MAIN D’ŒUVRE, 2008, VIDEO DOCUMENTATION OF AN ACTION, SCULPTURE
WITH MAIN D’ŒUVRE ARTIST PROPOSES AN IMAGE OF WHAT MAKES A WORK OF ART: A MAN, A WORKER SCULPTS HIS SELF-PORTRAIT AND IS FILMED BY THE ARTIST WHILE WORKING. PROJECT WAS INSPIRED BY AN ABSURD SITUATION IN THE FIFTIES UNDER THE COMMUNIST REGIME IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA, WHERE AS A PART OF THE COMMUNIST UTOPIA, WORKERS WERE INVITED TO MAKE AND TEACH ART AT THE ART SCHOOLS.
MAIN D’ŒUVRE TRIES TO SHOW THE ABSURDITY OF A POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT (INSPIRED BY A TEXT OF SLAVOJ ZIZEK, WHO MENTIONS HAVEL, WHO WRITES ABOUT DICTATORSHIP BEING KEPT ALIVE BY DAILY STEREOTYPE ACTIVITIES AND RITUALS). WHILE AS MAKING THE THEORETICAL COMMUNIST UTOPIA REAL (MAKE UNQUALIFIED PERSON DO ART) WOULD BRING IT TO ITS COLLAPSE, ITS END.
THE WORKER IN THIS PROJECT MAKES ART THAT HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL, MAKES HIS SELF-PORTRAIT WHICH DURING COMMUNISM WOULD BECOME AN IDEOLOGICAL SCULPTURE. BUT ONCE IDEOLOGICAL MEANING IS BEING REPLACED BY "ECONOMY OF ART" - ARTISTS MAKES THE WORKER TO WORK FOR HIM AND PRESENTS THE ENTIRE WORKER'S WORKING PROCESS AS HIS OWN WORK.
