Dr. Xenia is a newly formed common multi-gendered entity. Xe consists of an intertwinement of four people (the artists Andreja Džakušič, Keiko Miyazaki, Iva Tratnik, and Simon Macuh), who in the past participated in various mutual connections, but never in such a form. Dr. Xenia is thus a middle-aged collective person, who unites different identities. Through education, upbringing, and work xe has formed into an active, even activist persona, who does not believe that the world can be changed, but who wants to do just that. Xe describes xirself as an ‘ethical, collective body’, which means that xe has to constantly strive for xir own tolerance of all xirs components, statements, and actions. Through the creative process, xe attempts to emancipate xirself first and then include also others as active spectators in it. In xir performative actions, xe thoughtfully employs simple humorous mechanisms, by means of which xe reflects and at the same time subverts socially established patterns of behaviour. Through xir works rich in meanings and associations, xe invites viewers to active interpretation and joint debate, though which layers of meanings are revealed. In Dr Xenia’s words, xir aesthetics is relational in Rancier’s sense, as xe sees its public as active, thinking subjects, rather than passive consumers of simulacra of spectacle.

In addition to new works, the exhibition provides an archival overview of joint public actions and performances the artists have performed in the past ten years in the framework of various mutual collaborations with such names as SIVA, IvAn, IvAnKe, and AnKo. The themes of works vary according to participants, but what they all have in common is the exploration of everyday things and issues, from clothing to food and menstruation. The archive offers an insight into the past artistic practice and is an introduction into new works created for the present exhibition.

The title of the exhibition derives from a well-known Slovenian proverb[1], which reflects the patriarchal distribution of roles in a domestic household. The proverbial three corners of the house represent the home — an intimate space that is supposed to be separate from the public life. Nowadays, even more so, as it has also become a place of forced isolation for everyone determined by governmental measures. Dr. Xenia questions this patriarchal assumption of the home, and through the creative process, xe wants to change ingrained sexual and social roles. Xe therefore takes the dichotomies as a starting point for the subversion of roles: female/male, intimate/public, manifest/latent, domestic/foreign.

The word play from the second part of the title refers to historical efforts of self-organized collective anti-fascist, feminist, working, migrant, minority and LGBTQ+ struggles for rights. In the light of current governmental restrictions and limitations of protests, which are part of constitutionally guaranteed rights, the title should be understood predominantly as an affirmation of constitutional rights and a call for collective activity, activation of community, and perseverance in pursuit of change.

When thinking about fights and rights, Dr Xenia stumbles upon a question of social power and potency as its manifestation. Xe takes the cynical motto ‘everything is a game’ of those in positions of power literally, and appropriates the game as its modus operandi, in order to alert about the difference between the abuse of power and emancipatory empowerment. In doing this, xe does not overlook the fact that children’s play is also a way of socialization – getting to know and accepting established social rules of behaviour.

Four performances of dr. Xenia are based on well-known (social) games, which in the present version, are played according to new rules. Each performance fills its metaphoric corner of the gallery, which thus becomes the ‘house’ of fights for rights. 

(Source: excerpt of the curatorial text by Vesna Bukovec, Ana Grobler and Sebastian Krawczyk for the exhibition Dr Xenia: The Fourth Corner – Rights for Our Fights)