"Predrag Pajdic: To Whom it May Concern"
2004-04-28 until 2004-04-28
noname foundation
Rotterdam, , NL Netherlands

"To Whom it May Concern" is the first exhibition in the Netherlands of London based artist Predrag Pajdic (1965, Yugoslavia). The exhibition consists of video projections, photographic works and drawing in which the artist against the backdrop of his own experiences, explores universal themes of history, migration, identity, homosexuality and the subjective functioning of our memory.

Shortly after the fall of Tito’s regime, the artist left his homeland Yugoslavia, and settled in the more liberal London. Last year, after an absence of more then ten years, Pajdic returned to his country of birth for the first time. In search for memories and points of reference, Pajdic asked his family and friends from that period the question ‘Why do you think I left Yugoslavia?’. The same question was also directed to people in his current circle of friends. The different answers are revealing. The 2-channel video ‘Why I Left’ (2003) not only offers a portrait of the interviewer and, in reverse, the interviewees, but more importantly draws a picture of two completely different worlds occupied by the artist.

Another, equally important aspect of Pajdic’s work is his search for beauty in the world around him. For instance in the video projection ‘Garden’ (2003) which captures the gradual changing of the seasons in the artist’s own Eden. This poetic work is exemplary of Pajdics eye for detail. At the same time the work represents the ultimate symbol of the cycle of life and the artist’s optimistic belief in beauty and change.

Even if Pajdic deals with currently important themes like migration, the re-construction of an identity or the struggle for personal freedom; his personal desires and fears remain the starting point for his artist practice. The new works which are specially created for the exhibition at ‘nn foundation’ reflect the artist’s ambition to capture his own experiences and observations in such a poetic and abstract manner so that they can become meaningful ‘to whom it may concern’.

IMAGE
Predrag Pajdic
Pink
2004
duratrans in light box

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for Netherlands

Other Important Exhibitions in Netherlands