Exhibition/ Performances/ Symposium/ Workshops/ Social activities
Zagreb / Belgrade / Rijeka / London

Klovićevi dvori Gallery, Zagreb, October 4 – November 3, 2013
Cultural Center of Belgrade, February 6  – February 27,  2014
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Rijeka, March 11 – April 5, 2014
Queen Mary University of London, exhibition presentation and book launch, June 2nd, 2014

Jonathan Swift once said: ‘Everybody wants to live forever, but nobody wants to grow old.’ Although it is a part of the natural sequence of life, old age is often perceived through aversion or even as an insult – almost as if we have used it to diagnose a type of disorder. Due to the physical and psychological changes that come with it, and the very fact that it leads to death, old age and its signs provoke fear comparable to the one provoked by a body or mind that lies outside social norms. The contemporary art festival Extravagant Bodies: Extravagant Age deals with precisely this rift within the norms.

The festival Extravagant Bodies: Extravagant Age recognizes the issue of old age as that which makes visible the assumptions underlying modern society, and as the place which opens the possibility of its criticism. Old age takes the obsession with climbing the social ladder, frenetic accumulation of profits and the hierarchy of constant economic competition, and contrasts them with minimal production and consumption, un(re)productivity, but also the possibility of analysis and reflection. Old age looks at the young, energetic, ever beautified and age-defying body and opposes it to the body that is increasingly moving away from the ideals of health and beauty, and which can nevertheless continue being the source of pleasure and satisfaction. These are just some of the starting points of the festival, where authors approach the problem of old age and longevity through the exhibition, performances, workshops, symposiums and a theoretical publication. The variety of subtopics encompass intriguing views on the issues of old age and ageing from a series of different perspectives: from health, memory, dementia, socio-economic status, beauty, loneliness, idleness, boredom, love, sexuality and death, to progressive scientific innovations in prolonging life, prosthetic devices, regenerative medicine and the issues of immortality.

Project concept: Kontejner| Bureau of Contemporary Art Practice (Zagreb)
Curators: Ivana Bago, Olga Majcen Linn & Sunčica Ostoić | Kontejner, Milica Pekić | Kiosk, Lois Keidan | Live Art Development Agency, Slaven Tolj | Museum of modern and contemporary art Rijeka
Partners: Kiosk (Belgrade), Live Art Development Agency (London), Klovićevi dvori Gallery (Zagreb), Modern and Contemporary Art Museum (Rijeka), Galerija12 HUB (Belgrade), Foundation “Zajednički put” (Zagreb), Retirement Home Bežanijska kosa (Belgrade), Cultural Center of Belgrade (Belgrade)
Program collaborators: Ana Adamović, BADco., Nina Czegledy, Mia David, Gordana Dobrić, Zorana Đaković, Meri Gatin, Iva Rada Janković, Tajana Josimović, Tea Juretić, Sanjin Kaštelan, Luka Kedžo, Marta Kolega, Mario Kovač, Ljiljana Mikulčić, Ana Nedeljković, Parkticipacija, Katarina Pejović, Hrvoje Pukšec, Sanja Radica, Radiona.org, Silvio Vujičić, Lois Weaver

Cultural Center of Belgrade, February 6  – February 27,  2014

Extravagant Bodies: Extravagant Age presents exciting, inspiring, sensual old age. Contemporary art is changing taboos about old age and relocating them from the area of stereotypes, marginalization and discrimination, revealing at the same time so much more than just the ways how senior citizen can improve the quality of their own life. Extravagant age presents old age through unconventional, different and stimulating perspectives on the body and mind in constant transformation – an ecstatic and liberated old age in the fullness of all its capabilities and potentials.

Curators: Milica Pekić | Kiosk, Ivana Bago, Olga Majcen Linn & Sunčica Ostoić | Kontejner, Lois Keidan | Live Art Development Agency, Slaven Tolj | Museum of modern and contemporary art Rijeka

Partners: Kiosk (Belgrade), Kontejner (Zagreb), Live Art Development Agency (London), Klovićevi dvori Gallery (Zagreb), Modern and Contemporary Art Museum (Rijeka), Galerija12 HUB (Belgrade), Foundation “Zajednički put” (Zagreb), Retirement Home Bežanijska kosa (Belgrade), Cultural Center of Belgrade (Belgrade)

Artists:

PERFORMANCES:

At the opening: perofmance of the HOR-RUK choir by ŠKART, with guests, at Belgrade Cultural Centre, Trg Republike broj 5, 6th February 2014 at 6.00 p.m. The choir project has been realized in collaboration with Gerontology centre Belgrade, Retirement home Bežanijska kosa and Rex cultural center.

Visual gerontoloy and stereotypes of old age in film: Discussion and analysis of film inserts. Student’s cultural centre, small hall, Kralja Milana 48, Tuesday, 11th February at 8.00 p.m.; program author: Stevan Vuković

The writer is the stamp, musical-stamp literature night with David Albahari, Pesničenje and poets and bands of the Belgrade gymnasium. First Blegrade Gymnasium, Cara Dušana 61, sports hall, Thursday, 20th February at 7.30 p.m.

Performance Golden Party by Maja Bekan (RS). Belgrade Cultural Centre, Trg Republike 5, Saturday, 22nd February at 6.00 p.m.

Poetree festival
Belgrade Gerontology Centre, Nursing home Bežanijska kosa

Rada Gava, still undiscovered poet is reading from her first poetry book + guests
Youth- retirement choir HOR–RUK by ŠKART
Poetree festival is realized in collaboration with Gerontology Centre Belgrade Nursing home Bežanijska kosa, Cultural Center REX and Group 484

WORKSHOPS

Workshop program at Belgrade Cultural Centre is dedicated to children, students and adults with the main goal of stimulating creative work, offering educational support to students in creative activities and introducing new terminologies related to contemporary art through meetings, exhibition analysis and discussions with curators.

Project supported by: City of Zagreb, Ministry of culture of Republic of Croatia, Ministry of culture of Republic of Serbia, Foundation Zajednički put, Zagreb, , ECF – European cultural foundation, British Council, Zagreb, Foundation Kulturanova, Erste bank, City of Belgrade