Kemil Bektesi

Kemil Bekteši

  1. About
  2. Works
  3. Events
  4. Contact
Back to Works

Atlantis? 2.0, Returning the stolen object

The work "Atlantis?" is divided into two parts: the object and the performance in public space. This work took two years to complete. It commenced in 2019 when I noticed that in the largest park in the center of Sarajevo, there were cultural and historical monuments that no one cared about. While researching the topic, I came across shocking information, such as the revelation that these tombstones from the Ottoman period were used as building material in the construction of streets for traffic. The first phase of the work involved the theft of the monument itself, which I carried out in 2019. My goal was to keep the monument in my studio and observe what was happening around me, especially in the media. Would anyone notice that the monument was missing? After a year had passed and no one had mentioned a word about the stolen monument, I decided to create an identical replica of it. I placed the object in a fish tank and titled it "Atlantis?". This working title directly alludes to the legend of Atlantis. I believe that if we continue to behave in this manner and neglect cultural and historical monuments in this way, we will become like Atlantis. Following that, in 2021, I decided to return the monument to the place from which I originally stole it. I accomplished this by carrying the monument through the most prominent and crowded streets of Sarajevo. The performance lasted two hours, and the monument was returned to its original location. Today, it still remains there, awaiting restoration.


Perfomance

Duration: Two hours. 

Photo-documentation: Ajla Salkić

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 

12. 08. 2021.

A man in a white shirt and pants stands under a curved structure holding a coconut, with other people and buildings in the background.
A black and white street photograph of people walking across a street with a building and trees in the background.
A black and white photo of a man in a white suit carrying a large gourd with storefronts and patrons in the background.
A man with a mustache holds a large, round object in an urban crowd in a black and white street photograph.
A black and white photo of a man in a white shirt holding a ceramic pot, standing on a street in front of a building called Opetrol.
A man in a white short-sleeved shirt and trousers sits on a bench on the right side of a busy street cafe, looking down at the wallet in his hands.
A man in a white outfit walks across a city street carrying a large, textured object, with cars and buildings in the background.
A grayscale, eye-level photo shows people crossing a street, with a man carrying a small pumpkin or melon in the foreground.
A person in a light-colored shirt holding a weathered stone sculpture of a body.
A man in a light-colored outfit walks through a park holding a ball in his arms.
A black and white image focuses on a person in white pants and shoes bending over to pick up a pumpkin from a grassy, leafy ground.
A black and white image with a defocussed tree in the background while a carved stone lies on the grass with another similar stone stump in the immediate background.
A black and white photo of a man holding a large rock on a street is displayed on a wall with two smaller photos to the left, partially obscured by a person's silhouette.

“New Wave” Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, BiH, 2022.

An art gallery displaying black and white framed photographs and a clear box with a watermelon in murky water on a wooden pedestal.

“ZVONO Award (YVAA) Finalist exhibition” Center for contemporary culture KRAK, Bihać, BiH, 2022.

An art gallery wall featuring several black and white photographs and a rectangular glass tank with a sculpture submerged in water.

“A(r)tlantida” Novembar gallery, Belgrade, Serbia, 2022.

A man in a white shirt and pants stands under a curved structure holding a coconut, with other people and buildings in the background.
A black and white street photograph of people walking across a street with a building and trees in the background.
A black and white photo of a man in a white suit carrying a large gourd with storefronts and patrons in the background.
A man with a mustache holds a large, round object in an urban crowd in a black and white street photograph.
A black and white photo of a man in a white shirt holding a ceramic pot, standing on a street in front of a building called Opetrol.
A man in a white short-sleeved shirt and trousers sits on a bench on the right side of a busy street cafe, looking down at the wallet in his hands.
A man in a white outfit walks across a city street carrying a large, textured object, with cars and buildings in the background.
A grayscale, eye-level photo shows people crossing a street, with a man carrying a small pumpkin or melon in the foreground.
A person in a light-colored shirt holding a weathered stone sculpture of a body.
A man in a light-colored outfit walks through a park holding a ball in his arms.
A black and white image focuses on a person in white pants and shoes bending over to pick up a pumpkin from a grassy, leafy ground.
A black and white image with a defocussed tree in the background while a carved stone lies on the grass with another similar stone stump in the immediate background.
A black and white photo of a man holding a large rock on a street is displayed on a wall with two smaller photos to the left, partially obscured by a person's silhouette.
An art gallery displaying black and white framed photographs and a clear box with a watermelon in murky water on a wooden pedestal.
An art gallery wall featuring several black and white photographs and a rectangular glass tank with a sculpture submerged in water.