Born in Slovenia, Ištvan Išt Huzjan has made Brussels his permanent home. Not only the artist’s studio is located in the Belgian capital, but for the last five year’s he has also been co-running Artists Club Coffre Fort, an unconventional exhibition project showing art in a former vault. Earlier this year, Ištvan participated in the very first edition of “A Performance Affair”, a newly founded performance festival putting the spotlight on a genre that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. His performance “Line Umpire”, which consisted of the artist walking the entirety of the Brussels regional border, instantly caught our attention, and we had a chat with Ištvan about the intriguing idea, Belgium’s regional divide, and so much more.
How would you describe your artistic universe? How do you usually introduce yourself – as a conceptual artist?
Since most of my practice focuses on deconstructing images and their formulations, uses language and can not really anchor itself in any particular medium I guess I belong to a tradition of conceptualism… but if I am honest this kind of conversation rarely comes up. Most often within the art crowd I just say I do performance, make books and sculptures and to a wider audience I claim I am a painter.
What role does performance play in your overall practice?
Besides my studio work, I sometimes have ideas for images that demand my physical presence. All my performative acts are, in one way or another, a measurement. And the measuring tool is my body. It’s rare that an audience is present at my performances, which is why I document these measurements or movements with the help of photographs and objects. This is where my publishing practice comes in: my artist books are travelogues, sort of.
How did the idea for the walk come about? What’s the message and the goal behind it? What’s your relationship to Belgium?
I’ve been working and living in Brussels since 2011 and after almost a decade I consider it my second home. My hometown is Ljubljana. Between 1942 and 1945 it was occupied by the army of the Italian Kingdom, and after its capitulation in 1943 by the army of the Third Reich. Ljubljana was completely encircled by light fortification (wire, bunkers, reinforced entrances to the city…) and closed off from the outside. For three years, it was impossible to leave the city. After its liberation, people removed the wire and started the ritual of walking along the line where the wire used to stand – every 9th May, the anniversary of the liberation. It became so popular, that in the 60s a proposal was put forth to build a walking path commemorating the siege. A 4-meter-wide and 34-km-long tree-lined path of white pebbles was built in the 70s featuring monuments and commemorative signs along the way, and the walk still happens today. As I grew up right next to it, this path has a special meaning for me. The locals have integrated it into their daily life by taking walks with their dogs there, meet neighbours, or exercising, and teenagers hang out on the benches. But during World War II, this same space was used to control the city’s inhabitants. Ljubljana was a sort of an enclave, a panopticon. It made it even easier to control the wider region. As the first edition of Brussels festival “A Performance Affair” was titled “Panopticon”, it made me think of Ljubljana’s past. Today’s Brussels is also an enclave. A bilingual enclave, and of course very different from Ljubljana in the 40s, but also serving the purpose of keeping control, or balance. My idea behind my performance “Line Umpire” was to walk the Brussels regional border in order to see it and examine it las a non-partisan observer. Someone who does neither speak French nor Dutch.
Looking at your practice and past exhibitions, walking as a theme seems to be a returning motif in your work. Why?
As I mentioned before my body is a tool to measure with. Walking is one of the basic ways to do so, moving in an erect position and perpendicular to the centre of the earth. Stepping horizontally on its surface while meeting others seems to me a very human way to measure time.
The regional divide you mention – how have you, as a Slovenian, experienced it yourself?
Yes, I have. Generally, Belgians, both Dutch- and French-speaking, in particular Belgian artists, are nice, humble and humorous people. The only negative experiences I had in this context were with French expats. They always think I speak the wrong language and ask me why I don’t speak French and when I will learn it. My take on Brussels’ linguistic and political issues: the more languages, the merrier. I am against one-language-solutions; or one race, one flag, one nation… one is a terrible number.
How did the performance work practically?
I tried to do it in one day but it wasn’t possible. The Brussels border is 76 km long. That’s why it took me three days. My partner Tine accompanied me, and she also took care of the social media coverage. We had Instagram stories under the hashtag #istvanisthuzjan, and sent photographs and the coordinates of our position to the headquarters of the performance festival. We walked about 8 to 10 hours a day and then took the metro or bus to our flat in the city centre. In the morning we would take the same transport back and start from the same spot where we had stopped the day before.
