The solo exhibition Prepleteni (Interwoven) showcases the work of Emira Bećirović, a sculpture student at UL ALUO. The artist transforms the gallery space into a place of meeting, stories and communal weaving. The project derives from the artist’s own personal history, marked by her connections stretching between Slovenia and Bosnia, and by the experience of losing contact with a part of her family and childhood home. The missing family records (albums, photographs, objects) prompted the artist to seek new ways of retaining memories. The objects she collects or which others bring into the work thereby become the new carriers of stories and relationships.
The main component of the exhibition is the kilim weaving process, creating a traditional textile which in many cultures of the Balkans and Middle East plays an important part in preserving family identity. The artist transfers this traditional medium to a modern context and expands it into a participatory process. The kilim emerges gradually, through encounters with visitors, who can incorporate their own personal objects into the weave. These objects replace the traditional ornamental patterns and become the visual elements of a new, communal tapestry.
Another important part of the exhibition installation is the traditional space for socialising, gathering and hospitality, known as the sofra. With the accompaniment of food and coffee the gallery temporarily transforms into a space of domesticity, where conversation and sharing of time become part of the exhibition. The tapestry that is created over the duration of the project represents an open process that reflects the interweaving of the personal stories of visitors, which gradually form the common visual record of memory and community.
Mentor: Asst. Prof. Mag. Maja Smrekar
MGBS curator: Ema Kobal
Production: University of Ljubljana
