Promatrač - Observer

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IŠČEKIVANJE REZULTATA IZBORA U SJEDIŠTIMA HDZ-A, SDP-A I OraH-A

Izbori članova u Europski parlament 2014.Zagreb, 25. 5. 2014.

WAITING FOR THE ELECTION RESULTS AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF HDZ, SDP AND OraH

European Parliament MP elections 2014Zagreb, 25 May 2014

PROM ATR AČ

L E I L A T O P I Ć

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FRANCUSKI FOTOGRAF OLIVIER MENAN -

TEAU (1956, Salon de Pro vence) umjetničko pri-znanje stekao je fotografirajući svjetske čelnike u službenim protokolima, strpljivo promatraju-ći i čekajući trenutke u kojima se odaje privat-niji, intimističkiji pristup. Menanteau, me đutim, političare i državnike ne fotografira u slobodno vrijeme. On koristi službenu atmosferu njihovih dužnosničkih aktivnosti bilježeći osobna raspo-loženja, one momente koji nisu reprezentativni u svojoj naravi te se ne mogu vidjeti u medijima.

Njegov bi se umjetnički postupak mogao suprot-staviti onome Brace Dimitrijevića, koji je potpu-no nepoznate pojedince prikazivao poput poli-tičara, dajući im reprezentacijski potencijal po-znatih ličnosti. Naime, Menanteau svima po-znate sudionike političkog života, bilo na naci-onalnoj ili međunarodnoj razini, predstavlja kao „obične“ ljude koji obavljaju određen posao. Valja napomenuti da umjetnik pritom koristi analogni foto grafski aparat velikog formata (4 x 5 incha).

Takav postupak rezultira fotografijama bitno različitima od onih službenih ili reporterskih. Umjetnik istodobno propituje naš odnos spram političara i spram suvremenih medija. Točnije, u svojem se istraživačkom radu bavi proučava-njem veza između politike i medija, postavlja jući pitanje kako se mediji nose s pravilima koja na-meće politička reprezentativnost.

S Olivierom Menanteauom dosad su uspješ-no surađivali Ujedinjeni narodi (Media Alert, 2006.), litvanska predsjednica (Great Duchy, 2010.), kambodžanska kraljevska obitelj (For Many, Farewell Is Elusive, 2012.-2013.), lokalni i nacionalni francuski političari (Mediagenic-la Marseillaise, 2012.-2013.) te mnoge druge čel-ne institucije i osobe.

Zašto birate političare kao temu svojih fotografija?

Ne biram političare, nego odnos između političara, građana i ljudi iz medija. Zato su moje slike drugačije od onoga što možete vidjeti sva-ki dan u novinama ili na internetskim portalima…. Kada radite kao fo-tograf za dnevne novine, pokušavate biti prisutni na nekom zbivanju, u ključnim trenutcima, prikazati neki sadašnji trenutak. Međutim, u svo-jim projektima ja pokušavam vratiti povijesnu dimenziju u fotografiju i u javni prostor. Zašto? Zato što je, po mojem mišljenju, važno na foto-grafijama vidjeti i prošlost i budućnost. Također i zato što je fotografija uspomena, svaka slika je uspomena. Na taj način pokazujem i razliku između fotoreportera i mene, jer ja sam samo promatrač, no ujedno sam i dio konteksta koji promatram. Ljudi su svjesni moje prisutnosti; vide me samo zbog mojeg golemog fotoaparata. Dakle, imamo svoje-vrstan trokut: ja, političari i fotoreporter. U svakoj zemlji me fotorepor-teri pitaju što radim s tim aparatom, zašto to radim i iz kojeg razloga…

Spomenuti odnos mi je bitan jer učim iz državnog protokola, a kroz sam pojam protokola možete vidjeti strukturu društva. Također, poku-šavam shvatiti razlike tkiva društva u svakoj zemlji koju sam dosad po-sjetio. Da, postoje goleme razlike između Hrvatske, Francuske ili, reci-mo, Estonije… No istodobno se moj rad ne razlikuje toliko od rada antro-pologa. Antropolog također promatra odnos u zajednicama, na javnim zbivanjima, ili odnose moći i društvene strukture. Ono što mogu nauči-ti u određenim prilikama daje smisao društvu. Ili ne, u nekim prilikama.

