Lenka Đorojević

— born in 1982 in Nikšić, Yugoslavia. She is an interdisciplinary artist whose work includes audio-visual installations, video performances, texts, sound works and art education. She holds a BFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Trebinje (2008) and an MA in Art from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana (2013). She completed the two-year World of Art – School for Curatorial Practices and Critical Writing, SCCA, Ljubljana (2013). She is a team member of ISU – Institute of Contemporary Art Montenegro. She is a Ph.D. student in Contemporary Theories of Art and Culture and the Aesthetics of New Technologies at the SASA, Ljubljana. Together with Matej Stupica, she received the OHO Award (2015) and the Montenegrin Art Salon “13 November” Award (2019). She is currently employed as a producer in Cukrarna Gallery in Ljubljana where she lives.

The interdisciplinary practice I am developing, through close collaboration with other artists and collectives, embraces multimediality across various disciplines, including curation, theory, theater, performance, and education. Through collaborative art projects with Matej Stupica, we have addressed structures of labor, surveillance, and capital, which are deeply connected to the presentations of difference—in its raw manifestations: somatic, affective, aesthetic, and imaginary. In the installations Neuromat and Monomat, which echoed the absurdist work of Russian writer Daniil Harms, we stressed the antagonisms produced by technologically enriched humans and their relationship to work and post-political interpassivity. The fundamental absurdity and dystopian nature of these installations lie in the display of “radical consumption” conceived through threshing of the multiplied plaster casts of everyday prostheses. Progressive self-destruction of the artworks produces the sounds of fragmented and disruptive overproduction to which the cognitive precariat is entitled. The reflection on the annihilation of space by time—both occupied and controlled—has been transformed into the installation Free Fall, which reveals the total disjunction of contemporary life, manifesting either as a defiance of gravity or as life under relentless tension in a world we have turned upside down. We exposed the processes of biopolitical bureaucratization and the disempowerment of the subject in Horizon—a life-size model of an almost obsolete institutional object designed to facilitate the exchange of information and values, while relying on a veil of secrecy to communicate power and social inequalities. In the performative installation Pieces, we dissected the impossibility of political action through protests. Through rhizomazic structure of the work, which consisted of 200 pieces of cheese and 200 banners, we used cut-up techniques, reaffirming methods of appropriation and randomness – principles that are central to surrealist game techniques. Pieces was displayed in a standard exhibition format, addressing social forms of public encounters where viewers become participants, gathering around the act of consuming.

Conceiving the installation Organoid I have rethought aspects of the psychopolitical structures of contemporary addictive society, focusing on the relationship between capitalism’s affective dynamics and the individual’s emotional experience, as well as the conceptualization, promotion, and perception of medications within the phenomenon of mass psychotropic pharmaceutical consumption. Do We Acknowledge the Women’s Issue? is the sound work commisioned for the Comrades – Women’s Movement in Montenegro 1943 – 1953 project, utilizing excerpts from a text by Vida Tomšič presented to the plenum of the central committee of the AFŽ Yugoslavia and from other sources. A voice of a 9-year old girl who is reading the selection of excerpts intervenes from the present into the past and thus activates the political potentiality of ideas and issues characterizing the AFŽ women’s movement in Yugoslavia and the ongoing emancipation process founded by the anti-fascist resistance movement. A profound sense of emptiness imbues the initial aesthetic of the site-specific objects Flags, which refer to some of the visual and symbolic characteristics of the ex-Yugoslavian flag variations. Appropriation of the non-existent tricolor national flag combination with the addition of embroidered distopic slogans establishes uncanny bond of the utopistic past and recolonization and re-fascistization of present moment. In the installations EXIT and DE(PART), I have as well addressed the context of global necro-colonial politics by using the temporal, linguistic and visual phenomena of the ex-Yugoslavian socialist era in relation to the post-Yugoslavian situation—its anomalies, pathologies, and traumas. The speculative forensic objects in the audio-visual installation EXIT refer to the experience of the WWII Nazi concentration camp prisoner Hasena Sulojžić Terzić. They evoke the complex, non-linear intertwining of the phenomena of memory, phantasm, violence and forced labor. EXIT testifies to the existence of something unbreakable and untameable in every human being – the vitality of a life which can never be entirely suppressed and over which no system can have complete control. DE(PART) installation is thus an attempt of chronotopological hunt for personal memory and the memory inscribed in physical-cultural objects, which—through their interdependent gaps—speculatively activate incisions in the pathology of times. Like a search for a time lost in the parts of fading memory, documentary and textual-visual traces are transformed into a play of evocation between image and picture, as well as image and object, evoking an atmosphere of absence and distorted reality at the same time.  

