Sandra Sara Raes Oklobdzija
wpZimmer resident in 2023
Sara is a conceptual artist, curator and a creative producer, currently based in Brussels. Through her artistic practice Sara Oklobdzija explores the political potential of participatory art processes. She questions whether this process can be applied to the process of deconstructing the collective memory and re-coding our social references? The broader social conditioning intrudes our creations and determine, in a certain scale, the reception of the content. Necessarily, with such one-sided social awareness and very locally cultivated references, there will always be content that stays invisible and narratives and people that are getting wasted. Sara Oklobdzija states that not only should we question from where we act, create, speak, from where do we see, but also question our role in shaping the standpoint from which we are spoken to, from which we are seen.
projects
I’m.potent
I’m.potent is an in-side-in story of simple actions within a complex social condition. Concretely, I’m.potent is concentrated around possibilities for employment while in exile, disposing structural exclusion while pointing-out both: potential of the trade-and-job market as well as impotent condition of a migrant-candidate. Imagined as an ‘hour long job interview- rehearsals’ that two friends, two women organize between them, this show is an amusing roller-coaster swinging from joyful girls-fun scenes till loads-heavy condition of being a migrant -woman. The script and the play are inspired by actual, authentic experience, fed by over 200 written job-applications and motivation latter’s, over 50 job-interviews done, and many ‘coffee’s for job’ experiences they collected in first 5 years in Belgium. Also Sartre’s ‘Exit’ and Chekhov’s ‘The Bet’ played a roll, mostly in dramaturgical choices that have been made.
credits
Concept, text, direction: Sara Okobdzija
Play: Nela Djenisijevic Deleu, Sara Okobdzija
Dramaturgy: Bojan Djordjev, Wouter Hillaert
Visual dramaturgy: Sara Okobdzija
Light: Koen Raes
Decor: Vera Stevanovic, Herman Sorgeloos, Koen Raes
Music and sound: Marko Ostojic
Video: Patrick Reynaert
Costume: Lot Lemm
Movement advice: Vera Erac, Rakesh Sukes
Artistic consultation: Willem de Wolf
Project coordination: Sandra Raes
Production: ROBIN vzw icw KOROW vzw
Co-production: KAAP, wpZimmer
Presentation: Monty, KAAP, GC De Markten
With special thanks to: wpZimmer team, Monty, Stef Steseel, Sarah Vanhee, Lara Steel
Residency supported by: C-TAKT