An interview with Janez Jan_a, Janez Jan_a and Janez Jan_a

An interview with Janez Jan_a, Janez Jan_a and Janez Jan_aArtist and media critic Alessandro Ludovico interviews the three artists named Janez Jan_a. Its no coincidence that they have the same name and not by chance that they share it with the former Slovenian Prime minister: they deliberately and officially changed the names theyd had from birth to Janez Jan_a. They also joined the right wing SDS party led by their homonymous counterpart. After that they experienced a visible disappearance from having

Artist and media critic Alessandro Ludovico interviews the three artists named Janez Jan_a. ItÕs no coincidence that they have the same name and not by chance that they share it with the former Slovenian Prime minister: they deliberately and officially changed the names theyÕd had from birth to Janez Jan_a. They also joined the right-wing SDS party led by their homonymous counterpart. After that they experienced a Òvisible disappearanceÓ from having canceled their previous names but simultaneously having gained huge visibility thanks to their radical gesture. Changing your name is similar to dying: it affects more people other than just you. But name-changing also raises ontological questions about identity, referentiality and, finally, about the status of a work of art. With their bureaucratic performance, the three Janez Jan_as have invented two new types of readymade: the personal name, and personal identification documents. Neither of them can be sold or reproduced.