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BIENNALE 2022
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HISTORY
HISTORY OF VENICE BIENNALE Countless Masters have been invited to present their works at the International Art Exhibition; important critics and art historians curated the main exhibitions and the National Pavilions: a very long list of central figures in the history of 20th-century art that contributed to generate and develop the “pluralism of voices” which has characterized La Biennale di Venezia since its birth tant critics and art historians curated the main exhibitions and the National Pavilions: a very long list of central figures in the history of 20th-century art that contributed to generate and develop the “pluralism of voices” which has characterized La Biennale di Venezia since its birth. Meant to become a World Fair focused on contemporary art, the Venice Biennale used as a pretext the wedding anniversary of the Italian king and followed up to several national exhibitions
BIENNALE, ITALIAN FOR "BIENNIAL" OR "EVERY OTHER YEAR", IS ANY EVENT THAT HAPPENS EVERY TWO YEARS. IT IS MOST COMMONLY USED WITHIN THE ART WORLD TO DESCRIBE LARGESCALE INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITIONS iennale, Italian for "biennial" or "every other year", is any event that happens every two years. It is most commonly used within the art world to describe large-scale international contemporary art exhibitions. The International Art Exhibition, the “great mother” of all the Biennale activities, was organised for the first time in
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1895 and immediately became one of the most important art exhibitions in the world. A prestige which is maintained today for the ability of La Biennale to anticipate new trends in art and, at the same time, to present works and artists of every period under renewed perspectives. Countless Masters have been invited to present their works at the International Art Exhibition; impor-
organised after Italy unification in 1861. The Biennale immediately put forth issues of city marketing, cultural tourism and urban regeneration, as it was meant to reposition Venice on the international cultural map after the crisis due to the end of the Grand Tour model and the weakening of the Venetian school of painting. Furthermore, the Gardens where the Biennale takes place were
an abandoned city area that needed to be re-functionalised. In cultural terms, the Biennale was meant to provide on a biennial basis a platform for discussing contemporary art practices that were not represented in fine arts museums at the time. The early Biennale model already included some key points that are still constitutive of large-scale international art exhibitions today: a mix of city marketing, internationalism, gentrification issues and destination culture, and the spectacular, large scale of the event. The pavilion which was to host the first exhibition was feverishly built in the public gardens in Castello, just in time for the opening ceremony with the presence of King and Queen of Savoy, and the enthusiastic participation of the Venetian public. There were over 200,000 visitors at the first International Art Exhibition of the City of Venice (later to be called the Biennale because it took place every two years). The special return train tickets, which included entrance to the exhibition, contributed to this great success. The major Prize, being the result of an impartial judgement, was attributed both to Giovanni Segantini, for his Return to Native Village, and to Francesco Paolo Michetti for his painting Jorio's Daughter: since two artistic trends were recognised, the most representative personalities were commended. But the
work that raised the biggest stirr, due of its risqué subject matter, was Giacomo Grosso's Supreme Meeting, depicting a dead man surrounded by nude female figures. This piece was to win a prize by a popular referendum which took place at the closing of the exhibiton. There was a particular relationship between the Biennale and Picasso: In
THERE WERE OVER 200,000 VISITORS AT THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION OF THE CITY OF VENICE (LATER TO BE CALLED THE BIENNALE BECAUSE IT TOOK PLACE EVERY TWO YEARS)! 1905, Fradeletto, the General Secretary, had one of his pieces removed from the Spanish Pavilion, as he feared that Picasso's innovative artistic language may cause a public scandal. Picasso's works were only to be exhibited at the Biennale in 1948, thanks to a retrospective curated by Guttuso. In the period after the First World War, the Biennale showed an increasing interest towards the most innovative
