HELIUM #4

[katarina pejovic]

PRESS RELEASE, January 15th 2002
BallongMagasinet and NIFCA (Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art)
present
H  E  L  I  U  M #4
Helium is a sound art series in 5 parts on:
http://www.ballongmagasinet.com/helium

New Release! A varied collection presenting Slovenian artists: Joze
Barsi & Bojana Piskur,
Breda Kralj, Tanja Vujinovic Kusej, Katarina Pejovic and Tao G.
Vrhovec-Sambolec. Curated by Duba Sambolec, professor at the Art Academy
of Trondheim (NTNU).

HELIUM is a project  providing a wide collection of Sound Art. For this
fourth edition we have invited a Slovenian curator, living in Norway, to
take a dive into the arena of Sound Art in her home country.

Although being spared from ethnic wars, Slovenia was nevertheless its
closest neighbour during the critical years. Thus the flourishing
Slovenian art scene - especially the segment dealing with new media or
interdisciplinary approach - has grown on quite a different soil and out
of a different political necessity than the art from Northern Europe,
thus giving a surprising and fresh expression in spite of dark
undertones.

HELIUM#4 offers a playful and free approach to sound accompanied by rich
imagery. As in Breda Kralj’s short animations where images and sound -
folkmusic and techno - are mixed into vignette-like collages.

Tanja Vujinovic Kusej is thematizing an unpleasent memory from her
childhood in her piece Variola Vera. The smallpox epidemy being the last
large epidemy of Europe, caused a severe threat in Belgrade and the fear
of it had impact on a whole generation.

Katarina Pejovic and Tao G. Vrhovec-Sambolec are taking advantage of the
interactive potential of the Internet. In Pejovic’s PRO: Do-it-Yourself
Protest Kit, we are invited to create our own demonstration by putting
together pieces of authentic images and soundrecordings from
demonstrations in Belgrade between 1996 and 1999.

Vrhovec-Sambolec’s contribution is a work-in-progress that transform
whatever we write on our keyboard into music - our written words creates
the structure of a soundpiece.

Joze Barsi & Bojana Piskur let us read and listen to correspondences
from their many travels - presenting soundscapes and stories from
meetings with people and places.

BallongMagasinet and NIFCA are happy to announce a rich and
unconventional
world of sounds and images.

For further information please contact: BallongMagasinet,
mailto:red at ballongmagasinet.com
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BIOGRAPHIES OF THE CURATOR AND THE AUTHORS

DUBA SAMBOLEC (b.1949) is a renowned visual artist from Ljubljana. From
1992, she is professor and head of Sculpture Department at the Art
Academy, Trondheim, Norway. Apart from numerous collective exhibitions,
she has had 29 individual exhibitions presenting sculptures, video,
photo and sound installations. Among other, she took part at the
International Festival City of Women - Ljubljana 2000, Aperto 88’ - The
Venice Biennial 1988 and Sao Paulo Biennial 1985.

JOZE BARSI (b. 1955) is working as artist and professor of Art Academy
in Ljubljana, BOJANA PISKUR (b. 1970) lives and works as curator and
artist in Ljubljana.

BREDA KRALJ (b.1966), costume and set designer, performer from
Ljubljana.
 http://skylined.org/oneoutoffivememories
Since 1995, she creates in the field of computer music, mp3
http://skylined.org/sofia
graphics and Flash animation, GIF animator
http://skylined.org/~sofia/flashbysofia
She designs and maintains Web pages under the pseudonym Sofia
http://www.ljudmila.org/exponto

KATARINA PEJOVIC (b.1962) has worked as dramaturg in professional
theatres as well as with independent theatre groups in Yugoslavia and
abroad. She has authored numerous radio and TV plays and published
essays and reviews on theatre and literature. From mid- 90's on she has
created polymedia projects: performances, installations and Web-castings
both as author and in collaboration with various groups and platforms,
such as Egon March Institute, 42, XLR, MZX and Orchestra Stolpnik. She
has participated with her works and collaborations on numerous festivals
throughout Europe, most notably Ars Electronica, Steirischer Herbst,
LIFT, Ostranenie Bauhaus, New Moves. Her latest projects include VIVAT,
a social game for artists that examines the possibilities of matching
art and survival, and SHADOW CASTERS (in collaboration with Orchestra
Stolpnik), a long-term interdisciplinary research of various world
cities that takes on the form of a polymedia voyage.

TAO G. VRHOVEC-SAMBOLEC (born 1972 in Ljubljana-  Slovenia) was studying

clarinet in Trondheim- Norway (1993-1997), and composition and sonology
(electronic music) at The Royal Conservatory in The Hague- Holland
(1997-2001). His teachers there were Louis Andriessen, Martijn Padding,
Clarence Barlow and Gilius Van Bergeijk. At the moment he  lives and
works in  Ljubljana- Slovenia.
Amongst other things he made audio-visual installations IN-SIGHT NO.1
and  IN-SIGHT NO.2, wrote music for silent movie THE MAN WITH THE MOVIE
CAMERA  (1929) by Dziga Vertov, collaborated on several projects with
conceptual  artist Marko Peljhan, wrote some chamber music, formed band
TILT, and  released CD “DVOJNIK-THE DOUBLE”. He also collaborated with
Yael Bartana on  video installation TREMBLING TIME. His works have been
presented independently and on  various festivals across
Europe.
In his projects he prefers to create an experience then to make art.

TANJA VUJINOVIC KUSEJ (b.1973) is working in the field of video and
installation. Since 1996, she  has presented interventions, video
installations and other works at various galleries, artist-run centers
and public spaces in more than thirty individual and collective
exhibitions (Germany, Yugoslavia, Scotland, France, Slovenia etc.).
She was studying at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade and at
Kunstakademie Dusseldorf where she has been guest student of Jan
Dibbets. She currently lives and works in Ljubljana, Slovenia.