OLIVER MUSOVIK (ENG)
GuestRoomMaribor November / December 2022
Selected for the residency programme GuestRoomMaribor on the basis of the "Call for Artists Residencies 2022 / 2023". Jury: Kaja Kraner, Lucija Smodiš, Simon Žlahtič
Oliver Musovik (MKD)
https://cargocollective.com/olivermusovik/CVSelected for the residency programme GuestRoomMaribor on the basis of the "Call for Artists Residencies 2022 / 2023". Jury: Kaja Kraner, Lucija Smodiš, Simon Žlahtič
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Oliver Musovik
Neighbors The Yard, 2002 -
Oliver Musovik
Land grab my father's orchard, photography, 2017 -
Oliver Musovik
A balancing act, video still, 2016
GuestRoomMaribor 14. 12. 2022
15. 12. 2022 - 20. 1. 2023
Curator: Simon Žlahtič
Text: Oliver Musovik
The development of the tourist industry was a political, economic, and social project of the Yugoslav federal state and a crucial field of social integration, aiming to turn workers into consumers of “purposeful” leisure. Tourism and travel as leisure are significant social phenomena that developed from a culture of the elite into a mass phenomenon in the course of the 20th century. On the political level, tourism was an important object of social and national policies in the making of the socialist state.
Kick-start industrialization was to be accompanied by the assumed complement to industrial labor: relaxation and regeneration during leisure time and on holidays. But the emergence of leisure practices under the auspices of the state needed direction. Yugoslav communist thinking on the benefits of tourism and recreation reflected Soviet ideas on the purposeful use of tourism and leisure “to enhance intellectual and physical capital” with a collective goal: integration into the body of the nation and the state.
Tourism experts, sociologists, and leisure ideologists at the time, opposed “complete rest” based on sleeping and sun-bathing. Ideas on recreational tourism, preventive rest, and actively programmed holidays (aktivni programirani odmor, APO) came into focus in the early 1970s.
The mornings were taken up with compulsory customized fitness in a gym and afternoons with free sports activities. The workers were expected to feel physically better after their holiday and to have a positive attitude about their health.
ACTIVELY PROGRAMMED HOLIDAYS: MINIATURE GOLF
Gallery Vetrinjski, Vetrinjska ulica 30, Maribor15. 12. 2022 - 20. 1. 2023
Curator: Simon Žlahtič
Text: Oliver Musovik
The development of the tourist industry was a political, economic, and social project of the Yugoslav federal state and a crucial field of social integration, aiming to turn workers into consumers of “purposeful” leisure. Tourism and travel as leisure are significant social phenomena that developed from a culture of the elite into a mass phenomenon in the course of the 20th century. On the political level, tourism was an important object of social and national policies in the making of the socialist state.
Kick-start industrialization was to be accompanied by the assumed complement to industrial labor: relaxation and regeneration during leisure time and on holidays. But the emergence of leisure practices under the auspices of the state needed direction. Yugoslav communist thinking on the benefits of tourism and recreation reflected Soviet ideas on the purposeful use of tourism and leisure “to enhance intellectual and physical capital” with a collective goal: integration into the body of the nation and the state.
Tourism experts, sociologists, and leisure ideologists at the time, opposed “complete rest” based on sleeping and sun-bathing. Ideas on recreational tourism, preventive rest, and actively programmed holidays (aktivni programirani odmor, APO) came into focus in the early 1970s.
The mornings were taken up with compulsory customized fitness in a gym and afternoons with free sports activities. The workers were expected to feel physically better after their holiday and to have a positive attitude about their health.
The project undertakes a comparative analysis of leisure time in socialist Yugoslavia, documenting the remnants of the material culture of active holiday-making, in this case, two very similar recreational facilities - miniature golf grounds, at two distinctive/distant geographic locations on the utmost south (Ohrid lake in North Macedonia) and the utmost north (on the Drava riverbank in Bresternica pri Mariboru) of the former joint state.