To je ujedno i razlog zašto radim s analognim fotoaparatom velikog for-mata (4 x 5 incha). Postajem promatrač, netko tko je prisutan, no isto-dobno i netko tko nakon nekoliko sati promatranja postaje gotovo ne-vidljiv. Moj postupak je polagan; moram odabrati pravi trenutak jer ne-mam luksuz digitalnog okidanja. Morate odabrati kadar i čekati savr-šen trenutak, poput komada namještaja. Moram znati i kada treba pre-dahnuti, no moram razumjeti i govor tijela političara kojeg fotografiram. Dakle, sada poznajem formu, primjerice kako gospodin Josipović go-vori i kada će napraviti stanku u govoru. Tako se sve pretvara u igru govora mojega tijela i promatranog objekta.

Htjeli ste izložiti i knjigu Maxa Webera Politika kao poziv u sklo-pu izložbe. Je li ova knjiga važna za razumijevanje vaših umjet-ničkih postupaka?

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Ne, ne baš. Veoma volim sociologiju i volim či-tati autore poput Webera ili Bordieua. Ova se knjiga spominje zato što na prvih nekoliko stra-nica Weber vrlo jasno objašnjava razliku izme-đu življenja za politiku i življenja od politike. Ova knjiga stoga uvodi definiciju države koja je po-stala ključna za zapadnu društvenu misao: dr-žava je subjekt koji drži monopol na zakonitu uporabu sile, koju slijedom toga bira upotrije-biti kako god želi. Politiku treba shvatiti kao bilo koju aktivnost u koju se uključuje država kako bi utjecala na relativnu distribuciju sile. A danas mislim da je ta aktivnost vrlo očita.

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IŠČEKIVANJE REZULTATA IZBORA U SJEDIŠTIMA HDZ-A, SDP-A I OraH-A


WAITING FOR THE ELECTION RESULTS AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF HDZ, SDP AND OraH


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FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER OLIVIER ME NAN-

TEAU (1956, Salon de Provence) became an ac-complished artist by photographing world lead-ers during official protocols, patiently observing and waiting for the moment of a more private and intimate approach. However, Menanteau does not photograph politicians and state of-ficials in their free time. He uses the official at-mosphere of their state-official activities and makes a record of their moods, the moments which are not representative by nature and can-not be seen in the media.

His artistic procedure could be contrasted to Bra co Dimitrijević, who portrayed complete-ly anonymous individuals as po liticians, gi ving them a celebrity represen tative potential. Qui-te the contrary, Me nanteau takes widely known participants on the political scene, national or international, and presents them as ‘ordinary’ people doing a certain job. An im portant thing to mention is that the artist uses an analogue camera (4 x 5 inch).

Such a procedure results in photographs very different from the official or photo-journalist ones. The artist also analyses our opinion of politicians and contemporary media. More ac-curately, in his research he studies relationships between politics and media, exploring how the media cope with the regulations imposed by political representativeness.

Olivier Menanteau has successfully colla bo rated with the United Nations (Media Alert, 2006), Lit-huanian president (Great Duchy, 2010), Cambo-dian royal family (For Many, Farewell Is Elusive, 2012-2013), local and national French politicians (Mediagenic-la Marseillaise, 2012-2013) and many more leading institutions and individuals.

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L E I L A T O P I Ć

Why are you choosing politicians as the focus of your photographic work?

I’m not choosing politicians but the relation-ship between politicians, citizens and people from the media. That is why my images are dif-ferent from the one you see everyday reading newspapers or browsing through websites...When you are working as a photographer for

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the daily newspaper you are trying to present a certain event, key moments, to show some present time. However, what I am trying to do with my projects is reintroducing historici-ty in photography and in public space. Why? Because, in my opinion, I think it is important to see the future and past in pictures, respectively. Also because photography is memory, each picture is memory. Thus, I am also showing the difference between a journalist pho-tographer and me since I am only an observer but at the same time I am also part of the context I am observing. People are aware of my presence; they can see me just because of the huge size of my photographic camera. So there you have certain triangle: me, politi-cians and a journalist photographer. In every country photo reporters are asking me what I am doing with this camera, why I am doing it and what for...