Through the interplay of various temporary encounters, systems, disciplines, and methods, I delve into speculative interpretations of the ambivalence surrounding the phenomena of image, violence, memory, time, and space, testing their impermeable imprints on subjective, aesthetic, and social symbolic registers. Central to this exploration is the poetic and political power of transgression.

1Since 2013 I have been working as an artist, curator and writer in close cooperation with the City of Women Festival, Project Atol, Ljudmila Art and Science Laboratory, SCCA Ljubljana and Radio Študent. In 2013 I founded and worked within the OFFTIR Association for visual and sound art (link1)(link2). Since 2015 I am a team member of ISU - Institute of Contemporary Art Montenegro. Participating in the creation of spaces of commons and hybrid collectives opened up new ways of rethinking the possibilities of artistic research and sharing different models of knowledge.



2AImage: Zig Zag, Festival City of Women, Škuc Gallery, Ljubljana, Slovenija, 2015.
The exhibition Zig Zag included the works of nine artist and collectives, presenting multilayered relationships between feminism and autonomously formed socially relevant discourses from the territories of the former Yugoslavia. Courtesy of the artist, City of Women and Nada Žgank.

2B
Image: Transfer I Circuits, City of Women, Old Power Station, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2018, photo: Nada Žgank.
The exhibition Transfer | Circuits, curated with Alja Lobnik have selected 35 archival video materials of artists from the field of performing arts who have played a crucial role in the formation of the performative scene and practices (theatre, dance, performances) in the City of Women festival's history as well as in the broader cultural environment.Link 2b.1, link 2b.2
Link: https://mrezni-muzej.mg-lj.si/en/news/34/transfer-circuits/
Courtesy of the artist, City of Women and Nada Žgank.


3Image: ÜberŠkrip, theatre show, Slovenian Youth Theatre - the Mladinsko Theatre, Ljubljana, 2016 photo: Anja Seničar
Director: Jelena Rusjan
Dramaturgy: Andreja Kopač
Set and Costume Design: Lenka Đorojević, Matej Stupica
Music: Aldo Ivančič
Choreography: Branko Potočan
Video: Jure Lavrin
Video Technology and Mapping: Boštjan Čadež
Proofreader: Mateja Dermelj
Lighting Design: David Cvelbar
Sound Design: Jure Vlahovič
Makeup Design: Nathalie Horvat
Stage Manager: Urša Červ
Link: https://mladinsko.com/sl/program/127/uberskrip/


4Image: Sonny, performance, Old Power Station Ljubljana, City of Women, 2018 photo: Nada Žgank
Author and Perfomer: Nataša Živković
Performers: Daniel Petković, Loup Abramovici, Slobodan Malić
Space design and scenography: Lenka Đorojević
Lighting design and technical direction: Špela Škulj
Photography: Nada Žgank
Advising: Teja Reba
Link: https://mestozensk.org/en/event/sonny-0


5AThe educational program of the Milčik Award is structured in such a way that all applying artists participate in the 8-month program, which includes lectures, discussions, workshops and mentoring by international and local lecturers in the fields of contemporary art, theory, aesthetics and society. The Milčik Award for Young Visual Artists is named after the artwork Milčik (2002) by Montenegrin artist Milija Pavićević, a limited series of Milčik chocolates is produced for each Milčik Award, this artwork activates the importance of fostering mutual respect, trust and support in culture, as well as investing in art and artists.
Image: Milčik, Milija Pavićević OR Image: Cover of the exhibition Award, photo Lazar Pejović
Link: https://isu.institute/milcik-2/