What was the experience like for you?
My costume was kind of funny. I wore black-red pants and a yellow t-shirt. Just like a Belgian flag, I was walking with the black leg in Flanders and with the red one in Brussels. I looked like a jester. This was my way of making the line visible. My prediction was it would make people curious but in fact no-one really responded so I had no conversation or contact with people on the road. I think it’s a bit of a shame.
What fascinated you about doing a performance in public, not in an art venue, with possibly no direct “audience”?
The performances I do are usually situated in the public sphere. I am more interested in connecting everyday life with art, as opposed to using a stage where everyone expects an illusion. My performances are constructed like our daily chores: I do a certain activity in a certain timeframe. For example, I will put aside an hour to vacuum my apartment. I will not get paid to do so, but in today’s society, maintaining a certain level of hygiene defines what kind of person I am. The same principle is applied when I walk a certain distance, hide in a bus luggage compartment, ask a curator to walk around with me in a suitcase, or clean the streets of New York.
Regarding walking in connection to art: do you feel close to artists such as Hamish Fulton and Richard Long?
Yes. But even more so to the artists of OHO and Gutai.
Do you find it difficult to reconcile performance with the necessity of exhibitions and “monetizing” your art?
No. I developed a system making sure that there are aspects of my practice which are equally interesting and challenging as performing. When I make a book after a performance, I consider it a separate work. The same is true in regards to the market. Every single performance exists in the form of one chosen photograph representing the action, each time in a specific size, specifically printed and framed, and accompanied by text. They are all editions of five. This way, they are quickly recognisable and easy to exhibit.
You’re also one of the guys behind Artists Club Coffre Fort in Brussels, where you stage exhibitions in an old vault…
I run it together with Thibaut Espiau and Gregoire Mott, and it’s still a complete joy. We have been doing exhibitions for five years now at Hopstraat 63, and next year we are even expanding. It’s very exciting. Our motivation has always been meeting people. We are more of club than an exhibition space… It is pure fun for me but I believe that our different format and particularity of the space contribute to the diversity of what Brussels can offer.
Do you think it’s a good place for an artist?
Since the beginning I am divided between Ljubljana and Brussels, but I do spend most of my time here, where my studio is. I enjoy working here but at the same time it is easy to detach myself from Brussels and maybe that is what allows me to stay longer. Brussels doesn’t weigh on a person and it constantly offers new possibilities, just like it is constantly searching for its own character, but in reality this is exactly what defines it best.
Upcoming shows
Ištvan Išt Huzjan, Ana Hušman, and Marko Tadić at Francuski Paviljon, Zagreb, opens 7 November
Naplavine at Mestna Galerija, Nova Gorica, opens 30 November
Presque Rien at Geukens & De Vil, opens 30 January 2019
commander Kamagra en ligne: livraison discrète Kamagra – acheter kamagra site fiable
buccobet sans ordonnance: Pharmacie Express – nerisone crème sans ordonnance
diprosone lozione prezzo: Farmacia Subito – tinset gocce bambini prezzo
clarelux 500 sans ordonnance: sildénafil générique – prix tadalafil 10 mg
farmacia polonia online: comprar sildenafilo sin receta – comprar fenobarbital sin receta chile
ciqorin 100 mg prezzo: megavir effetti collaterali – farmacia online brescia
https://confiapharma.shop/# farmacia compra online rosario
minoxidil farmacia online: farmacia online comprar – farmacia online seidiferty
infection urinaire ordonnance: dentifrice bi fluoré – aphrodisiaque en pharmacie sans ordonnance
