White installations, "Belaj" (the title of this work in Serbian is ‘Belaj’ – word roughly meaning chaos, mess. Although it has a slightly negative ring to it, its sound reminds of the word ‘belo’ meaning white in Serbian, which is the reason why the artist chose it for the title - again a witty choice of the terminology suggesting ‘chaos/collection of whiteness’), as Marko Stojanovic, the author, named them, are by this occasion represented in Remont; they are a segment of author's work, which he claims he wouldn't know how to describe. Of course he wouldn't, because his work has already offered affluently anatomized expression and associative context. White materials (salt, sugar, flour, powdered milk... cocaine...) of different granulation, strength and taste are represented in the most familiar spatial representations - in amount and shape. The shades of reflection (or emission) tell the difference between them and the names of the matter are imprinted in them with identical font size. Behind the visually obvious differences, familiar and assumed differences of their tastes and effects are revealed (or appealed to). So that achromia becomes panchromia, because a rich spectre of shades that are reflected and emitted by different granulates comes up out of the whiteness. If the whiteness as the basic quality is opposed to the shapelessness made by merging of different spectre components, then Stojanovic's authorial approach could be defined as the negation of shapelessness by singling out the richness of identity and differences in the white world. Philosophical, theosophical, metaphysical, and/or dialectical considerations and speculations, as the primary sections of the predecessors' white work, to mention only Malevich and suprematism, or conceptualists, yet do not satisfy completely the authors need to define separate identities and characteristics. Because of that Stojanovic introduces the double subjectivity of each of the qualities (identities): the subjectivity of the matter itself and subjectivity object's activity - an observer or a taster. So that he introduces the element of atmosphere, i.e. pleasure as a corrective of a measurable physical characteristic or activity. That is not hedonism in its negative (condemned) aspect, but an added measure of subjectivity in which the truth is being searched for. The pleasure supplements the authenticity of impression, so we reach the satisfaction by revealing the subjectivity through the subjective action and approach. When Marko's vocation for design is observed from that point of view, we reveal his personal approach and attitude to branding - it is fine, but with the respect of the identity - diferentiae specificae - of what is being branded and whom is that brand meant for and represented. Intellectual and ethical responsibility must be sensually perceptional, generally both in artes minores and in ARTES (MAIORES).
Dejan Radovanovic
P.S. In a personal reading the first association the writer of this text got was a character of aged Casanova / Marcello Mastroianni in Ettore Scola's film "That Night in Varennes". The mask and the costume of Gabriella Pescucci then gave thirty shades of dusty "white" covering the seedy seducer. Incredible visualisation of the messages of the innocence gained in time (maybe by wisdom), i.e. the cunning innocence. The chain of associations following brought me to this reading.
P.P.S. The film was made in 1982!