Archive for: Текстови објављени у часопису Култура на страним језицима накнадно преведени на српски

One of the important issues addressed in post-colonial studies is the antagonism that exists between the cultures of colonizers and indigenous peoples, i.e. the antagonism that divides the “worlds” into the civilized and the savage, developed and backwards, sophisticated and primitive, rich and poor, and so on. Focusing on the post-colonial deconstruction of these binary oppositions imposed by Western culture, the text explores how such discourses have left the dominant structures untouchable, and have almost reified the otherness of “subordinates”. On the other hand, the text shows how cultural nomadism, which is not concerned with the origin but the destination and the becoming, potentially creates a new heterogeneous culture. Through nomadic strategies, stable and conventional cultural codes are modified and inserted into new contexts – assemblages, producing an alternative space and time, as well as a multiplicity of meanings within the closed circles. Furthermore, the essay explores how the post-colonial deconstruction can be applied to the visual arts of the last few decades. In parallel to the new world division, destabilisation of the center, globalization and, finally, fragmentation of identity, changes have occurred in the visual arts as well, in terms of some new artwork organization and production models. With the specific way of functioning, nomadic artists give a new paradigm for alternative culture that respects cultural diversity without hegemonies, superiors and subordinates.

The Serbian edition of The Narrow Road to Deep North (Uske staze ka Dalekom severu) by Matsuo Basho has a specific feature – the illustrations by Yosa Buson, the greatest haiku poet in the history of this poetry next to Matsuo Basho. He used to be a popular painter. As a great admirer of Basho’s work, he has made a dozen versions of illustrations for his Narrow Road, out of which one screen wall and two scralls remained. This book shows all fourteen pictures and one drawing (Stone Pillar Cubo) from the scrall dating back to 1779. Such a concept of Basho travels is novel even to Japan. The Narrow Road to the Deep North is said to be the most read piece of classical Japanese literature. For many Japanese it is a cult book. What is it about this Basho work written in the 17th century that attracts so the Japanese people living in the 21st century? Is it the free spirit of an eternal traveller liberated from everyday constraints? Or is it the author’s sincere, almost naive, relation to history which is sometimes welcome in the uncertain world we live in? Or, maybe, his infinite philantropy that radiates from every page of the book? In all probability it is a bit of everything.