19 Unknown Photographers

Bojan Salaj: Reinstitutionalisation

This Pavilion is a reconstruction of an exhibition project at MSUM in 2017. As an invited artist, I am repeating the gesture I originally performed in the initial installation of the Pavilion.

I am exhibiting elements related to the context of the Pavilion, the Moderna galerija that hosts it, and the materials of the exhibition setup. These elements appear fragmented and disconnected. They are brought together through juxtaposition, forced to coexist within the framework of the exhibition structure. At the core of the installation are 19 photographs from the photographic collection of Moderna galerija, all without an identified author — their common denominator is an unknown author. Regardless of how they are arranged in space, the photographs establish connections and narrative alliances among themselves, yet no single story takes precedence over another. Just as their meaningful linkage is possible, so  the emptiness of their heterogeneity is necessary — remaining strange and uninhabited.

The title Asa nisi masa originates from an enigmatic phrase in Fellini's film 8½, which a magician reads from the protagonist’s mind. Through this phrase, Guido recalls his childhood and belief in the magical power of gazes depicted in images — gazes that look back at the viewer. If we believe in them, they can come to life and reveal the location of a hidden treasure. However, the returned gaze never truly aligns with our own. Their relationship is neither symmetrical nor reciprocal.