Alban Muja: Svi žele pogled (Everyone wants a view)

Curator: Irfan Hošić

Svi žele pogled (Everyone wants a view) by artist Alban Muja is an intervention in the urban tissue of the city of Bihać which touches the collective consciousness of its citizens and is closely connected with the fight for a greener environment and sustainable future. Conceived as a permanent sculpture in public space, Muja’s idea is an engaged reminder of the exclusivity of the view, as well as of the ownership of the Una River at a time of mass commodification of nature and natural attractions. Well aware that the view is often identified with the property, the artist radicalizes his knowledge by setting the slogan “everyone wants a view” on the skyscraper in Hatinac and thus problematizes the old but always current issue of privatization of the Una River banks.

The message Svi žele pogled, i.e., Everyone wants a view is a joint, solidary exclamation that all citizens have the right to the Una River, access to its banks and an unobstructed view of the river flow. Such a cry emerges as a necessity due to unplanned construction, aimless tourism and the enraged provincial usurpation of the protected riverbed. At the same time, it is a voice against anthropocentrism and a call to raise awareness of coexistence with other beings against whom man commits violence by expanding his living space while disregarding the laws of balance, harmony and respect between different species.

The installation of Muja’s sculpture on the roof of a residential skyscraper as the dominant symbol of the city’s vision is the initiation of a critical debate on climate change and the direct politicization of public space. With this intervention, the citizens are called to action and responsibility when it comes to the relations between art, ecology and public space.

The public discussion in which artist Alban Muja, art historian Jonathan Blackwood and activist Sabina Šabić are participating, aims to start a discourse on the mentioned topics and to achieve new and old knowledge about the importance of a healthy environment through the involvement of experts, activists and citizens.

The work was produced as part of the Creative Ecologies project, which aims to place permanent sculptures in the urban tissue of Bihać during 2022 and 2023, that would thematically and ideologically refer to the threat to environment in local and global perspective. In addition to Alban Muja, four other artists participate in this project – Molly Haslund, Scott Hocking, Šejla Kamerić and Ina Weise.

The installation of Alban Muja’s work Svi žele pogled was preceded by artist’s research stay in Bihać during November 2021. After the presentation of the initial idea in early 2022, the communication with the skyscraper’s tenants’ association began, and both formal and informal talks took place. In March 2022, a public presentation of the artistic idea was held, and strategies for its realization were defined. Finally, the sculpture was placed in June 2022 as a permanent artistic intervention, technical support and masterful performance on the field were provided by Velaga Beganović. 

The project is implemented by the KRAK Center for Contemporary Culture and curated by Irfan Hošić; the project partners are the City Administration of the City of Bihać and the Government of the Una-Sana Canton. The implementation of the project was supported by the Open Society Foundation Bosnia and Herzegovina. Administrative support in the project implementation was provided by Spatial Planning Institute in Bihać, the Tourist Board of the City of Bihać and the Local Community Hatinac. The round table session is supported by the British Council.

More information about this public discussion is available here.