Perceptions: The Beauty of a Flower is in the Picking is a new art project in the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Republic of Srpska, which continues an exceptionally successful collaboration with the British Council. During the previous years, collaboration between these two institutions resulted in giving Banja Luka two very important and well-visited exhibitions, ’’New Religion’’ by Damien Herst, and ’’Vanity of Small Differences’’ by Grayson Perry.
Perceptions primarily points out the correlating artistic practices of women artists living and working in different geographical, social, cultural, and economic contexts. It shows that female themes as explored by artists coming from various geographical settings are identical, invariably dealing with a search for identity, with intimacy, recollections, daily experiences, social stereotypes, sexuality, or freedom. Also, using one’s own body as an art medium is equally present everywhere. The aspect they noticeably differ in, however, is their distinct viewpoints, as well as their peculiar attitudes, conditioned by their relative contexts.
The exhibition in Banja Luka is named after the work of the first female artist in the Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art RS Sandra Dukić, who is recognised for her feminist attitude and action. The name is also a folk proverb, The Beauty of a Flower Is in the Picking, with which the artist visually plays wisely, wanting to draw attention to more radically re-examining the position of women in society. The saying also contains certain social and cultural characteristics, which, along with the economic and historical framework, can be the starting point for exploring the gender relations of this region.
Exhibition curator Lana Pilipović divided the exhibition into four conceptual segments: exhibition consists of four conceptually separate sections, titled Reflection, Exposure, Gendered Bodies, and Spirit. The works have been grouped to reflect the dialogue between the artists, the similarities and differences between their artistic concepts, and the diversity of female expression – from personal, intimate stances, to their perception of the society they live in, as well as their interrelations.
The following artists will be exhibited in Banja Luka: Abigail Lane, Anthea Hamilton, Camilla Løw, Celia Hempton, Clare Strand, Elizabeth Price, Gillian Wearing, Helen Chadwick, Laura Aldridge, Lubaina Himid, Madame Yevonde, Rachel Whiteread, Sarah Lucas, Tracy Emin, Margareta Kern, Sandra Dukić, Nives Kavurić Kurtović, Irma Markulin, Marija Dragojlović, Svjetlana Salić Mitrović, Kosa Bokšan,Vesna Perunović, Lala Raščić, Borjana Mrđa, Biljana Gavranović, Kata Mijatović.