5BThe alternative education program Preoccupations focused on the critical, emancipatory, and educational role of culture, an area that has received very little attention in Montenegro. It included the creation of an additional literature collection called Corner for Contemporary Art and Reading, and Conversations in the Museum - a series of lectures and workshops by cultural workers from the former Yugoslavia.
Image: Preoccupations, ///////////, 2017, photo: Jovan Milošević
Link: https://isu.institute/ucenje/


6Image: Lenka Đorojević & Matej Stupica, Neuromat, installation, Beyond the Globe | 8th Triennial of Contemporary Art – U3, Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana, 2014, photo: courtesy of the artists
Multiplication and moulding: Neža Jurman, Rok Mohar
Multiplication and motorization: Boris Košak
Multiplication: Blaž Božič
Wiring: Simon Bergoč & Tina Dolinšek
Electro-advice: Brane Ždralo
Telephony & Last minute: Luka Frelih
Telephony & Audio book editing: Staš Vrenko
Audio book mix: Jure Gruden
Lights: Martin Lovšin Schintr
Wording and editing: Ida Hiršenfelder
Wording and translations: Bojan Stefanović
Proofreading: Miha Kelemina
Public Relations: Polona Torkar
DIY workshop participants: Urša Dolinšek, Polona Torkar, Nina Sever, Sara Šabjan, Julijan Strajnar & Tilen Nedanovski
Production: Zavod Projekt Atol & Društvo Ljudmila
Producers: Uroš Veber & Tina Dolinšek

Link: https://www.matejstupica.net/paintinginstallation/nevromat/
Link: Neuromat, artist book, https://www.matejstupica.net/artistsbook/nevromat-book/
Link: Online edition of the Neuromat artist book, https://wiki.ljudmila.org/images/6/66/Nevromat_book_web.pdf 

7Image: Lenka Đorojević & Matej Stupica, Monomat, installation, Museum of Contemporary Art Mphoto: Martin Lovšin Schintr. In the collection of the MG+MSUM, Ljubljana.
Electronics & Programming: Brane Ždralo
Technical realization: Martin Lovšin Schintr
Multiplication & motorization: Neža Jurman, Boris Košak, Rok Mohar
Production: Zavod Projekt Atol, Društvo Ljudmila
Coproduction: Igor Remeta, Strip Core

Link: https://www.matejstupica.net/paintinginstallation/monomat/



8Image: Lenka Đorojević & Matej Stupica, Monomat, installation, Bigger than Myself. Heroic voices from ex-Yugoslavia, MAXXI: Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome, Italy, 2021 photo: courtesy of the artists. Video: Monomat, Bigger than Myself. Heroic voices from ex-Yugoslavia, MAXXI: Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome, Italy, 2021, https://vimeo.com/142054888


9The installation Free Fall consists of a spatial intervention and a video performance.
Image: Lenka Đorojević & Matej Stupica, Free Fall, installation, Gallery P74, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2016, photo: courtesy of the artists
Link: http://www.matejstupica.net/paintinginstallation/free-fall/

[desc number="10" lang="eng" img=""]Image: Lenka Đorojević & Matej Stupica, Free Fall, video still, Gallery P74, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2016, courtesy of the artists
Performers: Katarina Stegnar and Primož Bezjak
Camera and editing: Marko Cvejić
Lighting and technical support (video): Martin Lovšin Schintr
Video post-production: Jure Lavrin
Sound: Jernej Černalogar


11Image: Lenka Đorojević & Matej Stupica, Horizon, object, All Our Secrets, Center for Contemporary Arts, Celje, Slovenia, 2018, photo: courtesy of the artists
Link: https://www.matejstupica.net/paintinginstallation/horizont/ 

12Image: Lenka Đorojević & Matej Stupica, Pieces, installation, ALkatraz Gallery, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2018, photo: Nada Žgank, KUD Mreza Archive

Link: https://www.matejstupica.net/paintinginstallation/pieces/

13Image: Lenka Đorojević & Matej Stupica, Pieces, artist book, 2018, photo: courtesy of the artists
Link: https://www.matejstupica.net/artistsbook/pieces-book/


14Image: Lenka Đorojević, Organoid, installation, Central Station, Maribor, 2018, photo: Matej Stupica
 Link: Organoid, Don’t Let the Future Leave you Behind, gif, https://www.mg-lj.si/en/online-exhibitions/2888/viral-portraits/#page/56, Viral Self-Portraits, Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana, 2020


