TEŽAK ART GROUP 2002-2006
Težak Art began its activity in the spring of 2002 in Kragujevac, first as an informal gathering of the students of the Academy of Applied Art who had the need to express themselves in non-conventional and non-academic way in out-of gallery activities and works whose aim was to initiate the exhibitions in the streets (in natural surroundings) where they were expected to be critisized. Therefore, by rejecting the existing model of artistic contents presentation, the return to natural relationships between the artist and the observer liberated from the prejudice based often on middle class mentality was wanted. In that sense, the first actions such as painting the pavements and walls should be interpreted.Apart from the impression to which the observer is exposed, the analysis of the observers' reaction is wanted with cameras used as hidden media for memorizing. In that way the evidence of how the given problem (lines on the pavemnt, in this case) is understood and experienced is available.We shall point out the Shadows, spontaneously painted on a stone wall during a walk in the city in early morning hours ( at that time we organized our activities at night). While resting on some stairs, we noticed the shadows on the nearby wall and decided to record them and make them everlasting. Alluding to their transience as well as to the transience of our youth and the life itself, the five of us remain there night and day, although the time has passed since then, and they will stay there, so we hope, as a memory of the flash of time that will never be repeated...Further on, the established relationship towards work needed the revision of the formed aesthetic principle.Since October 2000 Težak Art has entered the close area of one club where the attitutes and acquired expirience have been developed and broadened, now in front of often unrestrained crowd; (finally the work is now being examined- the biggest problem refers to maintaining the attention in the programmes based on the combinations of music, performance and video lasting for sveral hours).
From October to December 2002 there were four evenings with their own defined topics; apart from the experiment and combining of the above mentioned media, observers were wanted to abandon their passive position – their active participation in the process was needed. This led to direct confrontation with the observers.Provoking the participants to take part themselves and to understand the whole process as a game, the barrier was broken and the lost naturalism and spontaneity in the experience were regained, creating the conditions for the message intended to be sent to have necessary passage. Advertising means used by Težak Art at the time were mostly manually manufactured, (posters and leaflets printed in linotype).At the end of December Težak Art has the oportunity to organize the activity in the centre of the town supported by Town Assembley. Activity or happening, named Blockade is based on raising the blockades in four main street directions by using post ribbons, broadcasting monotonous, irritating sound in the presence of grat number of observers. A kind of scenography i. e. special synthetic material binded as ribbons (area of 50m2 is hung on iron code between two buildings with the exotic fruit od date painted on it, whose effects may have negative consequences on eyesight. The performance is filmed by video cameras, and the exibition of the collected material is planned. Since the whole happening coincides with New Year Carnival, this performance may cause confusion among the audience; it is not going to offer any definite impression - the aim of all these is recording of the reactions and analysing the possibilities of manipulation with great number of people.
In its work, Težak Art has investigated the possibilities of its own aesthetic expression, investigated the possibilities and the ways of transmition of ideas to the users. Starting from one non-pretentious individual attitude meant to be introduced to a small number of people, the gathering of wider population was realized. It is to be pointed out that arriving at the position of manipulating a large number of people was realized based on the initial principle of avoiding any institutional framework typical for this kind of cultural activities. In future, Težak Art is going to direct and improve its expression by using existing techniques of visual artistic creativeness and to try experimental usage of mass media as well.
Kragujevac, SERBIA 2003.
