SCROLL DOWN FOR GERMAN AND CROATIAN

WHAT SHOULD I DO?
- ETHICS FOR ARTISTS IN TWELVE SIMPLE RULES


RULE 1 Through your art activity/work you should initiate, increase, moderate, and shape a public discussion i.e. communication among the people around you, which has a public interest to it and which would not happen otherwise. (A social definition of a fine and free art.)
RULE 2 The issues brought up by your artwork/activity should be of public interest, be relevant and useful for the site/community where work/activity takes place. (A negation of abstract art. ‘Yes’ to documentarism.)
RULE 3  You will enrich the public polylogue if you add new standpoints to a common perception of your chosen issue/s. If the common perception of an issue is influenced, reality related to it will change as well. The place/community will never be the same after taking part in a documentary endeavor/project of quality. (On a critical/independent attitude being obligatory. On perception and pluralism.) RULE 4  Keep your work/activity/events accessible for everybody. Include those who are usually excluded. (For a cultural democracy. Unlimited general right of use for public venues.)
RULE 5 Include people who are from the location in your creative process as much as you possibly can. Let them take control over the way they are represented. Let them decide how they should look like, what they should state. Explain as much as you can about the context you are working in and with. Do not show material that people are not happy with or that they are indifferent to. The right to present people's images and documents is to be earned through their involvement and by having personal relationships with them. (For democracy and for cultural democracy. Also for authentic documents/artifacts.)
RULE 6  Always give presents away. Create artifacts that relate in a personal way to people around you and give these as presents to them. Create happenings in order to increase the feeling of brother*hood/sister*hood[1] and equality in the group you are working with. (Another social definition of an artwork. Also on cultural democracy.)
RULE 7  Create your artwork in an environment where artworks are usually not created. Distribute it in an environment that usually does not witness such things. (Same as previous.)
RULE 8  Make friends during and through your artistic work/activity. (On the final criteria in judging the quality of an artwork/activity.)
RULE 9  Never use public money towards a private profit or possessions. Use public money for an artwork/activity as described above, i.e. for an artwork that takes place in public sphere, formulates a public interest through addressing and involving a local community with relevant issues, that is open and accessible to all, easily reproducible, and that will never be applicable to exclusive private ownership. (The ontological implications of public funds for an artwork.)
RULE 10  Fully respect people that your work is about and that you are working with, always state their names and credits, and treat them equally to yourself in every aspect. (For true cultural democracy.)
RULE 11  Fully respect the aesthetic preferences of people you are working with. The artifacts created by them are valuable in the same way as the ones that you/an artist might produce. (Negation of masterworks.)
RULE 12 Your activity has to have real / concrete consequences, and lasting effects. Create pragmatic, useful, and socially interactive, people friendly artifacts and events collaboratively on site and for the community, with clearly stated aims that correspond to real/concrete needs, which you have previously systematically researched. (Another functional definition of artworks. On activism.)
Kristina Leko, 2004


[1] In the original text from 2004 I used the word „brotherhood“ in other to make reference to the Croatian-Serbian-Bosnian word „bratstvo“ which was included in the main political slogan of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, which proclaimed „brotherhood and unity of all nations and ethnical minorities“ („bratstvo i jedinstvo svih naroda i narodnosti“). As of 2021, as I reread my manifesto after some years, I have altered the formulation to include brotherhood, sisterhood and the star sign to erase generic masculinum and to challenge gender binary divisions and related thinking. 


