaro and Patricia Verity. Production: Préavis de Désordre Urbain and Red Plexus, Marselle. Photos: Anne Carles.
16) Marija Jevtić, Tanja Ostojić, Suncica Šido and Nela Antonović performing “Misplaced Women?” inside the Info Park, Central Bus station Belgrade, Serbia, as one of the group performances in public spaces in Belgrade, conducted on October 29, 2015, during “Misplaced Woman?” workshop with Tanja Ostojić, thematising solidarity with the refuges on the Balkan route. Organised as a part of the From Diaspora to Diversity, Remont, Belgrade, Serbia. Participants: Nela Antonović, Gorana Bačevac, Tatjana Beljinac, Tamara Bijelić, Jelena Dinić, Irena Đukanović, Milica Janković, Marija Jevtić, Nadežda Kirćanski, Irena Mirković, Bojana Radenović, Sanja Solunac, Sunčica Šido. Photo: Lidija Antonović.
17) Performance by Tanja Ostojić on the Central bus station in Varaždin, Croatia, Jun 11, 2016. Production: Dani performansa, Varaždin, Croatia. Photo: Vedran Hunjek.
19) Performance by Tanja Ostojić: “Misplaced Women? and The Tourist Suitcase”, May 11, 2018, 30 min performance at Haupt Bahnhof/ main train station, Innsbruck. Art in Public Space Tyrol, Photo: Daniel Jarosch.
21) Score #1: unpacking a bag of your own (by Tanja Ostojić), and
Score #2: Holding the Misplaced Women? Sign (by Tanja Ostojić)
4 Drawings:
22) Drawing by David Caines of the performance by Teresa Albor in Westfield Shopping Mall, in the frame of the “Misplaced Women?” performance art workshop by Tanja Ostojić in LADA, London, December 2016.
23) Drawing by David Caines of the performance by Dagmara Bilon, in Olympic Park, in the frame of the “Misplaced Women?” performance workshop by Tanja Ostojić in LADA, London, December 2016.
25) Drawing by Tanja Ostojić on a prize tag used in the “Misplaced Women? and The Tourist Suitcase”, Performances Innsbruck, May 2018. Art in Public Space Tyrol.
10 Written Stories by:
26) Jasmina Tešanović, women without homeland, who lives and works on-line.
33) Bojana Videkanić, Toronto Canada: Holding the “Misplaced Women?” sign on the Toronto Airport and diving into her profoundly touching memories about her initiation into the life of a refugee escaping Sarajevo siege in 1992
36) “Misplaced Women?” Performance by Tanja Ostojić, 1-channel digital video, 28:16min, 2016. Video recording of the performance in Goteborg International Airport, Sweden. September 2, 2015. Live Action 10
38) Documentary video about the “Misplaced Women?” performance workshop by Tanja Ostojić in London. 3:50 min long by Dr Elena Marchevska, produced by Live Art Development Agency, London, 2017. People talking in order of appearance: Tanja Ostojić, Nicholas Harris, Teresa Albor, Dagmara Bilon, Camila Canocchi, and voice over: Elena Marchevska.
Tanja Ostojić: “Misplaced Women? and The Tourist Suitcase”, 2018, 30 min performance at Haupt Bahnhof/ main train station, Innsbruck. Art in Public Space Tyrol. Photo: Daniel Jarosch
I am pleased that our installation has been set up so well and I am grateful to all the project participants for all their generous contributions to the project!!!
For any necessary corrections, please write to me in person. I would be very grateful and pleased to correct and improve each information and credits further.– Tanja Ostojić
The protest movements of over the last ten years have brought the importance of the body as a means of political articulation back into our attention. Thereby, the vulnerability and fragility of the protesting bodies have often become disturbingly clear. The exhibition presents works by artists who reflect on the significance of physical presence of the body in public space, on the possibilities (and limitations) of art as a space to negotiate the social and the political and the role of activism and protest in the contemporary world with its neo-liberal understanding of globalisation. It offers a new perspective on the articulation of the political in contemporary art and reflects on the possibilities of art to express dissenting voices.
The exhibition Beautiful Trouble. Rethinking Art-ivismis organised in the frame of the Arrival City project, which seeks to investigate questions pertaining to artistic relocation and offer a forum for international and newly arrived artists in Berlin. The term “arrival city” was coined by the journalist and writer Doug Saunders in his book Arrival City (2011). Saunders described cities and areas which had been shaped by migration, processes of relocation and the stories of their inhabitants. Although he did not deny challenges, his conclusion was overall positive as he highlighted the vitality that the newcomers brought to their new homes. With this project we would like to take up this idea and reflect on the city as a form of “cultural laboratory” as a space of co-existence of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. The project will take the form of four exhibitions and two panel discussions, organised throughout 2018. — Curated by Charlotte Bank and Salah Saouli
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Venue:
Art-Lab Berlin
Perleberger Straße 60
10559 Berlin-Moabit
Exhibition duration:September 14-30, 2018.
Exhibition opening hours: Friday—Sunday, from 4-7pm
Mis(s)placed Women? (2009-2022) is an ongoing art project by Tanja Ostojić, Berlin based internationally renowned performance and interdisciplinary artist of Yugoslav origin. Mis(s)placed Women?, is a collaborative art project, ongoing since 2009, consisting of performances, performance series, performance art workshops and delegated performances, including contributions by over 170 individuals from six continents. ... Continue reading →
Misplaced Women? 