Air Force One at Galerija 10m2

Although the works of French artist, Baptiste Debombourg, under the name Air Force One have been on display since the beginning of January, let us remind you that this art installation is available to the citizens of Zagreb until the end of March at Galerija 10m2, a copy of the popular gallery in Sarajevo, an art installation unto its own right.

Near the eastern entrance to Zagreb’s Students’ Center, a prefabricated copy of Sarajevo’s Galerija 10m2 gallery, first erected during the recently held Culture Fair, now houses a winter display – works entitled Air Force One by French conceptual artist Baptiste Debombourg.

Baptiste Debombourg, a former student of Lyon's Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts and Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris has a number of solo and collective exhibitions under his belt. 

By observing scenes from everyday life and taking elements from it to construct his installations, Debombourg examines the social and political issues of modern society.

The starting points of the work which is displayed on the 10 square meters of the gallery surface, modeled after Sarajevo’s well known Galerija 10m2, are the mythological figure of Icarus, the mannerism of Italian painters and the American president’s aircraft, Air Force One. 

Thus, combining the symbolism of an eternal hero, a growing pathos and the epitomized contemporary idea of power, the artist has managed to create a popular version of a myth featuring a hero who saves the world. However, by applying Duchamp’s readymade technique in the construction of this work and by using such a readily available piece of equipment as an office stapler, Debombourg brings his hero to the ground. 

Everybody who wants to learn more about the contemporary artistic ideas of the well established French conceptualist is encouraged to head to the Students’ Center and explore this art installation housed within another installation – a copy of a gallery.