WAS SOLL ICH TUN? ZWÖLF GRUNDREGELN EINER ETHIK FÜR KÜNSTLER/INNEN

REGEL 1 Beginne, steigere, bereichere und gestalte durch deine Kunst/Aktivität eine öffentliche Diskussion/eine Kommunikation von öffentlichem Interesse, die ansonsten nicht stattfinden würde/n, zwischen Menschen, die dich umgeben. (Eine soziale Definition von freier und bildender Kunst.) REGEL 2 Finde mit deiner künstlerischen Arbeit/Aktivität Themen und Probleme, die an diesem Ort und in dieser Gemeinschaft nützlich und relevant sind, d. h. Themen von öffentlichem Interesse. (Die Verneinung der abstrakten Kunst. Für Dokumentarismus.) REGEL 3 Bereichere die öffentlichen Diskussionen mit deinem ausgewählten Thema, indem du neue Standpunkte zur allgemeingültigen Wahrnehmung hinzufügst. Wenn die allgemeingültige Wahrnehmung einer wichtigen Frage/eines wichtigen Themas beeinflusst worden ist, dann verändert sich auch die Wirklichkeit. (Die Pflicht einer kritischen/unabhängigen Meinung. Über Wahrnehmung und Pluralismus.) REGEL 4 Mache deine Arbeit/Aktivität/Ereignisse für alle zugänglich. Beziehe jene ein, die normalerweise ausgeschlossen sind. (Für kulturelle Demokratie. Ein unbegrenztes Gebrauchsrecht für öffentliche Veranstaltungsorte.) REGEL 5 Beziehe die Menschen vor Ort so weit wie möglich in den kreativen Prozess ein. Übergib ihnen die Kontrolle/Verantwortung über die Form ihrer Repräsentation. Lass sie entscheiden, wie sie aussehen möchten, was sie sagen. Erkläre so viel wie möglich über die Zusammenhänge, in/mit denen du arbeitest. Stelle nichts aus, womit die Menschen unzufrieden sind oder dem sie gleichgültig gegenüberstehen. Erarbeite/Verdiene dir das Recht, Bilder und Dokumente von Menschen zu zeigen, indem du sie beteiligst und persönliche Beziehungen zu ihnen unterhältst. (Für Demokratie und für kulturelle Demokratie. Auch für authentische Dokumente/Artefakte.) REGEL 6 Beschenke Menschen. Schaffe Kunstwerke, die einen persönlichen Bezug zu den Menschen haben, mit denen du zusammen arbeitest und schenke ihnen dann diese an sie gerichtete Arbeiten. Bereite Happenings für ein Gefühl von Kameradschaft, Verbundenheit und Gleichberechtigung in der Gruppe, in der du arbeitest, vor. (Noch eine Definition des Kunstwerkes. Auch über kulturelle Demokratie.) REGEL 7 Schaffe Kunstwerke in einem Umfeld, wo diese üblicherweise nicht entstehen. Zeige sie in einer Umgebung, die gewöhnlich solche Dinge nicht sieht. (Eine weitere Definition des Kunstwerkes. Auch über kulturelle Demokratie.) REGEL 8 Schließe während und durch deine künstlerische Arbeit Freundschaften. (Das endgültige Kriterium, um die Qualität eines Kunstwerkes zu beurteilen.) REGEL 9 Verwende öffentliche Gelder nie für den privaten Gewinn oder privates Eigentum. Nutze öffentliche Gelder wie beschrieben für die Herstellung von Kunstwerken, die im öffentlichen Raum stattfinden, die ein öffentliches Interesse formulieren, indem sie lokale Gemeinschaften ansprechen und sie einbeziehen, die offen und für alle zugänglich sind, die leicht zu reproduzieren sind und die nie auf ausschließlich private Ansprüche anwendbar sind. (Die ontologischen Verwicklungen von öffentlichen Fördergeldern mit Kunstwerken.) REGEL 10 Achte die Menschen, um die es in deiner Arbeit geht und die mit dir zusammenarbeiten, behandle sie mit aller Würde, nenne immer ihre Namen, behandle sie in jeder Hinsicht so wie dich selbst. (Für echte kulturelle Demokratie.) REGEL 11 Achte den Geschmack und die ästhetischen Vorstellungen der Personen, mit denen du arbeitest. So entstandene Kunstwerke/Artefakte haben den gleichen Stellenwert wie die eines Künstlers/einer Künstlerin. (Die Verneinung des Meisterwerkes.) REGEL 12 Deine Handlung soll reale/konkrete Folgen haben und zu bleibenden Auswirkungen führen. Schaffe in Zusammenarbeit pragmatische, nützliche, sozial interaktive, menschenfreundliche Kunstwerke und Ereignisse, vor Ort und für die Gemeinschaft, mit aussagekräftigen Zielen, die auf die realen/konkreten Bedürfnisse eingehen. Diese hast du zuvor systematisch recherchiert. (Eine weitere gebrauchsorientierte Definition für Kunstwerke. Über Aktivismus.) Kristina Leko, 2004




