Ines Borovac (1996, Cro.) is a multidisciplinary artist currently based in the Netherlands. She holds a Master degree from Design Academy Eindhoven, MA Social design where she developed her practice in the field of performance and movement research. As a Balkan feminist in her practice, Borovac often infiltrates various patriarchal, religious or traditional systems with aim to create altering speculative scenarios. Working in a domaine of performance art, the foundation of Borovac artistic practice unfolds with gesture research analyzing harmful bodily behaviours, rituals and systems of corporeal surveillance. Furthermore, deconstructing the social behaviors by embedding the feminist values and decolonizing the rituals and gestures of harmful gender roles. Through her work, possible futures, systems and rituals come alive, materializing through visual art, live performances and multimedia installations. Since 2022 together with Ginevra Petrozzi Borovac is working as a co-founder of art duo Xsenofemme.
Why won’t you marry me? - Why won't you marry me is a project focused on researching the patriarchal issues embedded in Balkan marriage. After writing her own prenuptial agreement and making her own version of a traditional wedding dress Borovac is creating a setting to change the traditional approach towards marriage by giving back the power to the oppressed. “Why won't you marry me?” is an intimate performance where the artist invites an audience on dating apps and visitors to join her on a date to discuss a newly written prenuptial agreement.
Secrets to sell your art services - Secrets to selling your art services is an interactive performance demonstrating the seducing aspects of buying and selling design services. Art and Design fairs, become places where designers sell themselves more than their objects, since objects alone are not enough anymore for the voracious audience. They are used to selling parts of their corporeal identity such as specialized crafts, unique techniques, and the overall invisible physical choreography of labor behind their projects, seducing possible curators, collectors, buyers. Design duo Xsenofemme will invite the audience to join them in a speculative live negotiation process, which will ideally result in the signing of a contract, and the formalization of a sale. Project was made in a collaboration with Ginevra Petrozzi as an artist duo Xsenofemme Exhibited at at Drop City, Milano (IT)
7 feminist sins - 7 feminist sins is an interactive performance expressing the dispute between the liberated female archetype and the impact of social stereotypes of a docile female body. Inspired by the social norms and the struggles of a female body in a patriarchal environment the work represents a metaphoric process of social transformation and abuse of a sexually liberated body (body of a “slut”). Using the pressure, pulling, and limitation of sight the author's body gets submissive and exposed almost to the point of a fetish object consumed by the perpetrators of harmful stereotypes (referring to the often suppressed sexual desire resulting in toxic sexual behaviour).
Wishing to express the power of stereotypes, the author uses the reference of one of the highest patriarchal communities (Christianity) in a form of given rules (7 deadly sins), highlighting the similarities between the two. Each “sin” is connected to the part of the body directly referring to the social anatomy of the docile female body.
1. Accept (head)
2. Nurture (chests)
3. Settle (stomach)
4. Click (hand)
5. Push (lower-abdomen)
6. Cross (leg)
7. Please (foot)
By the end of the performance, the performer is left slightly anxious, overwhelmed and stressed indicating the potential physical and mental consequences of a liberated body in a non-encouraging environment.
COLLO – Redancing tradition - Even though traditional Croatian folkdances are rarely still danced outside of the stage, bodies are ethnographic archives of movements and behaviours that are inherited across many generations of family, culture and society. Through performative design research in a collaboration with the dance therapist author identified the embodies gender and social norms embedded in the Kolo (a basic folkdance popular among Slavic people).
It was then re-choreographed with a woman (kolovođica) as leader and based on movements that express vulnerability, sexuality and self-expression. Techno music and tie-dyed embroidered clothing contemporise the project to today’s rave aesthetic. Challenging the often conservative and patriotic field of heritage, the project expresses the need and ability to evolve rather than discard cultural traditions.
DANCERS: Ema Šajatović, Ema Kani, Nino Bokan, Una Matija Štalcar, Vid Vugrinec
DJ: Bruno Bolfan
MUSIC PRODUCTION: Marko Milas
VIDEO: Urh Pirc
Feminism forgives - Motivated by the guilt and the prejudice of the sexually liberated woman from the institution of the Church, the author is re-enacting one of the iconic Biblical stories as a form of critique. By symbolic gesture of washing the feet (just like Mary Magdalene did to Jesus when she was asking for redemption for her sins) performance is inviting the audience to embody the role of institutionally stigmatized woman and the unexplored power she carries. Contrary to the Biblical story, the audience was washing the feet of the feminist body (author) who had written on her chest “feminism forgives”.
Wearing nothing but a skirt and bra, the author is exposing her vulnerability using it as the symbol of motherly understanding and care. Therefore, instead of begging for forgiveness, by the gesture of washing the feet of the feminist body author is behaving like the medium through which one is encouraged for the “sins”, opposite to the atonement and change. Croatia still is a religiously homogenous country where more than 90 % of the population is identifying as Christian not leaving the young generations much space to explore and own their body and identity.
Performed during Misplaced woman workshop in collaboration with Culture Hub Croatia.
Photos: Andrea Resner
Pedagogies of the sea - Phytoplankton is a natural infographic tool. Either communicating defensiveness, raise of temperatures or simply showing the state of key environments. Before the invention of science these sygnals have been adressed as mythical wonders reaching generations in a form of oral naration. In our modern communication-based society, information is spread a million times faster, becoming the main source of knowledge.
Therefore fake news will narrate, as a modern tale-teller, Phytoplankton’s story. A clickbait that keeps in account just the message that needs to reach more mouths as possible, giving back visibility and voice to Phytoplankton’s multifaceted, essential role. Its essence, as being the mediator between Ocean and humans, communicating the state and changes of water, needs to be acknowledged and emphasized.
Can our over-informative ultra-fast mythology have a positive impact in bringing attention to something that is invisible?
Project was developed in collaboration with Ginevra Petrozzi and Rebecca Schedler.
Naked Society - Analysing beach space as a case study, the present project highlights the social benefits of naked bodies.
Followed by the stigmergic act of undressing at a beach, the absence of urban clothes highlights the values of fragility, vulnerability and sincerity.
Naked society is a project which tries to underline mentioned values and allow different ways of bodily behaviours within a non-sexual scenario. Therefore the project is placed in the urban context where the contrast of social hierarchy and uniforms is often emphasised.
De-contextualizing the act of undressing through the playful way breaks the discomfort of such a private act making it a group experience. Approaching such delicate social phenomena in banal and fun performative act questions the social norms related to body image and behaviour.
Project was developed in collaboration with Abdoeline Soleman and Perrine Dedonato.
