In the work “Stan”, Violetta and Sejma develop a fantasy scenario with the eccentric and the theatrical aspects around Violetta’s rented flat in Belgrade.
They play with ideas of imaginary origin and processes of translating the foreign and understanding of found elements.
The two artists gathered their working materials from found traces of previous tenant of the flat - newspapers, bills, photos, furniture, from local sources like secondhand shops, Chinese market and from found objects on the street.
They organized an informal gathering, a tea party, for several friends and colleagues from Belgrade, to talk about found things, to fill questioners, make drawings and drink tea.
Šejma Prodanović graduated in Painting and Printmaking. She was awarded with the Cultural Distinction Prize for Painting by Onassis Foundation and Acquisition Award of International Biennial Vila Nova de Cerveira. She exhibited internationally at numerous exhibitions, recent include “Second-hand” curated by Irena Simic in Pavilion Cvijeta Zuzoric, Belgrade (2014); “Daily drawings”, solo show, installation and book edition in gallery DKSG, Novi Beograd (2013) and “I saw unseen”, solo show in gallery Dom Omladine, Belgrade (2012). Her artworks are in collection of Beijing Art Biennale Collection, China; Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Bienal de Cerveira, Portugal; National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan and Cultural centre Red Commune, Montenegro.Her artworks are constructed from images found in old printed materials, usually in the form of collage, print, video and drawing.She lives and works in Belgrade as an Independent Artist.
Lena Violetta Leitner graduated in Japanese Studies and Theatre-, Film-,Mediastudies. Since 2009 she is a student in Digital Art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. She was granted several exchanges and residencies in Paris, Lucerne, Zagreb and Belgrade. Her works were internationally exhibited in various group exhibitions, including the Biennale Sessions in Venice, das weisse haus Vienna, the National Gallery Mala Stanica in Skopje, at the Multimedia Festival in Yangon and the Vienna Art Fair this year. In her work, collective processes are essential. The exchange between art(work) and people as well as the reflections about identity and how we deal with the past are recurring subjects. In collaborational works like collective OutSight or Waldek Leitner, an exchange with women from different backgrounds is being searched and therefore tries to reinforce a network and avoid existing hierarchies. The materials are most of the time found objects, broken machines or used items.