ŠTO MI JE ČINITI? - ETIKA ZA UMJETNIKE I UMJETNICE U 12 KRATKIH PRAVILA

PRAVILO 1 Svojom umjetnošću/ radom/ bavljenjem uspostavi, obogati i oblikuj javnu rasporavu/ razumijevanje/ komunikaciju od javnog interesa među stvarnim ljudima u svojoj okolini. (Društvena definicija slobodne i lijepe umjetnosti.) PRAVILO 2 Svojim umjetničkim djelom/ radom/ bavljenjem pronađi i dotakni teme i probleme, koji su na licu mjesta korisni, relevanti i od značaja, t.j. od javnog zanimanja/ interesa. (Negacija apstraktne umjetnosti. Za dokumentarizam.) PRAVILO 3 Obogati javnu raspravu, tako da učiniš da ustaljenoj percepciji/ mnijenju budu pridodana nova stajališta. Kad je uvriježeno mišljenje poljuljano, promijenit će se i uz to vezana stvarnost. (Obaveza kritičkog i neovisnog stava. O percepciji i pluralizmu.) PRAVILO 4 Učini da je tvoj rad/ bavljenje/ aktivnost svima pristupačan. U svoje bavljenje uključi one koji su obično isključeni/isključene. (Za kulturnu demokraciju. O neograničenom pravu korištenja svih javnih ustanova, površina i aktivnosti.) PRAVILO 5 U svoje kreativno dokumentarističko bavljenje uključi one kojima se baviš u najvišoj mogućoj mjeri. Neka sami/same odluče kako će izgledati i što će reći. Predaj im, u najvišoj mogućoj mjeri, kontrolu i odgovornost za formu i sadržaj njihove reprezentacije u djelu. Objasni koliko god možeš što i zašto radiš. Ne pokazuj materijale s kojima prikazani ljudi nisu zadovoljni, ili prema kojima su ravnodušni. Svoje pravo na prikazivanje dokumentarnog materijala o drugim ljudima zaradi kroz blisku suradnju s tim ljudima, kroz njihovo aktivno sudjelovanje. (Za demokraciju i kulturnu demokraciju. Također za autentične/ vjerodostojne dokumente/ djela.) PRAVILO 6 Dijeli poklone. Stvaraj djela koja se na osobnoj razini odnose prema ljudima s kojima radiš, te im onda pokloni ta na njih upućena i njima posvećena djela. Ponekad pripremi događaje koji snaže osjećaj bratstva*, sestrinstva* i jednakosti među ljudima s kojima radiš. PRAVILO 7 Stvaraj djela na mjestima gdje se obično umjetnička djela ne stvaraju. Pokazuj svoje djelo u okolini u kojoj se obično umjetnička djela ne pokazuju. (Također o kulturnoj demokraciji.) PRAVILO 8 Stekni nove prijatelje kroz svoj umjetnički rad. (Prijateljstvo kao krajnji kriterij vrednovanja umjetničkog djela.) PRAVILO 9 Ne upotrbljavaj javna novčana sredstva za privatnu dobit. Javni novac koristi za stvaranje umjetničkih djela koja, poput gore opisanih, nastaju u i za javni prostor, koja iskazuju i oblikuju javni interes, obraćaju se lokalnim zajednicama i njih aktivno uključuju, i koja nikad neće moći biti upotrebljena za isključivo privatne svrhe niti potpasti u ekskluzivni privatni posjed. (Ontološke implikacije javnog novca na umjetničko djelo.) PRAVILO 10 Uvažavaj ljude kojima se baviš u svome radu tj. ljude koje u svoj rad uključuješ, odnosi se prema njima sa svim dužnim poštovanjem, navodi uvijek njihova imena, i tretiraj ih kao sebi ravnopravne. (O iskrenosti i kulturnoj demokraciji.) PRAVILO 11 Uvažavaj u potpunosti ukus i estetske sudove osoba s kojima radiš. Tako nastala umjetnička djela istovrijedna su djelima umjetnika/umjetnica. (Negacija remek djela.) PRAVILO 12 Tvoje bavljenje mora imati stvarne posljedice i voditi u trajne promjene okoline u kojoj radiš. U suradnji s ljudima oko sebe stvaraj pragmatična, društveno aktivna, lako razumljiva djela, dokumente i događaje, sa doista određenim praktičnim ciljevima, po stvarnim potrebama mjesta, vremena i ljudi. To podrazumijeva da si prije toga mjesto i ljude podrobno istražila/istražio. (O aktivizmu.) Kristina Leko, 2004.















