Black Cloud
'Black cloud' is as a site specific installation made on April 13 at Bikuben Foundation's Art Salon VISION in Copenhagen, addressing the topic of "art, refugee, future...".
The installation is made of balloons that are carrying the messages: ‘Differential treatment of asylum seekers is our responsibility’ and ‘Refugees and immigrants are not a project’. Filled with helium, the balloons were floating at the ceiling, forming a 'black cloud' during the talk.
Our Border
Our Border is the title of a project that is shown at the exhibition "In Search of 'Other' Space of Belonging", displayed at KRAK - Center for Contemporary Culture in Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina - 2021.
The project is dealing with the current EU border that is created near the city of Bihać and preventing large groups of refugees and immigrants entering into Croatia and the European Union. It consists of free available posters and postcards.
Photo by: Mehmed Mahmutović
Public Housing on Zealand’s North Coast
Public Housing on Zealand's North Coast is the title of a sculpture that was shown on August 14 2021 at Hornbæk beach. This was a one-day project presenting an art work which in it's form is inspired by "Højhusene" on Kløvervej in Kolding, Danmark. The sculpture is made of plaster, plexiglass, tree and concrete. It measures 120 x 75 x 45 cm.
Hvidt støv
Hvidt støv — En antologi om ’busteaktionen’ og det vi taler om, når vi taler om den
Edited by: Nermin Duraković & Jeppe Wedel-Brandt. The book can be purchased at Antipyrine.dk
Public Square & Antipyrine, 2021
Read more: publicsquare.dk
Berørt
Two of my art pieces are presented in the recently published book "Berørt" – about Danish art in the new millennium. It can be purchased from Strandberg Publishing's homepage.
Link: Strandberg Publishing
The View
A photo with the title "The View" is donated to 14,8X21, a humanitarian exhibition that took place at Gallery Tom Christoffersen December 13 and 15 2020.
The funds raised are donated to the humanitarian organisation Zaher, which is a Danish non-for-profit NGO, primarily supporting displaced Syrian refugees in Libanon.
Link: Zaher.dk
Wa(l)king Copenhagen
On Saturday 6 June I participated in a project called Wa(l)king Copenhagen, organised by Metropolis (Københavns Internationale Teater) in cooperation with International Art Center Copenhagen Contemporary. The project has invited 100 artists of different genres, over 100 days, to walk a twelve hours route of their own choice.
All walks can be followed on a Facebook site with the following link: facebook.com/walkingcopenhagen/
Link to the Metropolis page presenting the twelve livestreams that I made: metropolis.dk/nermin-durakovic/
Into the Friction
Into the Friction is the title of a text written by Art Historian Mathias Danbolt. It has the subtitle "An agitational aesthetic demanding the redistribution of power and responsibility characterised the art field of the 2010s." and is published in the online magazine Kunstkritikk, May 15th 2020.
Among other projects Mathias writes about the poster project "Multiculturalists, please deal with the Danish racism and leave us foreigners alone", which was installed in Copenhagen's public space in 2018.
Links:
English version: https://kunstkritikk.com/into-the-friction/
Danish version: https://kunstkritikk.dk/ind-i-friktionen/
Addressing Migration Politics Through Art
In this issue of Parse Journal, dealing with "Migration", I am contributing with the text "Addressing Migration Politics through Art". The text is based on my own work and reflections on art and on art institutions’ relation to and responsibility towards art that deals with migration.
Link: Parse Journal
Dette Er En Lejr
"This Is A Camp" or originally "Dette Er En Lejr" is an A1 format poster printet on fine art paper depicting the Danish refugee camp Sandholm. The poster is donated to an auction, held by the auction house Brun Rasmussen, with the purpose of financially supporting the Trampoline House, a community space for refugees, asylum seekers and other citizens. The house is based in Copenhagen N.
Link: Trampoline House
Drawings of Camps
“Drawings of Camps” is an exhibition on show at the exhibition space Hospital Prison University Archive that is taking place from October 2019 until April 2020, and is created in collaboration with Artist Jakob Jakobsen. The exhibition is based on two art pieces. The first one is made by Chilean Architect Miguel Lawner, who made drawings of the detention camp Isla Dawson, a detention camp in which Miguel was interned from 1973-1975. During his stay he has memorised the measurements and interior of the camp, which he in 1975 drew in Denmark and published in the format of an architectural book. The other project on show is my own drawings from the project Asylum Residency, showing the interior design of Danish asylum centres from the early 90’ies.
