FINDING A WAY Serbian art in Washington Works of nine contemporary Serbian artists will be exhibited at the Anacostia Arts Center and in the new building of the Serbian Embassy in Washington, D.C. from 17 th October to 5 th November
“The symbolism of “finding a way” is depicted in several aspects. There’s the desire to emphasise how thorny the path is from a work’s ac- tual creation to its final destination: the audience in Washington, but also the importance of international ex- changes of ideas and universal visi- bility. It poses the question of how one can distinguish oneself in an en- vironment of endless mass produc- tion, despite the fact that it appears at first glance as though new tech- nologies have created a multitude of new channels. Each of the nine artists (Vladislav Šćepanović, Nikola Kolja Božović, Goran Čpajak, Aleksandar Leka Mladenović, Đorđe Stanojević, Jovanka Mladenović, Ivan Milenk- ović, Tijana Kojić and Vuk Vučković) defined their own original style and constructed their own expression in ways that differ from the strong Yu- goslav school of fine art that domi- nated the second half of the 20 th cen- tury, thus creating a framework for the further development of free, con- temporary artistic thought in Serbia. And there’s also the question of the extent to which cultural diplomacy can influence the formation of opin- ions and the conveying of a message provided one finds the right way to address the presentation of one seg- ment of culture – in this case, con- temporary fine art,” explains Marija Milošević, head od Art for All gallery.
THE PROJECT FINDING A WAY is the fruit of a private initia- tive of Belgrade gallery Art for All and Mrs Elizabeth Escobar from Wash- ington, D.C., who became a great admirer of Serbian art and culture generally during her time spent in Belgrade. This group exhibition aims to present Serbia’s contemporary art scene at the intersection between generations, styles and the tech- niques that the selected authors use to deal with current topics that they wish to address critically and bring to the attention of the audi-
ence. The exhibition leads us on a journey of transformation, from source to materialisation, from fig- uration to abstraction. The path tak- en by artists in Serbia from initial idea to final materialisation, but al- so the way in which each of them individually asserts themselves, is the same for every generation and for all styles – filled with self-sacri- fice, dedication and professionalism. It is precisely this exertion and work, sometimes over the course of mul- tiple decades, that reflects the origi- nality that’s characteristic of contem- porary Serbian fine art.
Projekat su podržali Ministarstvo kulture, srpska ambasada u Vašingtonu i Er Srbija The project has been supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Serbian Embassy in Washington and Air Serbia
Autori / Authors: Jovanka Mladenović, Đorđe Stanojević, Nikola Kolja Božović, Goran Čpajak, Vuk Vučković
Exhibition » Izložba | 43
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