INDEX OF LEKO’S PROJECTS & ARTWORKS (in progress)





VIDEO & AUDIO WORKS




HISTORY OF A CAKE
1999


LES NOUVELLES DE
ZAGREB/ZAGREB 
PROSE AND NEWS
1999/2000


GDANSK DOLNE
MIASTO
2000


ME,JADZIA
2000


HER 25802nd DAY
2000


MLIJEKO/MILK
2000


SARAJEVO
INTERNATIONAL
2001


BOUGHT IN GRAZ
2001


ON MILK AND PEOPLE
2001/02


MLIJEKO/MILCH
2002


ZAGREB MILKMAIDS
ON YOUR
RIGHT-HAND-SIDE
2002/03


CHEESE AND CREAM
2002/03


VIVE LE FROMAGE
OU LAIT CRU!
2003/05


VISMIJN
2004


ADDRESSING THE
AMERICANS
2004/05


AMERIKA(5)
2003/05


AMERIKA
2003/05    

NO SUBJECT
(A CONVERSATION
WITH WORKING
PEOPLE)
2004/05    
       
BEWEISS NR. 4,
DOKUMENTATION
2007       

SNORING IN THE USA
2008 
     

BILO JEDNOM,
ES WAR EINMAL
2008       

EIN GLÜCKLICHES
HEIM DER
GERECHTIGKEIT
UND LIEBE
2009       

FAWZIA SOLL
LESEN LERNEN
2009       

WALTER KÜNAS,
DER BLINDER
FOTOGRAF
2009       

BLUMENHOF
2009       

MARIENHAUS
2009-12   


THE WAY PEOPLE
LIVE/PERFORMANCE
2010       

REHEARSAL -
THE SMITHSONS
2011       

KEINE GEWALT,
KEINE MOBBING
2011       

ZAPPEN, EIN
GEWÖHNLICHER
SAMSTAGABEND
(22.10.2011)
2011       

X-GAMES
KÖLN MÜLHEIM
2011       

NASA DRAGA MARICA
2014       
   
THE WAY PEOPLE LIVE –
REPORTS ON STILLSTAND
2016

DOCUMENTARY FILMS




LUME CARA ĂJ ĂM
NJENČIM - IN
POSTPRODUCTION
RELEASE 1-2026


CHEESE AND CREAM
40 MIN
FACTUM, 2013


THE GROUP OF SIX
ARTISTS
90 MIN
HRT, 2002

IVAN LADISLAV
GALETA
47 MIN
HRT, 2000

VLADIMIR DODIG
TROKUT
48 MIN
HRT, 1999

ALEKSANDAR SRNEC
48 MIN
HRT, 1999