AgalmaZoran Todorović (RS)

bodily situation

In Agalma Todorović uses not only an exceptional media but also the exceptional technique. Here, like in some other works of his, the technique is provocation. Under provocation we don’t consider that term’s negative context — a banal seeking of reaction, but rather the creation of relations. The media of his work is a body situation. McLuhan defined the difference between warm and cold media in means of communication. This division was anticipated and described by Kafka as well. Warm media would be for instance a car in which Zoran could come to Zagreb, because it would be flesh‘n’bones communication. A letter is warm media because, because although you don’t get the actual person you get that person’s trail of some kind. The cold media is a telephone that we used more then once during progress of the work, but which couldn’t replace physical presence. In order to get close to us, Zoran used something that could be called hot media. He sent a piece of himself, surgicaly re-moved and transformed into the finest human soap. Bathing under the slogan Zoran foams well was a cleansing of female with the male, of curators with the artist, of Croats with a Serb. His body had become telepresent or to be more precise it functioned as a body of love in two places at the same time. And, as Lacan says, “To love means to give something that one doesn’t have”.

Zoran Todorović (RS)

Media artist, Zoran Todorović was born in Belgrade, in 1965. He earned a degree, painting major, at the Faculty of Fine Arts, but is best known for his new media and video work. He lives and works in Belgrade where he holds the the assistant professor position at the Faculty of Fine Arts, of the University of Arts in Belgrade. Todorović exhibited his works in numerous leading media art institutions and events in Europe and beyond, and was the author of the Serbian pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale. His works often deal with issues of surveillance and control, shedding light on uncomfortable truths and concealed motivations. In 2000 Todorović won the 41st October Salon award in Belgrade and in 2001 the International Media Art Award in Karlsruhe.

www.zorantodorovic.com
ztodorovic@yahoo.com