Who's Afraid of Seniors?Lada Cerar (SI)

Installation, 2005

Statistics predict that in 2020, there will be over a billion people above the age of 60 in the world, 75% of them in western countries. The greyest country will be Japan, the oldest country Europe, confirming its nickname of the Old Continent. . Old age relates to all of us. The demographic pyramid from the early 20th century, where the generation of young was the most common, the middle generation a bit smaller, and there were fewest old people of all has turned into a square, a bit like Malevich’s Black Square. Today all three generations are equally represented, and we are forced into re-evaluating our own perception of old age. The video work Who’s afraid of Seniors shows modified TV programming – on every channel there are only oldsters, essentially different from today’s programmes. This hypothetical model of our near future is an endeavour to illustrate where the low birth rate is taking us, in concert with the extended life span. If the older population is dominant, it’s clear that their interests are going to be more featured, leading to the reduction of the tyranny of the dominant youth cult. Pharmaceuticals let us live longer, but of course – only those who can afford them. Some people find them an important part of the day’s diet, which is shown in the form of a birthday cake composed only of tablets. A bag filled with old papers was made by an old lady to protect herself against thieves. Also here are newspaper ads that reveal the most desirable features of the ideal partner, in the opinion of the elderly, in stark contrast to the ideals of the young.

Lada Cerar (SI)

Lada Cerar (1974.) diplomirala je kiparstvo na Akademiji likovnih umjetnosti idizajna u Ljubljani. Radi samostalno i u grupi KOLEKTIVA (s Vesnom Bukovec i Metkom Zupanič). Umjetnost Lade Cerar može se opisati kao društveno angažirana. Inspiraciju za svoj rad često nalazi unutar privatne domene, no kasnije, kad se ideja ostvari, privatni aspekt nestaje, a gledatelj se suočava s kontroverznom društvenom temom. Sudjelovala je u nizu domaćih i međunarodnih izložbi: Territories, Identities, Nets, Slovene Art 1995-2005., Muzej moderne umjetnosti, Ljubljana; Continental Breakfast, Kulturni Centar Beograd; Narratives, -35+65 Twogenerations, Kunsthaus Graz, Austrija. Ostvarila je rezidencije u Nottinghamu, Berlinu, Grazu i Gorizi.

www.ladacerar.com
www.kolektiva.org