These visual drawings constitute a thematic basis for a series of radio conversations around “the camp” as a phenomenon. A working group is formed of six artist and academics who will, during the exhibition period, talk about the camp from different theoretical and practical positions and perspectives.
The working group consists of: Jakob Jakobsen (Artist), Farhiya Khalid (Historian and Journalist), Jeppe Wedel-Brant (Cultural Theoretician), Mikkel Bolt (Art Historian), Marie Northroup (Sociologist and Activist), Nermin Durakovic (Visual Artist).
Link to radio podcasts: Hospital Prison University Archive SoundCloud
Facebook event: Drawings of Camps
Art and social change
Art and Social Change is the title of a conference that took place at Art Centre Silkeborg Bad at 1 and 2 November 2019. It was organized by the Copenhagen based theatre group Metropolis who invited artists, academics and institutions dealing with the topic. Based on my work with a table-soccer association and on migration politics, I did a presentation about artistic potential and challenges within society and politically engaged art practice. The conference was also a round-off of the documentary art project “100% Fremmed?” currently exhibited at the Art Centre Silkeborg Bad. The project “100% Fremmed?” is produced by Metropolis/KIT and made by Danish Photo Artist Maja Nydal Eriksen.
Links:
Art and Social Change conference
Documentary art project "100% Fremmed?"
Art Centre Silkeborg Bad
Emotional Materialism
At the international conference on the topic "Emotional Materialism" that took place in Ljubljana on August 29 and 30 2019, I presented some of my work together with Gökhan Mura, Assistant Professor at the Visual Communication Design department in Izmir, Turkey, and Slovenian Philosopher and Sociologist Renata Salecl. The two-day programme was part of the international festival "Mladi levi" organised by a great team from the cultural centre Bunker, Ljubljana.
Cultural centre Bunker:
http://www.bunker.si/en/events/international-forum-on-emotional-materialism/
TV reviews:
https://4d.rtvslo.si/arhiv/kultura/174634891
https://4d.rtvslo.si/arhiv/kultura/174634892
Radio Interview
On July 31 I have been commenting the popular art installation, that went viral, with pink seesaws having been placed on the border separating El Paso, Texas, and Juárez, Mexico. The installation is made by the architecture studio Rael San Fratello and is a partnership between San Jose State Interior Design faculty member Virginia San Fratello and UC Berkeley Architecture professor Ronald Rael.
The interview on the program Kulturen P1 is in Danish: https://dr.dk/radio/p1/kulturen-pa-p1
Link: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/us-mexico-border-teeter-totter-wall-1612897
Humanitarian Aid Denmark
59th Poreč Annal 2019 in Croatia has the exhibition title: "Da nam živi, živi rat!" which can be translated into: "Long live, life to the war!" The subsequent subtitle is: "We live as if there will be peace for a hundred years, and let us prepare as if war will break out tomorrow."
My contribution to this exhibition is an art installation with the title “Humanitarian Aid - Denmark”. It is based on Denmark’s anti-immigration policy towards global war, conflicts and potential migration, and the stance that the best way to help refugees of war is to offer them assistance in their own neighbouring region.
Link: 59. Poreč Annale
Debate on the Politics of Migrant Images
On the Copenhagen Culture Night, October 12 2018 I took part in a debate together with Farhiya Khalid (journalist and historian) and Mica Nocol Oh (debater and educator) under the title “The Politics of Migrant Images”. The talk was moderated by Rushy Rashid (debater and radio host) and the event was hosted by the CAMP and Trampoline House in Copenhagen.
Link: trampolinehouse.dk/events
Photo by: Britta My Thomsen
From diaspora to diversities
The project Meanwhile is shown as part of the exhibition "From diaspora to diversities" in Gallery Remont, Belgrade, Serbia, in 2016, curated by Miroslav Karić.
The project has just released a publication with the same title.
Link: Remont
Link: From diaspora to diversities
Link: Review and video interview (in Serbian)
Nordic emergency relief kitchen
"Nordic emergency relief kitchen" is the title of an installation comprising a ‘tray course’, typically used in larger cafeterias, together with a number of red and blue trays.
The trays at the tray course are placed above the height of an average human being, forcing the viewer to observe the installation from a floor level perspective.
The installation can be seen at the Finnish Museum of Photography in Helsinki as part of the exhibition Nordic Delights, from May 17 to August 13 2017
Photo by: Karl Ketamo
Public Square
Public Square is a platform for critical thoughts on society and the world in which we live. We publish contributions of different kinds – analysis, essays, visual works and commentaries – which point to important, though often inconvenient, aspects of society.
