Kunstenares Bojana Panevska is geboren in Macedonie en studeerde in Amsterdam aan de Rietveld Academie en het Sandberg Instituut. De afgelopen vier jaar werkt ze voornamelijk door middel van videokunst en performance. Bojana zal tijdens de nachtsalon…

Kunstenares Bojana Panevska is geboren in Macedonie en studeerde in Amsterdam aan de Rietveld Academie en het Sandberg Instituut. De afgelopen vier jaar werkt ze voornamelijk door middel van videokunst en performance. Bojana zal tijdens de nachtsalon een performance geven in het gewelf van het museum: The Gunmother.

Bojana you will perform at the nachtsalon in the Amsterdam Historical Museum. Have you been in the Amsterdam Historical Museum before?

Of course. Architecturally I find the building very interesting, it offers a lot of space for different kind of exhibitions and experiments.

How do you like the installation ‘The Hoerengracht’ by the Kienholz’?

I find the Hoerengracht very important work, especially considering the situation in the past 2 years, and what is happening with the red light district. I love the spaciousness of this installation, and the details, being the exact replica of the red light district: the leftovers of the stolen bikes, fietsenstalling, the leaves on the ground etc. (I wonder why they choose autumn, is it because the weather in Amsterdam:)). Another thing is the 80’s styling of the girls, which adds even more to the feeling of nostalgia and melancholy I get when I go to see the installation.

There is much to do about the red-light district lately, like the closing down of brothels for the city’s safety and appeal, how do you feel about this?

This question has been in the media in the last few years, and personally, I don’t agree with this decision. Primarily, that won’t solve the problem with the “white slavery”, meaning this girls will go even more underground, and on the other hand, what about the tourists? Let’s admit that on the first place of tourist attractions is the red light district, and then comes the canals and tulips. As far as the appeal is considered, I prefer to observe the tourists with their expectations and tension (an atmosphere typical for the red light district), unlike in other cities, seeing them fight for a beer and fat sausage.

Your performance The Gunmother is part of a larger project ‘12 Steps towards Enlightenment’, what is the project about?

‘12 steps towards enlightenment’ is a manifesto that involves 53 characters, among which the The Gunmother, The Philosopher, The Kamikaze Himself and The Kamikazes Dick, which are the carriers of the whole story. The characters and the situation they create among themselves are absurd, representing the overall confusion and fear. I re-work the characters for stage, trying to keep their essence and their unpredictability, always avoiding logic as an excuse.

You are going to perform The Gunmother at the nachtsalon, what should the audience prepare for?

I would say that the audience should come to see this performance, protected by a feeling of improbability. The audience should prepare to lend themselves to The Gunmother, who created a private universe, which aim is to contaminate all the customs and circumstances of their daily lives.


De performance van Bojana vindt plaats om 21:30 uur en 23:00 uur in de kelder van het Amsterdams Historisch Museum.

Kaarten voor de nachtsalon van 28 mei zijn te koop bij het Amsterdams Historisch Museum (Nieuwezijdse Voorburgwal 357) en Rush Hour (Spuistraat 98).