Unprotected Witness no.1 Afrodisiac

Unknown African

In Unknown African, Ana Vujović questions the frequent confirmations of a work’s authenticity by excluding its maker, by positioning three intruders. These are the most direct interventions on museum objects that simultaneously suggest not only the absence of the maker’s identity, but also other unavoidable concepts of absence characteristic to museums of this kind. Intruder No. 1 is a conspicuous sensor that activates different sounds reminiscent of searching for a local African radio station. The sound forbids visitors to approach the sculptures outside the vitrines, to touch them and take their jewellery, shells, stones (which sometimes happens). Intruder No. 2 is covered in a gold protective foil/emergency blanket and additionally tucked between two figures. By accentuating the safe position of the museum object is also easily read from the Third segment – a sculpture coiled in blue neon light. Thus, the triple attack on The Unknown African by means of protection, simulates processes of institutional care for objects, however also its antipode, simultaneously evoking the museum’s signalization of prohibitions (do not come near, do not touch, crowd control stanchions, etc.).

 The Activation of Peripheral Vision

 Unprotected Witness No. 1: Afrodisiac is a polite disruption of the museum and an iron fist in a velvet glove attack on the museum object. The protected document of reality (from which it is separated and moved to another, safer context) is removed from safe mode. The bearer of the quality of testimony, exposed once more