“All Art is a Political Statement” will focus on Arijana Lekić-Fridrih’s “Silent Mass,” a performance enacted as a symbol of resistance to the “Be Manly” movement, a series of prayer events held in Croatian squares by men who call for the abolition of women’s rights. Every first Saturday of the month, male followers gather in public squares across Croatia to pray for women’s “chastity” and for men’s “masculine authority;” they kneel even though their movement is not directly related to the Catholic Church nor religion. There is evidence that they are funded by “Ordo luris,” an ultra-conservative organization that successfully campaigned in 2021 to deny Polish women abortion rights.
In an act of resistance, Lekić-Fridrih stands in front of this crowd of men while reading a statement about gender-based violence, inequality, and the legislative and daily violations of human rights against women in Croatia.
This lecture will feature the new book about Arijana Lekić- Fridrih’s work, authored by Rebekah Modrak (Disobedience Press, 2024), which offers Lekić- Fridrih’s video interviews and public performances as a guide for activism and collective action against retrograde restrictions on the freedom of women. Lekic-Fridrih’s presentation via Zoom will be followed by Professor Modrak leading a discussion in 555 Weiser Hall.