fosfomicina prezzo: Farmacia Subito – farmacia online miglior prezzo
pillola cerazette prezzo: Farmacia Subito – gladio bustine prezzo
virbagen omega zimox antibiotico prezzo imigran 50 mg compresse prezzo
seresta 10 mg sans ordonnance: sildГ©nafil prix – antifongique topique, vendu sans ordonnance en pharmacie
https://confiapharma.com/# farmacia online dr max
medicament pour arreter l’alcool sans ordonnance en pharmacie: Pharmacie Express – peut on aller en pharmacie de garde sans ordonnance
acheter viagra rap phyto gel complГ©ment alimentaire sur ordonnance
rheacalm a derma: Pharmacie Express – aphrodisiaque pour femme en pharmacie sans ordonnance
test covid sans ordonnance en pharmacie: Pharmacie Express – corticoide sans ordonnance
farmacia online espanha tiendas de farmacia online la pastilla del dia despues se puede comprar sin receta
acheter saxenda sans ordonnance: Pharmacie Express – advil sans ordonnance prix
https://confiapharma.com/# estudiar farmacia online gratis
farmacia online lucca: farmacia online svizzera – robilas compresse prezzo
avene trixera lait nutri fluide ordonnance cystite en ligne cicaplast la roche posay levres
farmacia online pildora anticonceptiva: Confia Pharma – el ibuprofeno se puede comprar sin receta medica
farmacia online pisa: farmacia online xativa – farmacia veterinaria online svizzera
natrum muriaticum 5 ch: hexaquine sans ordonnance – solupred sans ordonnance en pharmacie
delecit 600 bustine prezzo recensioni farmacia online puntura pappataci gonfiore
muscoril fiale prezzo: cortisone cane dopo quanto fa effetto – voltaren e muscoril fiale prezzo
https://inpharm24.com/# india pharmacy viagra
cheap prednisone: mexican pharmacy vyvanse – can u order pain pills online
https://pharmexpress24.shop/# panadol osteo pharmacy
pharmacy india InPharm24 buy online medicine
rx store online: mexican pharmacy ritalin – drugs you can buy in mexico
india pharmacy international shipping: online medicine order – online india pharmacy reviews
sun pharmacy india pharmacy india online india pharmacy market outlook
https://inpharm24.com/# india pharmacies
prescriptions from india: pharmacy india – buy medicine online in india
drug stores online: Pharm Mex – mexico prescription meds
buy medicines online InPharm24 india pharmacy delivery to usa
optum rx pharmacy: princeton u store pharmacy – cyprus online pharmacy
retail pharmacy market in india: pharmacy in india – buy drugs from india
tadalafil generic pharmacy: singapore online pharmacy – percocet no prescription pharmacy
envision rx pharmacy locator: rite rx care pharmacy – pharmacy store usa
https://pharmexpress24.shop/# live pharmacy continuing education online
ohio pharmacy law adipex propecia from inhouse pharmacy mexican pharmacy propranolol
best pharmacy franchise in india: india pharmacy market – india prescription drugs
pharmacy intern drug store: generic propecia united pharmacy – online pharmacy fincar
pharmacy at home viagra save rx pharmacy Tenoretic 100mg
can you buy ozempic in mexico: mexican farmacia – international online pharmacies
first online pharmacy in india: InPharm24 – top online pharmacy in india
flomax online pharmacy: Promethazine – georgia board of pharmacy
https://inpharm24.shop/# apollo pharmacy india
best online pharmacy india azelaic acid india pharmacy pharmacy india
online pharmacies in mexico: Pharm Mex – mexican pharmacy los algodones
mexican pharmacy lexapro: cigna online pharmacy – online pharmacy no prior prescription
finasteride cheap pharmacy online: Pharm Express 24 – pharmacy store in usa
vyvanse mexican pharmacy purple pharmacy mexico steroids in mexican pharmacy
giant food store pharmacy: Pharm Express 24 – levitra coupons pharmacy
can i buy mounjaro in mexico: Pharm Mex – tirzepatide in mexico
mexico drug store viagra mexican pharmacy mexican pharmacy phone numbers
xeloda online pharmacy: Pharm Express 24 – online pharmacy painkillers
https://pharmmex.shop/# buying antibiotics in mexico
cialis pharmacy coupon: Pharm Express 24 – clozapine pharmacy registry
shoppers pharmacy: Pharm Express 24 – sam’s club pharmacy propecia
