Asja Mijovic

The following slides show selected exhibitions and curatorial projects produced collaboratively within collectives and with the invaluable support of many incredible friends.

Poster and Catalogue designed by Terry Cole

marketplace

Dates: Dec 2- 4
Curator: The Gems Collective [Terry Cole, Ivy Lockhart, Estefania Morales, Julia Petrocelli and Asja Mijovic]
Location: Subcentral Cultural Center Cambridge, MA
Poster Design: Terry Cole
Collective Instagram

Marketplace considered a circulating economy operating in close proximity to online marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist but manifesting in face to face transactions.

The exhibition featured nineteen artists, one other collective, a band and a DJ from Boston, Hamburg, Manchester and Missouri.

Artists Are Presents at the Rave
format: rave
Date: Nov 4 2023
Bromfield House
Country: USA
DJs: Dj Skip, Dioklet
Curators: The Gems Collective [Terry Cole, Ivy Lockhart, Estefania Morales, Julia Petrocelli and Asja Mijovic]

A happening: 8hr rave organized by the GEMS collective in a Somerville residence. In pairing and preparation for the "Marketplace" exhibition, the event was inspired by Hito Steryl's article "The Terror of Total Dasein." Subverting the economy of presence it featured mystery artists behind the Marina Abramovic masks.

Simlish & Simulacra
Format: Exhibition. Happening.
April 8 2023
Sunset House, Somerville
Curators: Wanjie Li, Seth Gordon, Asja Mijovic
Poster design: Adrian Wong

A pop art event at Sunset House blended the official language of EA's Sims with Baudrillard's critical theory on Simulacra & Simulation. Curated by house inhabitants, Seth Gordon, Wanjie Li and myself, it showcased 30 artists exploring invented language, linguistics, games, simulations, and avatars.
Attendees were given explicit instructions to don themselves in randomly generated Sims outfits. The exclusive entry requirement for the event was simple: attendees had to bring a Simoleon bill, Sims' in-game currency, which we previously reappropriated, resized to dollar dimensions, and distributed clandestinely around Boston, the SMFA, and Tufts campus. At the event, Simoleons took on a new significance—they became the sole currency accepted for the purchase of libations and any consumables available. The party unfolded into a night of ephemeral internal economy, rife with debates over the amount of Simoleons at hand, spontaneous theft, and impromptu exchanges between Simoleons and actual dollar bills.
To enhance the experience, Amazon Alexa-connected speakers, placed in the middle of the room, issued a command every hour for ten minutes, compelling attendees to "speak in Simlish." Those unfamiliar with the official Simlish lexicon were encouraged to invent their own language on the spot. The event unfolded as a transient convergence of linguistic experimentation, artistic expression, and digital subversion, blurring the boundaries between reality and simulation.

Making Kin
Date: Nov 4 2022
Location: Sunset House,
Somerville, USA
Format: Pop-up exhibition, party
Curators: Asja Mijovic, Julia Petrocelli, Wanjie Li
Poster design: Asja Mijovic

Influenced by the urban energy of Paris and creative energy of Beaux Arts academy, upon my return to the States in fall 2022 I curated and organized an exhibit at my residence in Somerville with the students from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Making Kin was the intitial attempt for us to connect, make kin and build lasting creative connections. The event responded to scarce opportunity to exhibit imposed by the university culture.

The title “Making Kin” echoes Donna Haraway’s The Companion Species Manifesto (2003) and Staying with the Trouble (2016). It is the effort to recognize kin in the entangled mesh that connects all species and things of the Earth. The “Party/ Exibition/ Manifesto” event invited its members and guests to meditate on human connections to other-than-human entities and come dressed as something they would like to make kin with (bacterium, yeast, kombucha scooby, hedgehog); as well as enjoy etheral and probing musical performances by Roman Barten-Sherman, Ed Hans, Kyle Tomlinson, Quinn (DrFartens), an old ventilator and others that joined in.

Boxenstopp
Date: July 7-10 2022
ektr 365, Dusseldorf, GE
Format: Exhibition, Residency
Curators: Rosalie Becher, Sofia Magdits
Poster design:
Video documentation of opening night Instagram

"Boxenstopp" was a collaborative exhibition initiated by a group of artists, including those on exchange at the Beaux Arts de Paris and students from the local Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Over the course of 11 days, we squatted and transformed a former Alfa Romeo car dealership into a pop-up art space. The exhibition featured a curated arrangement, turning the venue into a functional living space with a kitchen, a sleeping area, and a living room.

The homemaking project unfolded over the 11 days of the exhibition, concluding with everyone dispersing to various corners of the world. The name "Boxenstopp," translating to "pit stop" in English, encapsulates the concept of our venture – a service station for refueling, learning, exchanging ideas, cohabitating, and creating. Our venture from Paris to Düsseldorf to everywhere else is a stop to refuel, learn, exchange, cohabitate and create before returning home.