JELENA JUREŠA
DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY
Don’t Take It Personally is a film concert by Jelena Jureša that intertwines themes of historical denial, collective violence, exile, and resistance. It unfolds as a bold protest film—an urgent, powerful indictment of human behaviour and societal dynamics in times of upheaval, shaped by the forces of capitalism and imperial greed. In a world increasingly suffocated by systemic injustices, where many are denied the right to breathe, Don’t Take It Personally emerges as a reclamation of that breath. Through the rhythm and cadence of its sequences, Jureša weaves a tapestry of relationships, inviting viewers to perceive capitalism as a pervasive infection, designed to seep systemic toxicity into the smallest details of our daily lives.
The first movement serves as a prologue—a visual score that navigates European museum collections, signaling how capitalism was not only glorified in the paintings of the “Dutch Golden Age” but also how the violence underpinning this period was concealed in plain sight. Here, the origins of modern capitalism intersect with the violent history of collecting. The rhythm, repetition, and close-ups serve as reminders that we are, in fact, witnessing a crime scene.
The second movement transitions into a live performance captured on 16mm film, featuring Dutch-Indonesian tap dancer Marije Nie and Croatian musicians Alen and Nenad Sinkauz. Their rhythmic exchange blends movement, sound, and speech, creating a dynamic interplay that highlights the dual nature of tap dancing as both a means of self-expression and an act of protest. The performer’s voice draws from the writings of Dubravka Ugrešić (1949–2023), who defied nationalist narratives in the wake of the Yugoslav Wars, leading to her exile in Amsterdam in 1993. The language during this section is guttural, beginning with a deep frustration toward a system that consumes us alive ‘like rats.’ From (micro)aggressions to genocide, from mass killings to capitalistic systems of oppression, the narrator’s voice booms with a warning.
A film by Jelena Jureša
With Marije Nie, Alen Sinkauz, Nenad Sinkauz
FIRST MOVEMENT
Camera: Jelena Jureša • Music: Nenad Sinkauz • Visual Effects: Dejan Šolajić
SECOND MOVEMENT
Recorded live at laGeste, Ghent & Belvedere at the Boekentoren, Ghent
Performers & musical dramaturgy: Marije Nie, voice & tap | Nenad Sinkauz, guitar, midi guitar, live electronics | Alen Sinkauz, bass and synths
Sound Engineering: Hrvoje Pelicarić • Based on excerpts from THE AGE OF SKIN by Dubravka Ugrešić • Director of Photography: Fiona Braillon • Focus Puller: Colas Besnard • Grip: Leo Robeet, Nathan Meysbrughen • Electrician: Gabriel Bertrand • Assistant: Florent Freyens • Costume: Anne-Catherine Kunz • Voice Coach: Patrick Campbell • Stage Manager at laGeste: Luc Laroy
Edited by: Jelena Jureša • Music Composed by: Alen Sinkauz, Nenad Sinkauz • Premix: Nenad Sinkauz, Hrvoje Pelicarić • Sound Editing: Hrvoje Pelicarić, Ivan Zelić • Re-recording Mixer: Ivan Zelić • Color Grading: Evy Roselet • Production team nona (Belgium): Andrea Cinel, executive producer | Alyssa Decq, production assistant • Production: Kinematograf (Croatia) | Dijana Mlađenović, producer • Postproduction Facilities Sound: Studio Nazor, Viba Film • Image: Charbon Studio, Color by DeJonghe • Produced by kunstencentrum nona & Kinematograf (Croatia) • Co-commisioned by BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht • With the support of the the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC), KASK&Conservatorium, KAAP, Kunsthal Ghent, laGeste, Klub Kotač, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rijeka, Kamov Residency