Link:
Public Square
Tent unit, Danish refugee housing 2016
"Tent unit, Danish refugee housing 2016" is an installation of approximately 17 m2, composed of a tent frame and a "power moon" lamp.
Exhibited at Fotografisk Center in Copenhagen, January 14 to March 5
Link:
Fotografisk Center
Video presentation on Vimeo.com
Migration Politics
'Re-arranging' and '1350 Points Collection' are part of the exhibition Migration Politics at the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK) from 10 September to 6 November 2016.
The opening is on Friday 9 September at 4 pm.
Links:
www.smk.dk
www.campcph.org
Review:
borsen.dk (Danish)
dr.dk/radio (Danish radio)
information.dk (Danish daily)
Are Nordic delights that sweet?
Blog post published at nordicexchange.net in connection with the exhibition Nordic Delights.
Link: http://www.nordicexchange.net/are-nordic-delights-that-sweet-by-nermin-durakovic/
Are we moving?
Video installation - showing a slowly moving Danish landscape behind a living room interior with a sofa and television. Part of the exhibition Nordic Delights at OK - Oslo Kunstforening, Norway.
Review:
http://en.oslokunstforening.no (English - exhibition link)
http://www.art-agenda.com (English)
http://www.dagsavisen.no (Norwegian)
http://trendbeheer.com (Dutch)
Photo by Christina Leithe Hansen.
Northen Insularity
Northern Insularity is the title of an exhibition shown at the MMSU (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijeka) and ICA (Institute for Contemporary Art, Zagreb) in Croatia in 2015.
The exhibition concept is based on a collection of art pieces, dealing with the Danish immigration system and its conditions and all produced in the period from 2002 to 2015. The presented works of art include light installations, a sound installation and a guide-book.
The exhibition is complemented with a catalogue which is made in collaboration with Danish cultural analyst Jeppe Wedel Brandt and Croatian philosopher and journalist Srećko Horvat, contributing with the texts “A History of Nationalism and Human Debasement” (Wedel Brandt) and “They come here only for our beautiful girls” (Horvat).
A review of the exhibition is available on the website of the Croatian National radio HR3 (review in Croatian).
Photo documentation: Boris Cvjetanović
Recycling and Economy
Recycling and Economy is a poster exhibition documenting the job of collecting reusable bottles and cans.
The posters illustrate the course of one workweek, and has come into being in collaboration with an anonymous collector from Copenhagen to whom the search for bottles and cans is one of the few possible ways to an income.
Link: Exhibition Space Sydhavn Station
(Re)arranging in Camp
At the opening of CAMP - Center for Art on Migration Politics in Copenhagen in April 2015 “Re-arranging” was exhibited as part of the opening exhibition “Lejrliv” (Camp life).
Review:
www.contemporaryand.com
www.theartnewspaper.com
P1 Eftermiddag (Danish radio)
Maps for social contexts
The illustrations of 'social contexts and places to meet new friends' are a contribution to the publication Maps for Copenhagen. Maps for Copenhagen is an alternative portrait of Copenhagen, and also the first city-guide which is also in Arabic.
The publication is the final material after a 2-year long project, initiated by Signe Rom and Maj Horn. Together with a large group of users of The Trampoline House they have collected knowledge about Copenhagen through workshops, mappings and trips around the city. This knowledge is the foundation for the guidebook.
Se the full publication on: mapsforcopenhagen.com
Virtual Geography 1990-2010
Virtual Geography 1990-2010 is a 3,5 min video installation. The project is based on a mapping of subjective memories. Through a sequence of animated scenes the video depicts the physical environments, in which the artist has found himself in the period from 1990 to 2010.
1350 Points Collection
A graphic work presented as a poster depicts a collection of clothes, chosen for the value of 1350 points - the maximum available sum.
The points system is part of the Danish Red Cross’ clothing system for asylum seekers.
The poster (A0) was donated for "Danmarks Indsamling 2010”.
Danish Asylum Guidebook
A guide to Danish asylum centres. In the format of a camping guide each of the 55 existing asylum centres in 2002 is presented, using text and pictures from the centres’ own information material.
View the guidebook
Don Bonzini
Don Bonzini Tablesoccer Club 2001 - 2011, www.donbonzini.dk
Don Bonzini was established as a social initiative in 2001. It has been run as a local association with weekly activities in the facilities of the municipality of Kolding until 2011.