ECO-ETHNO ART
The presence of Burhan Hadžialjević on the fine art scene in the region of Istra has been marked with a very personal, perhaps even unique poetic which has been forming with the collusion of the author's both fine art and life, cultural and civilization experiences.
Born in Priština, where he spent time from his birth until his graduation from the Fine Art Academy in 1979, he has then spent five years of „Ulysses-like“ sojourn on the island of Hvar(1980-1985), until he chose Marušić in Istra(1985) as place of permanent residence and work. During this, Burhan has had the occasion of receiving wealthy plenitude which has also affected his work. The matter of being geographically defined in a particular environment, which I could, for the needs of this text, call “continental Mediterranean” – because Priština, in its climate, as well as the richness with which it challenges senses, surely can be defined in such ways. The island part of the Mediterranean, cleared with sea air, has given some other visual and haptical sensations, while the cold (in comparison with Hvar and Priština) continental part of the Mediterranean Istra, also the North of the middle sea, has become a welcomed counterpoint to the sun of the far end south.
Also, the time of the professional defining of the author has been positively influenced by the nomadic transgression through space, and later, through time and various styles. This is the time of postmodernism, in painting, concretely, New Painting and its national implications named Bad-Painting, Heftige-Malerei, transavanguardia, etc. Searching inside these definites of new post-modern discourse, Burhan has succeeded to display his New painting which originated with the accumulation of very specific, multi-structural impressions, information and “finding the emotional meaning”. These have resulted in the finiteness of rich bright chlorite of bold paste and a three-dimensional constitution of the surface.
In these paintings, which have acquired through time an “object-installation” character, there has always been as much “earth” as the latter has been present in more or less rural environments and surroundings or urbanity in which Burhan lived.
Creating accordingly his personal mythological matrix, without however suppressing his ironic distance, Burhan has, through core steps of movement and dislocation (of meaning and content), defined his particular sort of “transfiguration” which had a primary, literary, ethnographic character.
In parts of this exhibition an ecological environment has been added which, in today’s terms of overwhelming pollution, seems to be an inseparable part of the living environment.
Most of the works have been made of trash, used materials, which represent in their best, form the author’s come back to the profession based on questions about structure from the beginning of the 1980s. However this time neither, Burhan has not been able to resist to the shine of the Orient, so will the great formats of plastic foils be broken and take in light such as the “sfumati” of old masters, while bits of glass glued on painted surfaces will reflect the color of the background as well as will huge heraldic golden objects reflect light in its untouchable peace of the“what is meant to be?”. Besides the light which is an important constructive element of all works, Burhan will use sound as well (whispering of golden leaves in movement, the Buddhist “Ohm” behind the “Autoportret”), as well as movement alone
(the waving of golden leaves motivated by a continuous penetration of air). The light, sound and movement will therefore all sink into a unique audio- visual experience with which we can manipulate within the frame of interpretation. When talking about interpretation, one must not forget the strong literary base of these works. This base has always had an important role in Burhan’s creation. It is, as previously said, ethnographic - ecological, especially if we taken into consideration the conceptualizing of the interior in the ambiance and environment of The Museum of Umag, but here the term of ecological has to been broadened from simple protection of the environment to an overall environment which is social and political, and ideological, while the “ethnographic” has to be understood not as material, social and spiritual culture, but also as artistic and historic-artistic heritage of particular nations and regions. It is only within these that we will, outside of the definition of the broad categories, be able to approach the decoding,
reading and understanding of the eco-ethno art of Burhan Hadžialjević.
Berislav Valušek