the mainstream media language was dominated by the term "illegality" following the hunt for war criminals by the International Court Of Justice in Den Haag. At the same time, in conjunction with demands from the EU to reshape the society and adopt more neo liberal values.
The Mobile Studio
The Mobile Studio was an experimental travelling exhibition space initiated in Berlin.
It was designed as a temporary, adaptable space that settled into different urban contexts, embedding itself in public spaces bringing together artists and grassroots movements. From April to May 2006, the Mobile Studio travelled in various Eastern Europe capitals. Bogomir Doringer, known at that time as a young fashion designer, was invited by Maja Čirić and Miroslav Karić who curated the Belgrade edition. This invitation initiated the project Illegal Chair.
Year
2005/2006
Location
Amsterdam, Belgrade
Credits
Mobile Studios from Berlin and Remont Gallery
2005/2006
Location
Amsterdam, Belgrade
Credits
Mobile Studios from Berlin and Remont Gallery
Resident Card
At the time, Bogomir, a Serbian immigrant, and art student in the Netherlands, was navigating
a complex bureaucratic system that dictated the conditions of his stay. He held a resident card,
which allowed him legal stay in the country but restricted his working hours due to his non-EU status, permitting him to work only in his field of study – art.
After two years of effort, he secured a position at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
Soon he was asked to leave due to the complicated paperwork required to maintain his employment. Standing at a crossroads, desperate, the bureaucracy was pushing him into the exact stereotype imposed on many immigrants: forced into an “illegal act” for survival. Instead of giving in to that narrative, he turned his anger into art.
One his final day of work, he stood by a window at the Stedelijk Museum (at that time located
in an old Post Office building at Oosterdokseiland), and noticed a museum container filled with discarded chairs designed by Studio Acconci. These chairs were part of a retrospective exhibition
that ended in January 2006, as furniture for watching video presentations. The chairs were disposed
of because their production costs were lower than the cost of their transportation.
Late at night, Doringer retrieved the chairs from the container while documenting “the theft” with
a camera and the museum CCTV footage to add to the suspicious performance. By salvaging
and transforming the chairs, he mirrored his transformation: from someone stripped of stability
to reclaiming his agency.
Caption of the picture.
Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Media Capaign – Fabricant & Appropriation
The atmosphere of post-war Serbia was tense; the mainstream media language was dominated by the term "illegality" following the hunt for war criminals by the International Court Of Justice in Den Haag. At the same time, in conjunction with demands from the EU to reshape the society and adopt more neo liberal values. Doringer observed the prevalence of that language in Serbian media, as well as an impact on his own identity and situation as a non-EU resident by default.
His interventions using tabloids as part of his artistic process were intended to criticize the different strategies of media fabrication, notably the power of media to convert anti-heroes into heroes and inversely. Popular figures traded their military uniform and nationalistic discourse for business suits and political careers. A strategy still largely used worldwide today.
From his arrival at Belgrade Airport with "stolen chairs" to their installation in the mobile studio, he kept sharing stories and images of his theft with the tabloids. Relying on their appetite for scandals and gossip, he crafted an image of a fraudulent plagiarist wanted by the EU authorities. A week leading to the all-day presentation at the main square in Belgrade, Doringer put posters all around the city centre making it appear like arrest warrants for both the chairs and himself. The citizens were invited to contact the artist if they happen to have any information on the “stolen” artwork, or the artist. He playfully worked to undermine his previously established reputation as fashion designer using the tabloid machine and poster campaign.
This postmodern approach to art and fashion allowed Doringer to use theft, of the objects themselves and their design, this appropriation, reappropriation and recontextualisation of the chairs transform its authorship.
Caption of the picture.
Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture.
Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
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Voting
The redesigned chairs were finally set inside the mobile Studio to welcome visitors, where he installed a photo studio and a voting box. Guests (journalists, pop stars, NGO workers, actors, government representatives) and passersby were invited to take a snap-shot while sitting in the “incriminated” chair and vote on the legality of the artwork. The tabloid/ poster campaign, serving as of the artist, was an opportunity to manipulate public opinion, inviting visitors to vote concluded the process, allowing Doringer to rate his ability to re/gain the public favour, mirroring once again, the political figure he witnessed in the media. The result of the vote was in favour of Doringer “theft”. The portraits of people were published online on Flickr, which then introduced tags.
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Fun Facts
online space.
in Doringer’s journey—one where he refused to be discarded like those chairs and instead used them to craft his path forward.
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008
Caption of the picture. Vienna, 2008