15Lenka Đorojević, DO WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE WOMEN’S ISSUE?, sound work, 11'15'', UG Miodrag Dado Đurić, Cetinje, Montenegro, 2017
The title of the sound work is taken from the speech of the president of AFŽ Yugoslavia, Vida Tomšič, Postoji li kod nas žensko pitanje? [DO WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE WOMEN’S ISSUE?], from the magazine of AFŽ Yugoslavia, Žena Danas, no. 3, 1952. The documentary materials used are from the periodicals of the Anti-Fascist Women's Front of Yugoslavia and Montenegro: Žena Danas and Naša Žena.
Voice: Petra Tadić
Postproduction of sound: Iva Stanišić
Sound: https://femkanje.rs/#lenka-dorojevic 


16Flags are site-specific objects installed in the entrance of the Museum of Modern Art in Ljubljana as a part of 9th Triennial of Contemporary Art U3: Dead and Alive, 2019. Design: Matej Stupica


17Flag Slogan 1: Don’t let the future leave you behind; Flag Slogan 2: Work until you die; Flag Slogan 3: Until stocks last.
Image: Lenka Đorojević, Flags, site-specific objects, 9th Triennial of Contemporary Art U3: Dead and Alive, Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana, 2019, photo: Dejan Habicht, with courtesy of Museum of Modern Art Ljubljana


18EXIT was commissioned at the invitation of the curator Natalija Vujošević and as part of the Goethe-Institut Belgrade exhibition project Missing Stories. Forced Labour under Nazi Occupation. An Artistic Approach.
Consultation: Jadranka Ještrović, Hasena Terzić-Sulojdžić's daughter
Writer of The Asaltian: Radovan Vujadinović
Voice: Lidija Kordić
Design: Matej Stupica
Wood work: Wood/Mood - Martin Lovšin Schintr and Miran Bratuš
Metal work: Andraž Tarman
Programming: Matic Potočnik
Sound recording: Nemanja Bečanović
Sound post-production: Miha Šajina
Translation: Milica Vuković Stamatović
Proofread: Matthew Whiffen
In the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro, Podgorica.

Image: Lenka Đorojević, EXIT, audio-visual installation, Corneous Stories, Škuc Gallery, 2020, photo: Nada Žgank
Link: https://mestozensk.org/en/festival/2010/artwork/140


19Image: Lenka Đorojević, (DE)PART, installation, Here, but Somewhere Else, Škuc Gallery, 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Nada Žgank.
In 1957, Tito’s relay became the Relay of Youth, and Tito's birthday, 25 May, was declared the Day of Youth. The new holiday was celebrated at the JNA Stadium in Belgrade, and included a slet in the form of mass stage performances and the ceremonial handing over of the relay baton to Tito.
Production of bars: Bojan Stefanović 
Metal work: Uroš Mehle


19Image: Lenka Đorojević, EXIT, audio-visual installation, Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade, 2019, photo: Bojana Janković
Link: https://missingstories.unilib.rs/artist/lenka-djorojevic/ 



20Image: Portrait of Hasene Hulojdžić Terzić, with courtesy of Jadranka Ještrović, Hasena's daughter. The young partisan Hasena Sulojdžić-Terzić from Pljevlja, Montenegro, during her seven-month captivity in the German concentration camp Ludwigsfelde, worked underground for an aircraft factory the facilities of which were owned by Daimler-Benz, today’s Mercedes-Benz corporation. Hasena's experience of death, represented through the narration of the story The Alsatian, testifies to the power of life and the struggle for freedom, which allow for the possibility of subversion, interruption, and exit.

Mlada partizanka Hasena Sulojdžić-Terzić iz Pljevalja u Crnoj Gori koja je tokom sedmomjesečnog zarobljeništva u njemačkom koncentracionom logoru Ludvigwselde radila pod zemljom za fabriku aviona, čija su postrojenja bila u posjedu Daimler-Benza, sadašnje multinacionalke Mercedes-Benz. Hasenino iskustvo smrti predstavljeno kroz naraciju priče Vučijak svjedoči o snazi života i borbi za slobodu, koji omogućavaju mogućnost subverzije, prekida i izlaza.