Ana Sluga: Disonanca prostora (vstop)

by Miha Colner

Silhueta vojnega letala, ki iz svoje notranjosti spušča bombe v prosti pad, je lahko nedvoumen sinonim totalne vojne, ki ne izbira sredstev za dosego svojih ciljev. Podoba deluje kot protivojni plakat, ki v želji po prebujanju sočutja posega po jasnih in neposrednih sporočilih. Namiguje tudi na odgovornost tistega, ki je potegnil ročico za odpiranje lopute, iz katere se vsujejo bombe, četudi morda to ni bila osebna odločitev, ampak zgolj izpolnjevanje ukaza.

Ta motiv slikarka Ana Sluga uporabi na eni izmed šestih slik, ki združene v poliptih tvorijo serijo Disonanca prostora (vstop), ter s tem nakaže smer in ton svojega trenutnega umetniškega premišljanja. Njena naloga ni lahka, čeprav naslavlja očitna in vseprisotna družbena vprašanja. Kako preliti razmišljanja o kolektivnem družbenem nasilju v učinkovito vizualno komunikacijo? Kako nasloviti večno temo človeške narave, ki na koncu iz človeka pregovorno vselej potegne tisto najslabše? Čeprav je množična kultura danes polna podob nasilja ali prav zaradi tega, je posameznik postal dokaj neobčutljiv za travme in nesreče, ki se dogajajo Drugemu, četudi je morda posredno (so)odgovoren zanje. Zato je danes v kakofoničnem svetu premnogih vizualnih in verbalnih sporočil težko pretresti ter prisiliti človeka h globljemu razmisleku o individualni in kolektivni odgovornosti za vseprisotno nasilje. Ana Sluga se tega loteva na način izpostavljanja stiliziranih podob, ki jih premišljeno umešča v polja monokromatičnih ali dekorativno obdelanih barvnih površin, da bi jih s tem še bolj poudarila. Na soroden način vizualne konsonance so pogosto strukturirane reklame, ki s pomočjo izpostavljenih podob in pripisov predstavljajo ideje o izbranih produktih. Umetnica pa poskuša doseči vizualno disonanco, ki bi izpostavila nekatere navidezne samoumevnosti sodobne družbe. Čeprav na prvi pogled delujejo znano in domačno ali prav zaradi tega, njene slike v svojih podtonih vzbujajo predvsem občutek nelagodja.

V slikarski alegoriji se umetnica sprašuje o brezbrižnih političnih odločitvah, ki družbe privedejo v stanje konflikta. Na slikah zato prevladujejo zamolkle in kovinske barve, ki ustvarjajo ambivalentno in skoraj zloveščo celostno atmosfero, nakar so nanje v maniri kolaža dodani vizualni elementi, ki skozi izbrane fragmente pričajo o sistemskem nasilju. Podoba uradnega pečata na eni izmed slik tako namiguje na birokratsko podstat večine sodobnih konfliktov in s tem na vlogo posameznika v sistemu; nakazuje na odnos med odločevalci in izvrševalci ter na dejstvo, da sta ti dve funkciji vse bolj oddaljeni druga od druge. Česar ne občutimo sami, to ne boli!

Sodobni konflikti pogosto temeljijo ravno na oddaljenosti odločevalcev od posledic njihovih odločitev in politik, ki potekajo hierarhično, od zgoraj navzdol. Vodja države, ki je začela vojno proti drugi državi ali proti ljudstvu, ne bo nujno soočen z uničenjem in trpljenjem, ki ga je ta povzročila, in tudi pilot letala, ki je odprl loputo z bombami, morda ne bo osebno občutil posledic svojih dejanj. V preteklih letih pa se je pojavil še radikalnejši princip vojskovanja: oddaljeno vodenje brezpilotnih letal, pri katerem njihovi upravljavci iz kontrolnih centrov, ki so tisoče kilometrov od dogajanja, z varne razdalje sejejo uničenje in smrt kot v računalniški igri.

O življenju in smrti je mnogo udobneje odločati posredno kot lastnoročno. Ko je denimo tretji rajh izvajal genocidno politiko zasedanja življenjskega prostora na vzhodu Evrope, je državni aparat izuril posebne enote, ki naj bi bile zmožne na množičnih morilskih seansah učinkovito eliminirati stotine tisočev ljudi. A tudi vojaki enot za industrijsko uničevanje ljudi so se soočali z etičnimi pomisleki in psihičnimi travmami, zato je morala oblast spremeniti taktiko in za poboje na pomoč poklicati kvizlinške enote, vojaki tretjega rajha pa so le stražili območja pokolov. Tako se je njihova odgovornost – vsaj v njihovih očeh – zmanjšala.

