Lealudvik: Dethrone – SCCA-Ljubljana

Exhibition
20 – 24 August 2024
Project Room SCCA, Metelkova 6, Ljubljana

Exhibition opening: Tuesday, 20 August, 7 pm (entrance from the museum platform*)
Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 7 pm – 11 pm

Curator: Lara Plavčak

We recognise the throne as a symbol of sacred or secular power, authority and prestige, not just as an ornate piece of furniture. It has a rich history as a status marker. Early Christian ivory thrones, for example, followed an iconographic programme in their decoration that communicated the legitimacy of the ruler and their divine nature. The throne in the exhibition Dethrone combines in its ornamentation the motifs of the personal mythology of the Lealudvik art tandem, which is partly inspired by the occult and the sacred. While some of the symbols and sigils are familiar from their previous works, such as the scorpion, the mouth of the beast and the tarot categories, others remain mysterious. The mysticism on the cusp of exhilaration is heightened by the very emptiness of the throne, which begs to be occupied. It is as if there were a real power vacuum to be filled. Proverbially, power is intoxicating, but only those who do not seek it, are fit to wield it.

Walking to the throne in the exhibition space, we pass several original video works created in the last decade. In their practice, Lealudvik mainly explore social concepts and phenomena. In addition to the occult, organised religions, black and white magic, they are interested in horror genres, the concept of the ego, taboos, sexuality, nudity, intimacy, freedom and apparent dichotomies (e.g. gender, nature vs. society). Despite their precise use of sign language and their in-depth understanding of visual codes, they leave their work open to final interpretation, especially regarding the positions of good/moral and bad/immoral. In this respect, the exhibited works and their viewers are potential witnesses to an enthronement. After all, it is the empty throne that announces the coming of the Saviour/saviour. The Hetoimasia is an integral part of early Christian and Byzantine iconography, while the very symbol of the empty throne, waiting for whichever deity present in their absence, is even older. An empty throne never remains empty for long, and is never empty of meaning.

Videos in the exhibition

Dethrone, 2024, video, 45’’
Four Eyed Monster II v2, 2018, video, 25’’
Disinfection, 2018, video triptych, 20’’
I would go poof, 2017, video diptych, 2’4’’
In the waters on Leviathan I would go poof, 2017, video triptych, 58’’
Untitled, 2017, video, 5’’
Untitled, 2017, video, 3’’
Duality Insanity, 2015, video, 41’’
Toth, 2014, video, 1’1’’
Slit, 2013, video, 6’’

Photo: Asiana Jurca Avci

Lealudvik is an art tandem formed in 2013 by Lea Jelenko (1986) and Matjaž Komel (1987), active in the fields of visual art, graphic design and zine production. They have participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Slovenia, Serbia and Hungary. (Photo: personal archive)

* Entrance from the museum platform is via stairs through a window. Anyone who wishes can also enter through the main entrance of the building (doorbell SCCA-Ljubljana).

Professional assistance: Peter Cerovšek
Technical support: Miha Zupan
Visual design: Lealudvik
Production: SCCA-Ljubljana
Co-production: KRAKEN Association
Supported by: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and City of Ljubljana – Department for Culture
Thanks: Alkatraz Gallery/KUD Mreža, Match Gallery/MGML, Julija Hoda