BLOOD & HONEY

The future's in the Balkans

Fri, 16.05.2003 - Sun, 28.09.2003

Curator: Harald Szeemann

BLOOD & HONEY

The future's in the Balkans

Fri, 16.05.2003 - Sun, 28.09.2003

Essl Museum

The Essl Collection presents the exhibition BLOOD & HONEY - the future's in the balkans, curated by Harald Szeemann. The comprehensive, large-scale exhibition shows contemporary art from 11 countries in south-eastern Europe and features works by fifty artists from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Rumania, Slovenia, Turkey and Serbia-Montenegro.

Antoni Maznevski: A Se Esse

Metal, car - 360x160x170 cm © Antoni Maznevski

Exhibition view: Homo Socialisticus

43 sculptures from various artists Photo: Sammlung Essl © by the artists

Portrait of curator Harald Szeemann

Maja Bajevic: Women at Work - Washing up (2001)

5-day performance, 7th Istanbul Biennial © Maja Bajevic. Photo: Emanuel Licha

In recent months, Szeemann has travelled to all the Balkan states, sometimes accompanied by Karlheinz Essl, and made his selection with the support of the efficient and well-organised local art centres. The fact that globalisation – so widely spoken of – is only an empty shell when there is no attachment to individual roots, becomes particularly obvious on the Balkans. Impressed by the wide diversity of artistic idioms, Szeemann seeks to dissuade visitors from the traditional image of the Balkans and, through a well-choreographed display of diversity, to propose the vision of a cultural landscape that claims and indeed has a future.

Szeemann does not shy away from the exotic but makes it part and parcel of a whole in which classical solutions and subversive statements are easy neighbours. In view of the Balkan states’ aspirations of being part of Europe, the exhibition is also a presentation of a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and conflict-ridden entity that enriches and nourishes our collective imagination.

Antoni Maznevski: A Se Esse1 / 4

Exhibition view: Homo Socialisticus2 / 4

Portrait of curator Harald Szeemann3 / 4

Maja Bajevic: Women at Work - Washing up (2001)4 / 4

Bookshop

BLOOD & HONEY - THE FUTURE'S THE BALKAN

German / English with contributions by Erhard Busek, Ivaylo Ditchev, Edi Muka, Melentie Pandilovski, Gëzim Qëndro, Stefan Rusu, Cyrill Stieger, Harald Szeemann, and Karlheinz Essl. 288 pages with numerous artwork images and illustrations.

Edition Sammlung Essl Privatstiftung: Klosterneuburg 2003, 2nd edition 2004
ISBN 3-902001-11-9