TRIPTYCHOS POST HISTORICUS – Braco Dimitrijevic
or Finnish Rhapsody with a Touch of Suprematism
The Yugoslavian artist Braco Dimitrijevic (born 1948) has realized a series of works since 1976 named Triptychos Post Historicus where he sets works belonging to the collections of art museums into a new context. Dimitrijevic’s triptych always contains three parts selected by the artist: a work of art from the museum’s collections, an object and a natural product. The context created by the elements combined in the same space and time frees the work of art from established interpretations. By breaking the conventional ways of placing works on display Dimitrijevic exposes the expectations and preconceived interpretation models connected with the work of art.
The Triptychos Post Historicus installation draws a parallel between culture and nature. It coincides values that are traditionally held both physically and conceptually opposed such as aesthetic and practical value and nature, as well as reverse concepts of time: the historical value of the art work is reflected against a backdrop of everyday and the cycle of nature. Braco Dimitrijevic’s installation deliberates on the formulation of meanings, the accumulation of historical significance and the process of aesthetic perception. The tensions between individual elements of the work arise from their physical connection, as the object serves as a pedestal for the work of art.
The Triptychos Post Historicus to be realized in the Pori Art Museum is the last part in the series of the artist=s installations. The installation combines musical instruments and products of the traditional woodworking industry of the Satakunta region with works selected from the collections of the Maire Gullichsen’s Art Foundation. The collection is personalized to Maire Gullichsen through photographs that portray a subject, a cultural personality and a collector.