Duration of the exhibition: February 17 - March 9, 2024

_{Curator: Jovana Trifuljesko}

About exhibition:

The works of Isidora Branković speak in the language of intuitive, ritualistic, and ironic expression. They emerge from lived experiences, featuring the faces of the artist's parents, friends, and relatives. While starting from individual experiences, the narratives of her video works expand into sharp observations, critiques, and mockery of contemporary social, political, and economic norms. In the statements about the works "Love Me Wholly" and "Cry of the Day-Players" Branković declares: "Everyone, look at me, so I can play the great artist." By associating this statement with the title of the exhibition "I'm Just Doing My Job," we present the first stage of interpreting the exhibition content, questioning the grandiose expectations directed towards contemporary artists. As a legacy that even postmodernism has not entirely extinguished, artists are expected to evoke a certain social intrigue and demonstrate intelligence, mystifying their process without completely overshadowing it. Alongside this construct, a system persists that does not provide artists with the opportunity to solely focus on art. In the context of the two mentioned videos, songs that seek individual validation draw attention away from the systemic insecurity inherent in the profession's identity. "Poppy and Roses," "Statement Under Oath," and "We Will Leave in Silence" exude dignity and values associated with the term "margins." The locations where the video works were filmed affirm this statement, considering that the artist selects places from her personal topography, such as the abandoned Incel factory and Medeno Polje (which at one point represented an escape from the city and a place where weekend cottages were located, but later, through industrialization, became something entirely different), presenting them as essential elements in creating her works. Without departing from the marginal, like a voyeur conveying the experiences of others, Branković explores the hidden aspects of everyday life and brings to light the consequences of post-socialist reality through immersion. Throughout the works, the motif of ideology dominates, shaping everyday life. Behind the elaborated narratives that impose beliefs to be defended, lie poor living conditions - there is no room for thought if one must fervently fight for a predetermined goal. Within the exhibited works, diversion emerges as a unifying motif, intended to attract attention while underlying social and economic insecurity is discerned. Song, dance, and pilgrim-like movements serve as allusions to previous and prevailing political frameworks that utilize tried-and-true ideological tools to shape public dialogue. In presenting oneself as an artist-individual seeking the viewer's undivided attention, the gaze is diverted from the ruins upon which the artist stands. The works in the exhibition provide insight into the artist's lived experiences and intimate topography while simultaneously provoking reflection on the expectations and systemic limitations that shape contemporary identity. Isidora Branković's approach to themes of marginalized and post-socialist realities offers us an opportunity not only to dwell on presentation but also to draw attention to the deeper societal implications of the depicted scenes. Through these visions, the artist provokes us, encouraging the viewer to critically reflect on the ideologies that shape our everyday experiences.