The abovementioned relationship is important for me because you learn something about the state protocol and through the very notion of protocol you might see the structure of so-ciety. Also, I am trying to understand the difference between the fabrics of society in every country I have visited so far. And yes, there are huge differences between Croatia, France, or let’s say Estonia...But at the same time, my work is not that different from the work of an anthropologist. An anthropologist also observes a relationship between communities, pub-lic events or power relationships and society’s structures. What I could learn from certain events makes sense for the society. Or it does not, on some occasions.

This is also the reason why I choose to work with a huge analogue camera. I am becom-ing an observer, someone who is there, but also someone who becomes almost invisible after a few hours of observing. My procedure is a slow one; I have to choose the right mo-ment because I do not have the luxury of digital clicking. You have to choose you frame and wait, like a piece of furniture, for the perfect moment. I have to know when to take a breath but also I have to comprehend the body language of the politician that I am photographing. So, now I know the form, for instance, how Mr. Josipovic is talking and when he is going to take a break in his speech. In that manner it becomes a sort of interplay between my body language and the object of my focus.

You wanted to exhibit Max Weber’s book Politics as a Vocation as a part of the ex-hibition. Is this book important for understanding your artistic procedure?

No, not really. I like sociology very much and I love to read authors like Weber or Bordieu. This book was mentioned because on its first few pages Weber explains very clearly the dif-ference between living for politics and living of politics. Thus, the book introduces a definition of the state that has become pivotal for the Western social thought: that the state is the entity which claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of force, which it may therefore elect to dele-gate as it sees fit. Politics is to be understood as any activity in which the state might engage in order to influence the relative distribution of force. And now I think this activity is very clear.

• Izdavač Publisher Muzej suvremene umjetnosti Museum of Contemporary Art, Avenija Du brov nik 17, 10010 Zag reb; Cro atia; tel: +385 1 605 27 00; E-mail: [email protected]; www.msu.hr • Za izdavača For the publi sher Snježana Pintarić • Urednica kataloga Catalogue editor Leila Topić • Kustos izložbe Exhibition curator Leila Topić Tekst Text Leila Topić • Prijevod Translation Ivana Ostojčić • Lektura Language Editing Nada Beroš/ Ivana Ostojčić • Asistentica izložbe Exhibition Assistant Martina Mitak • Autori postava Display Authors Olivi-er Menanteau, Leila Topić • Tehnički pos tav Technical Set-up Tehnička služba MSU-a • Grafičko oblikova nje Graphic design artmashine (Zubić/Jukić) • Tisak Print EDOK d.o.o. Samobor • Na klada Print run 300 kom

DRUGAČIJA EUROPA JE MOGUĆA! PLATFORMA 112 U NOVINARSKOM DOMU

Sučeljavanje kandidata izbora članova u Europski parlamentZagreb, 20. 5. 2014.

DIFFERENT EUROPE IS POSSIBLE! PLATFORM 112 AT NOVINARSKI DOM

Candidates’ debate before the European Parliament electionsZagreb, 20 May 2014

DAN ORUŽANIH SNAGA REPUBLIKE HRVATSKE I DAN HRVATSKE KOPNENE VOJSKE

Zagreb, 3. 6. 2014.

CROATIAN MILITARY FORCES DAY AND CROATIAN GROUND ARMY DAY

Zagreb, 3 June 2014

Zahvala Thanks to Atelje Tošo Dabac • Posebna zahvala Radmili Ivi Janković Special thanks to Radmila Iva JankovićALL IMAGES: COURTESY OF BARBARA THUMM GALLERY

DAN ORUŽANIH SNAGA REPUBLIKE HRVATSKE I DAN HRVATSKE KOPNENE VOJSKE

Zagreb, 3. 6. 2014.

CROATIAN MILITARY FORCES DAY AND CROATIAN GROUND ARMY DAY

Zagreb, 3 June 2014

Projekt je podržan uz potporu Gradskog ureda za obrazovanje, kulturu i sport Grada Zagreba te Ministarstva kulture Republike Hrvatske. The exhibition is supported by City Office for Education, Culture and Sports, Zagreb and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia.

Documents

Promatrač - Observer