June 2007.
Dear Nenad ,
In 2004 I.M.A.F was themed with a question 'what is the future of performance art? At that time it was interesting for me to listen and experience the invited I.M.A.F artists discussing or making work in relation to this question. More to the point - why did you select this group of artists to travel to your festival to approach this question and did they achieve answers?
I decided after this time that if I wanted to communicate what I had experienced in different artistic and cultural contexts, it would be more effective to curate and arrange groups of artists working in performance to move collectively and in transit. Attempting to challenge performance art methodologies, western and eastern European ideologies and the role of wo (men) in performance art organising.
I have curated for this years I.M.A.F - N.Ireland & Eire Section – Prof Alastair Maclennan, Brian Connolly, Hugh O'Donnell, Leo Devlin & John G. Boehme our Honorary I.M.A.F Irish Artist. The line up of artists demonstrate multigenerational cross-disciplinary approaches to live work. Working in duration, site-specific, action, body, situations and experimental art.
The future of performance art in my opinion is to create more opportunities and for artists, formulate new artistic collaborations nationally and internationally and support the 'idea' or 'reality' that the artist is free.
I am grateful to you Nenad for your supportive attitude and dedication to the future of performance art.
All the best, I look forward to working with you again ,
Sinead O'Donnell.
Dear Sinead ,
Thematic determination made by question about "the future of performance art" was, during that 2004, firstly directed to the participants of the exhibition, held within the Festival, where I invited them to send their works and texts on this subject. I`m pleased that the artists, who came in person and realised their performances live, took pleasure in excepting this problematic sentence "about future" and gave their own respective answers. I`ll be precise in my answer - I didn`t plan to choose artists related to this question. It is more important to me who is arriving than the question I`ll ask him. This year 2004. I remember by extremely large success of IMAF and by catastrophic relation of local institutions towards financing IMAF.
All together, artists and the organizers, found the answers to the question about the future of performance. Artists with their creative engagement, regardless of the offered terms, created an opportunity for mutual cooperation and a situation about real artistic freedom that will undoubtedly reflect to the future of performance art.
As in the previous eight festival years I expect your support, which I`ll receive - judging by the names of the artists invited, in order for us to, I believe in better circumstances, held continuity and offer a possibility of new valuable artistic cooperation and step towards the projection of reality of a free artist.
I`m happy that our cooperation continues this year!
My greetings and best wishes ,
Nenad Bogdanovic
Jun 2007.
Dragi Nenade,
IMAF 2004. bio je tematski određen pitanjem “ Šta je budućnost performansa?” U to vreme bilo mi je zanimljivo da sluš am i iskusim pozvane umetnike sa IMAF-a dok diskutuju ili stvaraju radove u odnosu na ovo pitanje. Da budem preciznija – zašto si odabrao ovu grupu umetnika da doputuju na tvoj festival i pristupe ovom pitanju i da li su pronašli odgovore ? Nakon tog vremena odlučila sam da, ako želim da prenesem ono što sam iskusila u različitim umetničkim i kulturalnim kontekstima, bilo bi efektivnije da vodim i organizujem grupe umetnika koji rade u performansu da se kreću u kolektivu i putuju. Pokuš avajući da izazovem metodologiju performansa, zapadno i istočnoevropske ideologije i ulogu žena/muš karaca u organizaciji performansa.Vodila sam i odabrala za ovogodiš nji IMAF – Severnoirska i Irska sekcija –Prof.Alastair Maclennan, Brian Connolly, Hugh O'Donnell, Leo Devlin i John G. Boehme naš počasni IMAF Irski umetnik. Izbor umetnika predstavlja viš egeneracijski međudisciplinski pristup radu uživo. Radeći dugotrajne, zavisne od mesta, akcione, telesne, situacione i eksperimentalne oblike umetnosti.Po mom miš ljenju budućnost performansa je da stvori više mogućnosti i, za umetnike, stvori nove umetničke saradnje kako nacionalno tako i internacionalno, i podrži « ideju » ili « stvarnost » da je umetnik slobodan.Zahvalna sam ti Nenade za podršku i posvećenost budućnosti performansa.
Sve najbolje, drago mi je da ćemo ponovo sarađivati.
Sinead O’Donnell
Draga Sinead,
Tematsko određenje pitanjem o “ budućnosti umetnosti performansa” je te 2004. godine bilo prvenstveno upućeno učesnicima izložbe, koja je u okviru festivala bila priređena, i gde sam ih pozvao da pored radova pošalju i njihove tekstove na ovu temu. Raduje me da su i umetnici koji su dosli lično, i realizovali njihove performance uživo, sa zadovoljstvom prihvatili ovu moju problematičnu sentencu “o budućnosti” i svako na svoj način dali odgovore. I ja ću biti precizan u odgovoru – nisam planirao da odaberem umetnike u odnosu na postavljeno pitanje. Puno mi je važnije ko dolazi nego kakvo ću mu pitanje tom prilikom postaviti. Tu 2004. godinu pamtim po izuzetno uspelom IMAF-u i po katastrofalnom odnosu lokalnih institucija po pitanju finansiranja IMAF-a. Svi zajedno, umetnici prvenstveno i organizator festivala, smo pronašli odgovore na pitanje o budućnosti performansa. Umetnici njihovim kreativnim angažmanom, bez obzira na ponuđene uslove, stvaraju mogućnost za međusobnu saradnju i situaciju o stvarnim umetničkim slobodama koja će se neminovno odraziti i na budućnost umetnosti performansa. Kao i u predhodnih osam festivalskih godina očekujem vašu podršku, koje će po imenima umetnika koje smo pozvali nesumnjivo biti, da bi smo, verujem u boljim uslovima, održali kontinuitet i pružili mogućnost novih vrednih umetničkih saradnji i zakoračiti u budućnost projekcije stvarnosti slobodnog umetnika. Drago mi je da se naša saradnja nastavlja ove godine!
Pozdravljam te i želim sve najbolje,
Nenad Bogdanović
