We are all in this alone

installation view

The title of Yane Calovski and Hristina Ivanoska’s project, We are all in this
alone, is an expression of acceptance and finality, and yet it is in itself a paradox:
combining in one phrase both a collective and individual state of being. The idea
of the individual “alone” suggests a condition of isolation and fragility, but perhaps
also of accountability. In the end, we are responsible for, and are ultimately left
to reconcile, the motivations behind, and consequences of, our behaviors, beliefs
and actions as individuals within “this”, the larger world that we occupy.
The emphasis on isolation stands in contrast with much religious doctrine
that is built around the belief that no-one is ever really alone, but is part of a
wider community, united through a faith that has the capacity to transcend
even the most unpredictable or adverse circumstances. In many cases faith can
be reflective of a lifelong search for structure and meaning, whether through a
belief in specific religious ideologies, social and political systems or institutional
practices. Depending on their specific contexts, such structures can provide
guidance, strength in community and a sense of belonging, but conversely, may
prove confining, or even oppressive in nature.
It is the complex and at times mutable connections between societal and personal
relationships to faith that are of interest to Calovski and Ivanoska, whose individual
practices have explored topics such as the failed utopias of the modern age,
fractured and incomplete narratives of history and challenges to the social norms
established by prevailing social and political systems. Inspired in this instance by
the work of writers and artists who have undertaken a personal re-examination of
faith, or who have experienced a conflicted relationship to religion over the course
of their lives, Calovski and Ivanoska question the role and relevance of faith in
contemporary society. This focus on individual experience suggests that one of
the strongest manifestations of faith might be in the reflection and action around
one’s own values and beliefs —in essence, assuming personal responsibility for
one’s faith within a larger societal context. For some, this may mean participating
in a communal faith, while for others this might involve taking a different path,
questioning and perhaps ultimately rejecting the very structures of the society
and culture that they are part of.

from the text "On Faith" by Anne Barlow