Iztok Klančar

In my pursuit towards mental health,

I embarked on a journey through various landscapes.

On this fantasy trip,
I met my allies.

Their performative rituals suggest ways of coping, as well as survival strategies that help us weather anxieties of our time.

The portraits were conceived by combining the participant's background stories, experience and even
kinks into a
performative setting.

As traditionalism is weaponised against an open and emancipated society, I will continue with this project, including more members of my community in the video installation.

Working on each scene of ‘Stories’ meant forging a stronger bond with different people from our community. For me it is about building on the queer resilience that starts on a personal level. I am a gay man, cis, white. Yet, I am also queer.

These wonderful people represent little liberations of the queer part of me that is being discovered in a long process of making, interacting and learning:

• José, a teacher and a queer ally
  
  
• Vincent, who helped me overcome my darkest anxieties
  
  
• Mitja, a former LGBTQIA+ activist who still protects and helps people from our community
  
  
• Vic and Ryszard, unstoppable survivors who went through many lives in different places
  
  
• Malcolm, a young artist who will soon become a force to reckon with, addressing injustice in the tough world surrounding them.
  

Shown at

2023

Galerija Račka (Center for Contemporary Arts), Celje

2024

3rd Annual Unfinished Film Festival, Odapark, Venray

The artist uses poetic narration to evoke a particularly intense sense of anxiety, while also creating a permeable and liberating atmosphere that delves into the question of mental health.

The viewer observes the protagonists subtly journeying through landscapes that reflect their psychological states. These are enactments of performative rituals as a means of confronting distress and as survival strategies that alleviate inner turmoil and lead to the development of psychological resilience to societal phenomena. 

Klančar’s solo exhibition at Račka raises questions of vulnerability and exposure, highlighting the necessity of occupying and creating a shared queer space where care and mutual attentiveness are at the forefront.

• Maja Hodošček
  curator at the Center for Contemporary Arts, Celje
  

Performance reading of ‘Stories’ at the
Gallery of Contemporary Art, Celje (2022)

Photos: Ana Straže

‘Stories’ were first introduced as a performative reading with visuals and sounds in 2022. The project evolved into a video installation the following year.

As I continue my work, new portraits will evolve and more people from our community will show their ritualistic powers.

Runtime: 15 min

Directed, filmed and edited by Iztok Klančar

Cast: Mitja Blažič, Vincent Fitz-Jim, Vic Kelly-Victor, Ryszard Ledeman, José Tangelder, Malcolm Wamunza

Soundtrack: Lifecutter

Costume for Malcolm Wamunza: Andrea Bonderup

Queer kilt for Vic Kelly-Victor: Veronica Victor

Production years: 2022 - 2023

Many thanks to: Maja Hodošček, Ilya Rabinovich, the cast, Domen Učakar