radakovic.darija.ca : Wake Me Up in Yugoslavia

Gallery

Wake Me Up in Yugoslavia / art intervention / 2019
The Venice Biennale, Yugoslav Pavilion

The building of the Yugoslav Pavilion in Venice was originally intended for the presentation of Yugoslav artists. The name YUGOSLAVIA is stamped on its front, and regardless of the disintegration of that state, war, looting, devastation and division of remaining property, it stands steadfast, as do a few of us who resist oblivion.

The idea of this work is to add the words “WAKE ME UP IN” to the pavilion building above the existing letters “YUGOSLAVIA” with minimal intervention and to draw attention to the country for which the pavilion is intended, to the absurdity of its non-existence and the paradox of its defiant presence.

When I think of the phrase “wake me up” I recall the long journeys I went on with my parents, and all the times I begged them to “wake me up” at the destination. Like many Yugoslavs, I was blessed to be raised in a peaceful and beautiful country, but unfortunate to see its violent break up during the ‘90s.

This piece conveys the idea that not all travels are forward-looking, as is the case of the non-existing nation of Yugoslavs. Their destination has been buried in a haze of a dreamy past, leaving them no other option but to fare through a nightmare in hopes of waking up in another dream. This case is not an isolated one either, as longing for the times past is a natural tendency, even in societies and cultures not known for nurturing nostalgia.