advair diskus online pharmacy: lidocaine cream pharmacy – Gyne-Lotrimin
top online pharmacy india best online pharmacy india india meds
meds.com.mx: medications for sale – mexico pet pharmacy
e pharmacy in india: india mart pharmacy – india pharmacy ship to usa
https://pharmexpress24.com/# triamcinolone acetonide cream pharmacy
discount pharmacies: Pharm Express 24 – search rx pharmacy discount card
pharmacy store in india InPharm24 when first pharmacy course was started in india
india e-pharmacy market size 2025: india mail order pharmacy – online pharmacy india
india pharmacy cialis: InPharm24 – compounding pharmacy in india
viagra 100mg uk: where to buy viagra with paypal – order viagra by phone
where can i buy viagra over the counter in canada: how to viagra tablet – pfizer viagra online pharmacy
viagra 200mg online: VGR Sources – viagra 100mg online canada
female viagra capsule best viagra capsule female viagra 18
https://vgrsources.com/# viagra 125 mg
sildenafil 100mg free shipping: buy generic viagra from india – buy generic viagra 100mg
buy viagra online free shipping: VGR Sources – buy viagra 2013 usa
generic sildenafil without a prescription: buying viagra on line – canadian pharmacy viagra no prescription
women viagra price VGR Sources female viagra medication
viagra buy online: sildenafil 100 mg lowest price – buying sildenafil uk
viagra cialis levitra online: buy viagra online australia paypal – how much is the viagra pill
cheap prices for viagra: VGR Sources – sildenafil 50
https://vgrsources.com/# online sildenafil india
viagra 100 pill VGR Sources viagra over the counter usa
where can i get female viagra uk: where to buy viagra in canada safely – viagra tablet online
where can you buy female viagra pill: VGR Sources – sildenafil over the counter usa
sildenafil price 50 mg: VGR Sources – generic sildenafil in usa
order sildenafil online uk: buy 1 viagra pill – how to buy real viagra
buy cheap generic viagra VGR Sources price of sildenafil 50 mg
viagra 100 pill: VGR Sources – otc sildenafil 20 mg tablets
viagra generic online canada: VGR Sources – price of viagra 100mg
https://vgrsources.com/# can i buy sildenafil online
where to get viagra pills: VGR Sources – where can i buy real viagra online
viagra 50 mg cost canada viagra buy viagra 20mg price
canadian viagra prescription: VGR Sources – is viagra safe
where to buy viagra online in australia: sildenafil citrate online – where to buy women viagra
order viagra online pharmacy: Sildenafil 50 mg Indien online – viagra pills for men
real viagra without a prescription viagra pills prescription order sildenafil online without prescription
canadian pharmacy viagra uk: VGR Sources – viagra brand name in india
sildenafil 100mg order: VGR Sources – sildenafil prices
buy sildenafil citrate 100mg: buy sildenafil in canada – sildenafil over counter
https://vgrsources.com/# sildenafil generic without prescription
over the counter viagra 2017 VGR Sources cost of 100mg viagra pill
sildenafil citrate 50 mg: viagra 2019 – how to get viagra united states
viagra cost in us: VGR Sources – female viagra real
sildenafil 100 online: 300 mg viagra – viagra 40 mg
viagra gel for sale VGR Sources viagra brand name generic drug
where to buy viagra in us: VGR Sources – safe online viagra
viagra 200mg tablets: VGR Sources – how to viagra
sildenafil citrate generic: VGR Sources – cost of 100mg viagra
https://vgrsources.com/# buy viagra 500mg
female viagra sildenafil 25 mg daily viagra online cheap india
how to get sildenafil online: viagra pills over the counter canada – generic viagra medication
where to buy generic sildenafil: viagra professional online – how to buy real viagra online
viagra buy over the counter: VGR Sources – sildenafil us pharmacy
viagra tablet 150 mg: VGR Sources – order viagra with paypal
viagra usa VGR Sources viagra online cheap india
cheapest pharmacy price for viagra: VGR Sources – where can i buy viagra over the counter uk
where to get viagra in canada: viagra 50 mg buy online – viagra cheap online
