Kultura / Culture
Crystal at the confluence MoMA in New York, MoCA in Belgrade Belgrade’s Museum of Contemporary Art is a testament to the complicated history of social, political and cultural change in the country in which it has existed for almost 60 years
many exhibitions have achieved great success and exceptional responses from the public... “Yes, we are talking about the retrospective exhibitions The Clean- er by Marina Abramović, The Fig- ure as an Expression of Existence by Vladimir Veličković, One Min- ute Forever by Austrian artist Er- win Wurm, Unreliable Narrator by renowned Serbian sculptor Mrđan Bajić etc.” The MoCAB building is a genuine example of the no- tion of “architecture as sculpture”, with an inter- esting building shape and white marble at the spot where two major rivers come together. How do you perceive the building itself, as well as its specific loca- tion? “This building of unique mod- ernist beauty was designed by archi- tects Ivan Antić and Ivanka Raspop- ović. The museum has a unique interior design, with an expansive view towards the confluence of the Sava and Danube and Friendship Park, created in the idea of the ar-
current events, with its director, Marijana Kolarić. How do you view the im- portance of this institution from your current position; what makes MoCAB unique and significant for both Belgrade and the region? “The museum was established on 20 th October 1965, based on the model of New York’s MoMA, Muse- um of Modern Art, as the first mu- seum of this type in the region and the then Yugoslavia’s central mu- seum for modern and contempo- rary art. From its establishment to this day, the museum has endeav- oured to monitor, present and ed- ucate the public on the most sig- nificant artistic happenings and personalities, both in the country and abroad. With a legacy dating back almost 60 years, the museum’s heritage testifies to a complex his- tory of social, political and cultur- al change, as well as a rich collec- tion of art from the 20 th and 21 st centuries, with a focus on Yugoslav and Serbian artists.”
chitects to link the exhibition space with the sculpture park that still features works by the most famous Yugoslav sculptors of the 20 th cen- tury. Due to its specific shape, ar- chitecture and location, as well as the unique glass cubes that give it the appearance of a diamond, it is often described as a “crystal at the confluence” or as an “architectur- al jewel”, while its exceptional col- lection ensures that it really rep- resents a jewel to be discovered by all lovers of modern and contem- porary art.” To what extent does the in- terior contribute to the at- tractiveness of the exhibi- tions? “The reconstruction of the Mu- seum, apart from encompassing ex- tensive construction works on the adaptation and reconstruction of the building, integrated modern ap- proaches to the design of complex museum technological systems, firstly from the aspect of micro- climate optimisation of the build- ing, but also in terms of a complex and modern lighting system, includ- ing exhibition infrastructure creat- ed from new and durable materials. This created the highest contempo- rary museology standards.” What is MoCAB preparing for us for the culmination of the season, during No- vember and December? “This autumn, in the new exhi- bition season, we are able to offer the public Artist's Film – a new pro- gramme of art film dedicated to the moving image, to video and film. In this year’s first edition of the art film programme, MoCAB has the pleas- ure and honour of presenting a se- lection of films by artists who have to date received the highest world recognition and renown in the do- main of film, namely: Anri Sala, Shi- rin Neshat and Ali Cherri, who are also our guests at the Museum. We are also opening a retrospective ex- hibition of Zoran Naskovski, and in November an exhibition of tap- estries by Jagoda Buić, as well as much more that will certainly in- terest all art lovers.”
Following reconstruc- tion works that took ten years to complete , the Muse- um of Contemporary Art in Belgrade has once again restored its place as an indispensable hub of not only the cultural life of the city, but also of tourism. Akin to many major mu- seums in large Western European cities and capitals, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, Mo- CAB, hosts exhibitions of the most prominent contemporary domestic artists, but also appealing guests from abroad, throughout the year. Here we discuss the MoCAB’s rich history and importance, but also
Following the museum’s complete reconstruction and reopening in 2017,
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