The two sites are having a similar history, both being developed as part of bigger tourist complexes - the Hotel-holiday center ‘Orce Nikolov’ in Sveti Stefan, Ohrid and the Motel ‘Jezero’ (and auto-camp site) in Bresternica, which went through a process of privatization after the fall of Yugoslavia and are not functional anymore, one being closed and abandoned (Ohrid) and the other completely demolished (Bresternica), and both are awaiting further development. While the miniature golf ground in Ohrid was mostly used by the tourists staying in the resort, the one in Bresternica was mostly used by local, Maribor citizens, being one of their favorite weekends, recreational sites. Now, both these two miniature golf grounds have a very similar sculptural, and almost archaeological quality to them.
In social research terms, it is interesting to note the contrasting social status of the game of (proper) golf (high social status, a sports game of the elite) and the game of miniature golf (lower social status, an entertaining game for the masses, for the working class).
It seems that in Yugoslavia, no one was playing golf, and no golf facilities - golf courses and clubs, existed. Only after the fall of Yugoslavia did it appear as a developing sport, and still because of its exclusive status and the strains it puts on natural resources to develop and keep the golf courses (large ground area and large amounts of water needed) it is regarded as divisive and controversial, with local movements against the development of these grounds popping up always whenever there are plans for development (especially in Croatia).
On the other hand, the story of miniature golf is quite different. The origins of miniature golf are in Scotland in the 19th century. It was invented by a group of women known as the Ladies' Putting Club in response to societal guidelines at the time stating it was un-feminine to swing a golf club above your shoulder. This new style of golf soon caught on with women and men and made its way to America in 1916 when the first miniature golf course was developed. During the Great Depression, thousands of families don't have the money for any kind of entertainment, so they improvised their version of mini-golf, using whatever they could find for balls or obstacles. Gutter pipes, trash can lids, old boxes...nothing was off-limits when it came to course contributions. This inventive spirit caught on in the post-Depression era, and soon the modern-day mini-golf filled with spinning obstacles and looping tunnels was designed. Mini-golf courses soon incorporated added elements like dance floors and snack bars to make their courses the premier place for entertainment. It helped that they didn't carry the snooty image of their normal golf counterparts, making them more accessible to the working class. The craze got so big that Hollywood began telling its big-name stars of the era (like Fred Astaire and Douglas Fairbanks) to get publicity shots of them playing mini-golf!
Miniature golf came to Yugoslavia before WWII, but most of its development came after the war, in socialist Yugoslavia, and it was largely recreational activity directly connected with tourism development, although some organized forms like - clubs (in the frames of the Sports section of the Students' Cultural Association FORUM for example) and even national championships (like the Golf Sports Games in 1975 in Portorož) existed.
The two sites are having a similar history, both being developed as part of bigger tourist complexes - the Hotel-holiday center ‘Orce Nikolov’ in Sveti Stefan, Ohrid and the Motel ‘Jezero’ (and auto-camp site) in Bresternica, which went through a process of privatization after the fall of Yugoslavia and are not functional anymore, one being closed and abandoned (Ohrid) and the other completely demolished (Bresternica), and both are awaiting further development. While the miniature golf ground in Ohrid was mostly used by the tourists staying in the resort, the one in Bresternica was mostly used by local, Maribor citizens, being one of their favorite weekends, recreational sites. Now, both these two miniature golf grounds have a very similar sculptural, and almost archaeological quality to them.
In social research terms, it is interesting to note the contrasting social status of the game of (proper) golf (high social status, a sports game of the elite) and the game of miniature golf (lower social status, an entertaining game for the masses, for the working class).
It seems that in Yugoslavia, no one was playing golf, and no golf facilities - golf courses and clubs, existed. Only after the fall of Yugoslavia did it appear as a developing sport, and still because of its exclusive status and the strains it puts on natural resources to develop and keep the golf courses (large ground area and large amounts of water needed) it is regarded as divisive and controversial, with local movements against the development of these grounds popping up always whenever there are plans for development (especially in Croatia).
