November 2, 2024 - November 30, 2018
Opening: Friday 2 November 6 to 9pm
It’s a famed Bulgarian colloquialism to remark ‘oh, what a theatre!’ when bearing witness to conflict, the drama of politics or expression of passionate behaviour.
‘National Theatre’ is a result of works made in an extended period of residency in Alex’s mother nation of Bulgaria and expanded upon with his return to his nation of upbringing, Australia. The contradictions and possibilities of being influenced by both of these cultures simultaneously results in a questioning of the friction of differences and if any parity exists between them.
The work employs conventions of slang, counterfeit methods of reproduction and user-generated data to make inquiry into the question of understanding what it is to be ‘other’ versus to ‘belong’.
Alex Dabi Zhevi is best known for his analogue photography and independent publishing practices. This theatre of identity period has been a significant catalyst for a shift in his practice towards research, text and video-based works.