Artists: :mentalKLINIK
Exhibition title: LOVELESSNESS
Venue: Eugster || Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Date: September 16 – November 19, 2022
Photography: Ivan Zupanc / all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Eugster || Belgrade
THE SCRIPT HAS TO DIE IN THE EXHIBITION
*reference to Henri-Louis Bergson (The script has to die in the film).
LOVELESSNESS is an immersive installation conceived by the artist duo :mentalKLINIK, presented so as to transform the space of the gallery into a sterile, yet sensory-pleasing limbo. The duality of this approach — the cold and the cozy — continues the series of semantic and visual oxymorons that :mentalKLINIK are known for. Unlike their previous Belgrade show title that combines an adjective with a seemingly incompatible noun (CATASTROPHICALLY GORGEOUS), this exhibition opens with a single coined word that is meant to indicate the contradiction in and of itself. A state of total lack of love seems like it should not last at all, however the -ness suffix turns the loveless into a mood that is here to stay.
This installation invites us to enter a sonic bath that will trigger an autonomous sensory meridian response (colloquially known as ASMR). The space, made of wavy steel sheets, becomes an echo chamber — which, in this case, embodies the metaphorical notion of the term as well, as echo chamber stands for environments in which we are only able to hear and see things from the spectrum of our own beliefs. The sounds are designed to provoke an immediate physical response, as the barely intelligible voice says “Hey, it’s me”, followed by an occasional “perfect, relax, ok” (HEY IT’S ME). This first utterance could be listed as the most basic, even primitive mode of being for a human, the one we resort to when everything else is brought into question: there must, at least, be some certainty that we are, what we are. The retreat to our safe mental spaces, affirmations and sounds of reassurance comes naturally after years of global shocks, social unrest and the painful division of the world that portrays a collective trauma. The fragility of our beings is what takes the biggest hit, consequences of which are yet to be felt. Or, to quote Martin Luther King: “Our generation will have to repent not only for the words and actions of the children of darkness, but also for the fears and apathy of the children of light”.
In that spirit, the centre piece that accompanies and colours the metallic chamber is a video work on loop, showing a digital character of no clear intention or purpose. Their face seems like it is looking for something, even if with an empty gaze and a possible sense of inadequacy. This is a computer-generated identity that personifies a sentiment: the uncomfortable sense of belonging to the world as it is today, a sense of emotional inflation, in which our sense of purpose truly is shaken. The character, or the infinite perfomer as :mentalKLINIK call them, is beyond the gender regime, which adds to the unspecified and the ambiguous tone of their monumental presence (the screen is 3 meters high). The title of the piece says FRENEMY, which begs the question of relations — who is the frenemy referring to, and how did they become this way? Is the word referring to our own response to another being, or to ourselves, in relation to the world, the climate, our friends, neighbours, enemies?
As in any time of crisis, today it feels more difficult to achieve a tolerant, democratic environment in our immediate surroundings. We’ll come to realise more and more that this is an environment we need to constantly recreate, as “Hey, it’s me” is no longer even acceptable for everyone. Incidentally, the exhibition opens concurrently with the (sadly) controversial Europride week in Belgrade, followed by threats of violent attacks. This brings back to mind the notion of “children” mentioned in the quote from before. For better or worse, it is normally the children — the innocent 3rd parties — in whose name people justify their acts. Sometimes, these acts are uplifting speeches that express worry for the fragile future generations; sometimes, these are violent acts that call upon alleged family values, and yet fail to understand that, only in a loveless world, our existence is reduced to mere mechanic reproduction. In the microclimates that :mentalKLINIK creates, however, we are reminded that the only way out is through (script has to die in the exhibition), as the audience faces their dispersed reflection in and around the FRENEMY. This is the moment and the place to meet oneself anew, and to contemplate the unmaking of such world.
We are invited for a can of speculative bubble beer (OBNOXIOUSLY HAPPY) custom made by :mentalKLINIK, and a view of LOVE, the act that opens the show for a few minutes of a frantic vibe, as the duo calls it. Played out by Pavle Banović, LOVE calls the erotic, physical body back to the moment and intends to bring our senses back from the numbed state of anxiety that projects onto the future, finally into to the beautiful possibilities of the present. The cymbals are calling us to action.