A vojna ni nujno zgolj oboroženi spopad. Tudi v tako imenovanem prvem svetu se ves čas odvijajo razredni in ideološki konflikti; v zadnjih nekaj desetletjih predvsem borba za popolno podreditev ljudskih množic. V takšni vojni se nasilje manifestira predvsem v ekonomskih pritiskih na delovne ljudi, saj je strah pred izgubo dostopa do vse težje dostopnih osnovnih življenjskih dobrin zaradi družbenih pritiskov in pričakovanj izjemen. Večina državljanov neoliberalnih družb občuti nenehno grožnjo pomanjkanja, ki sledi izgubi možnosti za smiselno in uspešno delovanje.

Slike Ane Sluga se tako s svojimi metaforičnimi pomeni naslanjajo na nekatera temeljna eksistencialna vprašanja o nasilju in vlogi posameznika v družbi. Spodbujajo diskurz o tem, ali je človeška narava res tako okrutna, nesočutna in sebična, da na koncu vedno prevladajo tisti najbolj kratkoročni in neposredni cilji. In o tem, ali je res mnogo lažje izpolnjevati ukaze kot razmišljati s svojo glavo.

Miha Colner



Ana Sluga: Spatial Dissonance (Choice)

A silhouette of a military aircraft dropping bombs into free fall can be seen as an unambiguous synonym for total war, warfare that will use any means to achieve its ends. The image works as an anti-war poster employing clear and straightforward messages in an attempt to arouse compassion. It also alludes to the responsibility of whoever pulled open the bomb bay door and let the bombs pour out of the belly of the aircraft, even if merely following orders rather than acting of their own accord.

This is a motif used by Ana Sluga in one of the six paintings making up the polyptych titled Spatial Dissonance (Choice) to suggest the direction and tone of her current art making. Hers is not an easy task, albeit dealing with conspicuous, omnipresent social issues. How does one translate reflections on collective social violence into effective visual communication? How does one tackle this age-old aspect of human nature, which invariably exposes humans at their worst? Although or precisely because today’s popular culture is seething with images of violence, the individual has become increasingly insensitive to the traumas and adversity experienced by the Other, even if they might be (partly) responsible for them. In this cacophonous world where one is bombarded with visual and verbal messages, it is difficult to elicit an emotional response and make fellow humans give their individual and collective responsibility for the ubiquitous violence a more serious thought. Sluga aims to do so by accentuating stylised images placed carefully onto monochrome or decoratively painted colour backgrounds. Advertisements are often structured in a similar fashion, by means of visual consonance, delivering ideas about the products they promote through highlighted images and messages. Yet what the artist attempts here is visual dissonance, aiming to spotlight some seeming modern-day givens. Her paintings, as familiar as they may appear at first sight, come with undertones that mostly arouse uneasiness.

By way of an artistic allegory, the painter explores the callous political decisions that drive societies into states of conflict. The dull, metallic colours dominating the paintings create an ambivalent, almost sinister atmosphere, only to be complemented by a collage of visual elements whose select fragments testify to systemic violence. The image of an official seal in one of the paintings implies the bureaucratic apparatus as the underlying principle of most of modern conflicts, as well as the role of the individual in the system; it hints at the relationship between decision-makers and implementers, and at the widening gap between the two roles. What you don’t feel, doesn’t hurt!

Modern-day conflicts are often based precisely on decision-makers being removed from the consequences of their decisions, and on policies with a top-down hierarchy. The head of a state that starts a war against another country or its people does not necessarily have to face the destruction and suffering caused by this war; the pilot who pulls open the bomb bay door might not personally feel the consequences of his or her actions. In recent years, an even more radical type of warfare emerged in the form of remotely controlled unmanned aerial vehicles, their operators sowing death and destruction from the safety of their control centres thousands of miles from the scenes of action, as if in a computer game.

Life or death decisions are much more comfortable to make indirectly than at first hand. When the Third Reich was implementing its genocidal policy of occupying territories in the east of Europe, the state apparatus trained special forces to be able to effectively eliminate hundreds of thousands of people on their mass murder sprees. After even the soldiers in industrial annihilation units experienced ethical doubts and psychological traumas, the authorities had to change their tactic and bring in quisling units to do the job, with the Third Reich soldiers merely guarding the massacre areas. In their own eyes, at least, this alleviated their responsibility.

War, however, is not necessarily an armed conflict. Class and ideological conflicts are continually underway in the so-called First World; particularly, in the last few decades, the struggle for complete subjugation of the masses. In such a war, violence is usually manifested as economic pressure on the working population grippled by the fear of losing access to the increasingly unaffordable basic necessities amid growing social pressure and expectations. Most citizens in neoliberal societies are under constant threat of experiencing financial hardship if they lose the possibility of having a meaningful, successful professional life.

With their metaphorical meanings, Ana Sluga’s paintings allude to some fundamental existential questions about violence and the role of the individual in society. This way, they spark debate on whether human nature is truly so vicious, heartless, and selfish that it is always the most immediate, short-term interests that ultimately prevail; and on whether it is truly that much easier to follow orders than to think for oneself.

Miha Colner