Exhibits,
Ju Bavyka Do you like it here?
Opening: Wednesday 25 May 6-8pm Dates: Thursday 26 May - Saturday 6 August 2022
Do you like it here? is inspired by this question. It presents itself as innocent, part of small talk. I am asked this question while waiting for a coffee or in the sauna on a Friday night, shortly after I reveal myself. It draws a line between the one who asks the question and the one who is asked, perpetuating a set of simplified answers. When asked repeatedly, it feels like a tight boot on the foot.
Do you like it here? is a series of texts and drawings that channel observations from the street to the stomach in an attempt to find some relations to here.
Ju Bavyka is a Kazakhstan-born artist, arts worker and (migrant) writer living on the lands of the Gadigal and Wangal of the Eora Nation (Sydney). They are interested in the intersection of artistic and everyday research and always on the alert for practices of hospitality and generosity, as well as labour conditions and survival tips. They work both solo and with others, such as in collaborative projects Mladen Stilinović Study Centre (2016–19) and Soft Infrastructure with Connie Anthes (2019–). Their writing has been recently published in the artist’s book Cp 20 (Yellow George/Schmick Projects, 2021), un Magazine 15.2 (2021), the poetry collection the moment you realise what you don’t have to be (self-published, 2022) and Runway Journal (2022). Ju participated in the Firstdraft Writers Program in 2021 and is a janitor at Frontyard Projects in Marrickville, Sydney.
