Place to Stay, 2020

Permanent installation
Savičenta, Istria

Within the project Invisible Savičenta – translating tradition into culture, which has been transforming a small Istrian town into a new focal point for contemporary arts for a second year in a row, artist Šejla Kamerić created a permanent installation set up in public space titled Place to Stay. The project is curated by Tihomir Milovac, produced by Apoteka – Space for contemporary art from Vodnjan and Avanti! Centre avant-gardes from Zagreb. Installation is placed on an almond orchard Mandule not far from Svetvinčenat centre.

Place to Stay by Šejla Kamerić is a powerful artistic message that brings back into focus themes of refugee struggles and the unresolved statuses of millions of individuals who are left searching for economic prosperity, political freedoms and personal security in other, safer places. The artist envisioned Place to Stay as a collage of inoperative flat signs for various types of tourist accommodations, written in different languages and characters. The composition is “underlined” by a single glowing sign that reads “Refugees welcome”, which actualizes the themes of the piece, while perplexing at the same time. This installation was created as a part of the “Invisible Savičenta” project. (Excerpt from the “Place to Stay” text by Tihomir Milovac, curator)