Dane Komljen, The Seven Elements, detail, Jide Pinheiro 2019.
Dane Komljen, The Seven Elements, setup with artist in the back and co-worker, Lagos Biennial 2019.
Born Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1986), lives and works in Berlin, Germany
The Seven Elements 2019
14 reproductions of archival photographs, chalk
Courtesy of the artist
The chalk drawing below and the fourteen images arrayed on the opposing wall are all aerial representations of the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos, a network of buildings constructed in 1977 by various architects including Yugoslavian, Zoran Bojović.
This installation by the artist and filmmaker Dane Komljen, examines both the cluster of original buildings that Bojović designed and the new market structures that were developed in the period since. Following its construction in the 1970s, the site stood empty for a period of time before being modified and repurposed into a large market complex by members of the local community. As a result, the site’s initial history has faded from consciousness. Viewers are invited to participate in the Trade Fair Complex’s ever evolving narrative and form by walking on the chalk drawing and witnessing its gradual obsolescence, as well as intervene in the work by drawing new lines and adding notations to the wall.