On the other hand, the story of miniature golf is quite different. The origins of miniature golf are in Scotland in the 19th century. It was invented by a group of women known as the Ladies' Putting Club in response to societal guidelines at the time stating it was un-feminine to swing a golf club above your shoulder. This new style of golf soon caught on with women and men and made its way to America in 1916 when the first miniature golf course was developed. During the Great Depression, thousands of families don't have the money for any kind of entertainment, so they improvised their version of mini-golf, using whatever they could find for balls or obstacles. Gutter pipes, trash can lids, old boxes...nothing was off-limits when it came to course contributions. This inventive spirit caught on in the post-Depression era, and soon the modern-day mini-golf filled with spinning obstacles and looping tunnels was designed. Mini-golf courses soon incorporated added elements like dance floors and snack bars to make their courses the premier place for entertainment. It helped that they didn't carry the snooty image of their normal golf counterparts, making them more accessible to the working class. The craze got so big that Hollywood began telling its big-name stars of the era (like Fred Astaire and Douglas Fairbanks) to get publicity shots of them playing mini-golf!
Miniature golf came to Yugoslavia before WWII, but most of its development came after the war, in socialist Yugoslavia, and it was largely recreational activity directly connected with tourism development, although some organized forms like - clubs (in the frames of the Sports section of the Students' Cultural Association FORUM for example) and even national championships (like the Golf Sports Games in 1975 in Portorož) existed.
GuestRoomMaribor 18. 11. 2022
Trg revolucije 9, Maribor
We are inviting you to a presentation of the portfolio of Macedonian artist Oliver Musovik, who will be working in Maribor next month. Join us on Tuesday, the 29th of November, at 6pm, at Revolution Square 9.
In Maribor Musovik will undertake a comparative critical analysis of the mass workers’ tourism in socialist Yugoslavia. The project aims to investigate the social history of tourism and leisure after the World War II in Yugoslavia and the changing social practices linked to urbanization, consumption, and consumerism, as well as to explore tourism and leisure as a political project that aimed to improve the standard of living and forge a specific way of life and identity, by documenting the remnants of the material culture of active holiday-making - sport and recreation facilities.
OLIVER MUSOVIK was Born in Skopje, North Macedonia (1971). He has graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Skopje in 1997, MFA in 2004. He had solo exhibitions in North Macedonia, Switzerland, Slovenia, Serbia, Australia and Montenegro. He had participated at numerous international exhibitions, among others “REALIZE! RESIST! REACT! Performance and Politics in the 1990s in the Post-Yugoslav Context”, Ljubljana, 2021; “Solidarity - Now More Than Ever”, Weimar, 2019; “AFTERMATH – Changing Cultural Landscape, Tendencies of engaged post- Yugoslavian contemporary photography”, Ljubljana and touring in 2012-14; “HISTORY, MEMORY, IDENTITY: Contemporary Photography from Eastern Europe”, Modena, 2009; 3rd Bucharest Biennale, 2008; 1st Biennale of Contemporary Art “Heterotopia”, Thessaloniki, 2007; “In The Gorges of the Balkans”, Kassel, 2003; Manifesta 4 – European Biennale of Contemporary Art, Frankfurt, 2002; 6th Istanbul Biennale in 1999.
He has participated at seven artist-in-residency programs including ACC Gallery Weimar, Germany, 2018; Brno Artists in Residence, Brno, Czechia, 2017; Embassy of Foreign Artists, Geneva, Switzerland, 2016; Seoul Art Space Geumcheon, Korea, 2014; Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York, USA, 2006 (ArtsLink).
His works are part of several public collections like the Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje; Museum of Modern Art / Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova, Ljubljana; National Museum of Montenegro, Cetinje; State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki; Fondazione Fotografia Modena Cassa di Risparmio di Modena.
His works have been published in art magazines and books, including “Autobiography” (Thames and Hudson, 2004), “Vitamin Ph – New Perspectives in Photography”, (Phaidon, 2006), “Photo Art, Photography in the 21st. Century”, (Dumont 2007 / Aperture, 2008).
