SOFA

EN

Developed in relation to the local social, political, artistic and even personal situation, the durational performance Sofa is a context specific event, comprised of short-sentenced dialogues and bittersweet comments that are bound to end in laughter. Although one of primal emotional responses, public laughter was historically understood as a socially undesirable act. By men, naturally. Yet even more so by women. Sofa, however, shows women and men alike how to use laughter as a weapon. Sofa was performed more than 20 times at prominent venues and events such as U3 - 7th Triennial of Contemporary Art in Slovenia in Ljubljana (2013, currated by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez); OnlineBiennale Art+ in New York (2013, currated by Jan Hoet & Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez); the ]performance space[ Festival in London (2013); Exodos Festival in Ljubljana (2013, currated by Tim Etchells); City of Women Festival in Ljubljana (2012, currated by Mara Vujić); and Scores II Festival in Vienna (2010, currated by Tim Etchells & Walter Heun).

SI

Zofa je predstava dolgega trajanja, ki se razvija v odnosu z lokalno socialno, politično, umetniško ali celo osebno situacijo. Gre za dogodek, ki je odvisen od konteksta, sestavljajo pa ga odrezavidialogi in grenko-sladke opazke, ki bodo iz gledalcev gotovo izvabile smeh. Čeprav gre za enega najbolj prvinskih čustvenih odzivov, je bil smeh v javnosti skozi zgodovino razumljen kot nekaj družbeno nezaželenega. To je veljalo za moške. Za ženske še toliko bolj. V predstavi Zofa pa si zdaj lahko oboji ogledajo, kako je smeh mogoče uporabiti kot orožje. Zofa je bila uprizorjena več kot 20-krat, in to na pomembnih prizoriščih in dogodkih, kamor spadajo: 7. trienale sodobne umetnosti U3 v Ljubljani (2013, kuratorka Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez), spletni bienale Art+ v New Yorku (2013, kuratorja Jan Hoet in Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez), festival ]performance space[ v Londonu (2013), Festival Exodos v Ljubljani (2013, kurator Tim Etchells), festival Mesto žensk v Ljubljani (2012, kuratorka Mara Vujić) in pa festival Scores II na Dunaju (2010, kuratorja Tim Etchells in Walter Heun).

CREDITS

Created by Leja Jurišić & Teja Reba; Performed by Leja Jurišić & Teja Reba; Scenography & Light Design by Petra Veber; Photography by Petra Veber; Produced by Pekinpah; Coproduced by Tanzquartier Wien; Supported by: Ministry of Cuture Republic of Slovenia, City of Ljubljana - Department of Culture
Photo by Petra Veber

SHOWS

VIENNA (Tanzquartier), 18 June 2015 BRUSSELS (Off), 15 May 2015 PRAGUE (I.M.), 21 April 2015 KOČEVJE (Urbane Culture), 12 May 2014
LJUBLJANA (Mladi levi), 23 August 2014
BRUSSELS (Spider), 8 March 2014
ZAGREB (Gliptoteka), 21 October 2013
LJUBLJANA (U3 – trienale sodobne slovenske umetnosti), 20 June 2013 LONDON (]performing space[), 17 May 2013
NEW YORK (Art+), 30 April 2013 LJUBLJANA (Exodos), 19 April 2013 LJUBLJANA (Exodos), 14 April 2013 BRUSSELS (Bains Connective), 20 December 2012
MARIBOR (Performa Maribor), 29 November 2012
RIBNICA (Pecha Kucha), 9 November 2012
LJUBLJANA (City of Women), 12 October 2012
LJUBLJANA (Mini Teater), 28 December 2010
VIENNA (Tanzquartier), 2 December 2010

PRESS

EN

A decadence of figures, performed by Leja Jurišić and Teja Reba in the performance Sofa, illustrates the erosion of cultural and neoliberal Europe and the ever stronger rejection of intellectuality. A stinging performance in which each individual spectator can choose their own 'rhyme.'
Helmut Ploebst, Der Standard, 4 December 2010

In the show the artists are binary positioning themselves as a protagonist and an antagonist. A schematic separation through opposing qualifications (man-woman, left-right, black-white etc.) presented in a distanced way is disproving the system of binary thinking itself and functions as a fissure between the performers, which gradually turns into a fracture between the artists and the audience. The resulting split, paradoxically, functions as a space for an EVENT to happen.
Janez Janša

One of the highlights of the U3, the 7th Triennale of contemporary Art in Slovenia.
Matevž Čelik, Nedelo, 23 June 2013

SI

Dekadenca figur, ki jih Leja Jurišić in Teja Reba uprizarjata v performansu Zofa, govori o eroziji kulturne in neoliberalne Evrope in s tem vedno močnejšega odrivanja intelektualnosti. Performans, ki močno zbada in kjer si vsak posamezen gledalec izbere svojo lastno "rimo"
Helmut Ploebst, Der Standard, 4. december 2010

Lahko naštejem nekaj stvari, ki so mi bile zelo zanimive. Na primer performans Zofa Leje Jurišič in Teje Reba, ki je zanimiv tako z vidika tega, katere pojave, ljudi ... vzameta kot izhodišče izsmehovanja in kako poteka dinamika vzdržljivosti smeha, pa tudi z vidika gledanja – zakaj se temu smejem? Je to (ne)primerno? Zakaj nekaj ni smešno?
Katja Čičigoj, Gledališki kritiki o presežkih iztekajoče se gledališke sezone (2012), Si.gledal

Smeh, ki je napolnil vhodno dvorano MSUM na Metelkovi, je bil zame eden od hitov odprtja 7. trienala sodobne slovenske umetnosti U3. Leja Jurišić in Teja Reba sta se tokrat prestavili v situacijo Trienala in aktualne družbene in politične teme pomešali s temami umetnosti, umetniškega sistema, zvezdništva.
Matevž Čelik, NEDELO, 23. junij 2013

READ MORE PRESS︎︎︎