Gekauft in Graz / Shopping: A Local History

Kristina Leko, 2001

10' 55'' + 13'40'' DV

Two-channel video installation expanded with five inkjet prints (edition 3 + 2) / Optional: the installation is expanded with an installation of objects

No dialogue, on-screen texts in Croatian, German, French and English
Sound from the video projection on the right side (occasionally)
The work was created in the framework of the Cultural City Network artistin-in-residence program at the < rotor > center for contemporary art in Graz.

Collection/s: Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig (GfZK)





Context / Artist Statement

The work is based on the history and historical references of The Glass, one of the most important objects in my collection Mes objets trouves, which has been a work in progress since 1992. This collection treasures significant objects that mark the intersection of great historical narratives with my own life story, i.e., biography. The glass was bought at Ikea in Graz on the first day of the war in the former Yugoslavia in 1991. Later, in 1993, it gained significance for my refaction on war and personal responsibility (see under autobiographic works). At the end of the 1980s, the people of Zagreb used to go to Graz, Austria, for shopping regularly. Through this video installation, I tried to convey the complexity of economic relations between Eastern and Western Europe, consumerism, socialism and capitalism, and Eastern European hunger for Western products. However, the main idea of the video was to symbolically erase the period of severe political and social changes (1991-2001, change of political system, war) by buying again the same glasses in the same place ten years later.



The video projection on the right hand side shows the inventory of the artist's home in Zagreb, Croatia, with individual household objects that were bought in Graz, Austria: taps, fittings, ceramic tiles, furniture pieces, towels, jars, dishes, wine and water glasses, and so on. Each object is displayed with a note stating when and where the object was purchased in Graz. The next sequence is the journey from Zagreb to Graz, followed by poetic shots showing the interior of the Ikea store in Graz. We witness the artist's attempt to buy the same wine glasses she bought ten years ago. The plan did not work and the artist had to buy different glasses. The ones she wanted to buy were no longer available. The second video channel is shown on the left projection and features all the most popular shopping locations in the suburbs of Graz. Each location is displayed with a title in four languages and a note about what the artist bought in that particular store.


Note on the display: The installation consists of two video projections and five inkjet prints (photos with texts, 140x90 cm each). The setup of the work is optionally expanded to include an object installation with the objects that appear in the video and on the photo prints: The Glass, found object, 1993; Hundred and Twenty Ikea Glasses, objects purchased in 2001.

Next Project ︎