He is co-founder and co-curator of the Press to Exit Gallery in Skopje in the period 2002-4. Continuously, since 2010 he is self-employed freelance artist. He was a member of the loose artist collective KOOPERACIJA from Skopje from 2013 to its end in 2015. Now works as a trainer in project for art and civic activism with the Center for Balkan Cooperation LOJA.
Read more: www.olivermusovik.tk
Upcoming events within the residency of Oliver Musovik:
1st of December 2022 - Interest Safari (details coming soon)
15th of December 2022, 7 pm at Vetrinjski Gallery - Opening of the exhibition
Meet the resident Oliver Musovik
29. 11. 2022, 18.00Trg revolucije 9, Maribor
We are inviting you to a presentation of the portfolio of Macedonian artist Oliver Musovik, who will be working in Maribor next month. Join us on Tuesday, the 29th of November, at 6pm, at Revolution Square 9.
In Maribor Musovik will undertake a comparative critical analysis of the mass workers’ tourism in socialist Yugoslavia. The project aims to investigate the social history of tourism and leisure after the World War II in Yugoslavia and the changing social practices linked to urbanization, consumption, and consumerism, as well as to explore tourism and leisure as a political project that aimed to improve the standard of living and forge a specific way of life and identity, by documenting the remnants of the material culture of active holiday-making - sport and recreation facilities.
OLIVER MUSOVIK was Born in Skopje, North Macedonia (1971). He has graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Skopje in 1997, MFA in 2004. He had solo exhibitions in North Macedonia, Switzerland, Slovenia, Serbia, Australia and Montenegro. He had participated at numerous international exhibitions, among others “REALIZE! RESIST! REACT! Performance and Politics in the 1990s in the Post-Yugoslav Context”, Ljubljana, 2021; “Solidarity - Now More Than Ever”, Weimar, 2019; “AFTERMATH – Changing Cultural Landscape, Tendencies of engaged post- Yugoslavian contemporary photography”, Ljubljana and touring in 2012-14; “HISTORY, MEMORY, IDENTITY: Contemporary Photography from Eastern Europe”, Modena, 2009; 3rd Bucharest Biennale, 2008; 1st Biennale of Contemporary Art “Heterotopia”, Thessaloniki, 2007; “In The Gorges of the Balkans”, Kassel, 2003; Manifesta 4 – European Biennale of Contemporary Art, Frankfurt, 2002; 6th Istanbul Biennale in 1999.
He has participated at seven artist-in-residency programs including ACC Gallery Weimar, Germany, 2018; Brno Artists in Residence, Brno, Czechia, 2017; Embassy of Foreign Artists, Geneva, Switzerland, 2016; Seoul Art Space Geumcheon, Korea, 2014; Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York, USA, 2006 (ArtsLink).
His works are part of several public collections like the Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje; Museum of Modern Art / Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova, Ljubljana; National Museum of Montenegro, Cetinje; State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki; Fondazione Fotografia Modena Cassa di Risparmio di Modena.
His works have been published in art magazines and books, including “Autobiography” (Thames and Hudson, 2004), “Vitamin Ph – New Perspectives in Photography”, (Phaidon, 2006), “Photo Art, Photography in the 21st. Century”, (Dumont 2007 / Aperture, 2008).
He is co-founder and co-curator of the Press to Exit Gallery in Skopje in the period 2002-4. Continuously, since 2010 he is self-employed freelance artist. He was a member of the loose artist collective KOOPERACIJA from Skopje from 2013 to its end in 2015. Now works as a trainer in project for art and civic activism with the Center for Balkan Cooperation LOJA.
Read more: www.olivermusovik.tk
Upcoming events within the residency of Oliver Musovik:
1st of December 2022 - Interest Safari (details coming soon)
15th of December 2022, 7 pm at Vetrinjski Gallery - Opening of the exhibition