https://vgrsources.com/# buy sildenafil online australia
where can i buy viagra over the counter: VGR Sources – sildenafil citrate tablets 100mg
buy viagra over the counter uk: 40 mg sildenafil – best price for viagra 100mg
viagra 100 coupon canada drug sildenafil buy viagra pills canada
buy discount viagra online: where to buy sildenafil online – viagra over the counter us
sildenafil price 100mg: generic viagra in australia – best viagra pills
where to get viagra: cost of prescription viagra – sildenafil 20 mg tablet cost
price of viagra 50mg in india buy genuine viagra online uk cost of generic viagra in india
viagra pills online order: VGR Sources – viagra 50 mg tablet price in india
sildenafil over the counter us: VGR Sources – canada brand viagra
viagra viagra: VGR Sources – viagra 500
https://vgrsources.com/# price of viagra tablets
generic sildenafil soft tabs VGR Sources buy viagra online mexico
cheap viagra 50mg: VGR Sources – viagra no prescription canada
cheap sildenafil tablets: VGR Sources – how much is sildenafil 50 mg
us viagra prices VGR Sources viagra cream price in india
Order cholesterol medication online: USA-based pharmacy Lipitor delivery – Discreet shipping for Lipitor
Crestor Pharm: Rosuvastatin tablets without doctor approval – rosuvastatin recall 2024
CrestorPharm: Crestor Pharm – Crestor Pharm
http://lipipharm.com/# atorvastatin 20 mg uses in hindi
Semaglu Pharm rybelsus compounded п»їBuy Rybelsus online USA
fda semaglutide: п»їBuy Rybelsus online USA – Semaglu Pharm
PredniPharm: prednisone without prescription medication – PredniPharm
atorvastatin and blood clots: lipitor 40 mg para que sirve – rosuvastatin to atorvastatin conversion
Predni Pharm PredniPharm cheap generic prednisone
LipiPharm: Affordable Lipitor alternatives USA – antidote for atorvastatin
https://semaglupharm.shop/# Semaglu Pharm
Predni Pharm: PredniPharm – PredniPharm
Crestor Pharm: CrestorPharm – Order rosuvastatin online legally
Semaglu Pharm Safe delivery in the US SemagluPharm
CrestorPharm: Buy cholesterol medicine online cheap – Safe online pharmacy for Crestor
CrestorPharm: Crestor mail order USA – CrestorPharm
Semaglu Pharm: Semaglu Pharm – can you cut rybelsus
time of day to take lipitor pravastatin vs atorvastatin side effects atorvastatin max dose
http://crestorpharm.com/# rosuvastatin side effects
Crestor Pharm: Crestor Pharm – red rice yeast vs crestor
CrestorPharm: CrestorPharm – Buy Crestor without prescription
india buy prednisone online PredniPharm Predni Pharm
Crestor home delivery USA: No doctor visit required statins – crestor gГ©nГ©rique
rybelsus (semaglutide tablets): semaglutide breastfeeding – No prescription diabetes meds online
pronounce atorvastatin Cheap Lipitor 10mg / 20mg / 40mg LipiPharm
Lipi Pharm: LipiPharm – atorvastatin calcium cost
http://crestorpharm.com/# CrestorPharm
LipiPharm: LipiPharm – atorvastatin used for
Buy statins online discreet shipping: price of crestor 20 mg – CrestorPharm
prednisone canada prices prednisone 40 mg PredniPharm
why was lipitor taken off the market?: LipiPharm – LipiPharm
Affordable Lipitor alternatives USA: Lipi Pharm – Generic Lipitor fast delivery
rybelsus used for weight loss: Semaglu Pharm – Semaglu Pharm
Generic Crestor for high cholesterol: Crestor Pharm – CrestorPharm
SemagluPharm Semaglu Pharm Semaglu Pharm
10 mg prednisone: order prednisone online canada – can you buy prednisone over the counter in mexico
http://lipipharm.com/# Lipi Pharm
prednisone price south africa prednisone prednisone 5 mg tablet cost
Crestor Pharm: Crestor mail order USA – rosuvastatin vs atorvastatin side effects
Semaglu Pharm: No prescription diabetes meds online – SemagluPharm
FDA-approved generic statins online Lipi Pharm Lipi Pharm
Affordable Lipitor alternatives USA: LipiPharm – Lipi Pharm
crestor images: crestor 5mg generic – Crestor Pharm
http://lipipharm.com/# LipiPharm
Crestor mail order USA: CrestorPharm – Buy cholesterol medicine online cheap
prednisone cream over the counter: where can i buy prednisone without prescription – where to buy prednisone uk