September 15, 2011
Janez Jansa Janez Jansa Janez Jansa
Janez Jansa Janez Jansa Janez Jansa
Three Slovenian artists decided to make a gesture, to officially change their names to Janez Jansa, the name of the Slovenian Prime Minister at the time. NAME Readymade is a project that questions the notion of a name, the significance of appropriating someone else's name, and the numerous socio-political implications this 'gesture' has in one's personal and public life and future. In this case of four people are permanently affected by this gesture, the three artists and the then Prime Minister.
NAME Readymade challenges our position on the value of our name as our identity and as commodification. By taking on the name of someone famous questions the value of a name and it's potential devaluation. Three artists are living and working as the artists Janez Jansa. The significance of this work is how the public and private realm of the lives of the artists collapse. All three were married to their spouses as Janez Jansa, with their witnesses being Janez Jansa and Janez Jansa. Their lives are their work, and their work is their life. Where does the name of the artist and the identity of the artist begin and end? At this time all three have been issued new passports under their new names, but all three still carry valid passports under their old names. So who are they? Janez Jansa decided to sell his 'readymade' passport in an art auction, which further spawned 'readymade' legal papers required to sell a government owned property. Then he had to 'borrow" it back to travel to Istanbul for ISEA 2011. If he loses the passport he will have to refund the purchaser for the purchase price. And so it goes.
My name is Janez Jansa.
*From a performance at ISEA 2011 Istanbul.http://www.aksioma.org/name/
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