Balkan Radikal focuses on the representation of artistic positions and social practices from the Balkan Community. Different generations of people from the Balkans[1] share the experience of migration. The reasons to leave one’s home were and continue to be several: war, ethnic conflicts, unemployment – but also the political-societal situation for marginalised communities and individuals who live in a feminist, queer and/or radical[2] way of life. Historically, those communities have always been under oppression in the Balkans; often exposed to prejudices, marginalization and gender-based violence. “In this atmosphere (…) It seems easier to survive in Western Europe”[3].
The exhibition takes place from 13–19 SEP 2024 at Vierte Welt in Berlin-Kreuzberg. It will focus on artists and individuals who criticize through different mediums the existing discrimination and conservative patriarchal structures. They oppose not only the oppression in their homelands but also in Berlin and beyond – since prejudices and inequality towards women* and LGBTIQ* communities are ubiquitous. Participating artists are Dante Buu, Spyros Rennt and Artemis Xeniou.
[1] There is no universal definition of the Balkans, therefore it’s being approached by geographical, cultural, and historical terms.Recognizing its multifaceted and complex nature, the Balkans embody a concept, a metaphor, a culture. Referencing Maria Todorova, we hold to an understanding of the Balkans as a geographically concrete area shaped by numerous and diverse historical legacies (Todorova, Maria 2009: Imagining the Balkans). Geographically comprising Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece and portions of Turkey.
[2] A radical way can be a life resisting the patriarchal norm, an alternative way of life with rules chosen by oneself. Also meaning to politically demand extreme change. Which in the current state of capitalism could mean a life in community and solidarity with others.
[3] Gavrić, S. and Čaušević, J. (2020). From Demedicalisation to Same-Sex Marriage: A Contemporary LGBT History of the Western Balkans. Sarajevo/Zagreb: Buybook.