artistic trends, thanks to the new General Secretary Vittorio Pica, that had been interested in the Impressionists since 1908. In 1920 Paul Signac, the curator of the French Pavilion, exhibited 17 of his own works and other works by Cézanne, Seurat, Redon, Matisse, and Bonnard, whilst the Dutch Pavilion proposed a retrospective of Van Gogh, and the Swiss Pavilion, Hodler. After the Second World War the Biennale resumed activity with one of its favourite subjects: French Impressionism, presented by Roberto Longhi in a memorable retrospective. The 24th Biennale in 1948 was particularly significant due to its reconsideration of the avant-garde, made possible also by the commitment of the foreign pavilions. The General Secretary Rodolfo Pallucchini organised the first five Biennale exhibitions after the War (from 1948 to 1956). This period of time enabled him to present an overall view of European avant-garde, which still however, excluded Dadaism. Above all, he succeeded in rendering contemporary art more accessible to the Italian public. Back to present days: The 49th International Art Exhibition took place from June 10 to November 4, 2001, under the title Plateau of Humankind. It was directed, as the 1999 edition, by the Swiss critic Harald Szeemann and attracted over 243,400 visitors. Szeemann
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said that “No set theme was applied in choosing the artists; indeed, it is their work which decides the dimension of the event. The Venice Biennale hopes to serve as a raised platform offering a view over humankind”. A key work by Joseph Beuys, The End of the Twentieth Century, was exhibited. In 2011, it was Swiss art historian and critic Bice Curiger who curated the exhibition, titled ILLUMInations. This 54th edition of the International Art Exhibition was another record event, boasting an attendance of over 440,000 visitors (+18% when compared to the previous edition). 83 international artists were exhibited in the main section, 62 of them for the first time, 32 young artists were born after 1975 and 32 were women artists. A record number also for National participations, 89, and a remarkable presence of Collateral events, 37. The 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled The Milk of Dreams, is open to the public from Saturday April 23 to Sunday November 27, 2022, at the Giardini and the Arsenale; it is curated by Cecilia Alemani and organised by La Biennale di Venezia chaired by Roberto Cicutto. The Pre-opening took place on April
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20, 21 and 22; the Awards Ceremony and Inauguration were held on 23 April 2022. “The Milk of Dreams takes its title from a book by Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) – Cecilia Alemani stated – in which the Surrealist artist describes a magical world where life is constantly re-envisioned through the prism of the imagination. It is a world where everyone can change, be transformed, become something or someone else. The Exhibition The Milk of Dreams takes Leonora Carrington’s otherworld-
AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR THE BIENNALE RESUMED ACTIVITY WITH ONE OF ITS FAVOURITE SUBJECTS: FRENCH IMPRESSIONISM, PRESENTED BY ROBERTO LONGHI IN A MEMORABLE RETROSPECTIVE
ly creatures, along with other figures of transformation, as companions on an imaginary journey through the metamorphoses of bodies and definitions of the human. The Exhibition will also include 80 National Participations in the historic Pavilions at the Giardini, at the Arsenale and in the city centre of Venice. 5 countries will be participating for the first time at the Biennale Arte: Republic of Cameroon, Namibia, Nepal, Sultanate of Oman, and Uganda. Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Republic of Uzbekistan participate for the first time with their own Pavilion. The Italian Pavilion at the Tese delle Vergini in the Arsenale, sponsored and promoted by the Ministero della Cultura, Direzione Generale Arte e Architettura Contemporanee e Periferie Urbane, is curated by Eugenio Viola. The Collateral Events, which are admitted by the Curator and promoted by non–profit national and international bodies and institutions, will take place in several locations around the city of Venice. They offer a wide range of contributions and participations that enrich the diversity of voices that characterizes the Exhibition.
MAJA GOJKOVIĆ, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF CULTURE AND INFORMATION
A STEP INTO THE MAGICAL WORLD OF ARTISTS At this year's 59th International Contemporary Art Exhibition in Venice, the Serbian Minister of Culture and Information, Maja Gojković, officially opened the Serbia Pavilion and on that occasion addressed the guests he Minister pointed out that the Venice Biennale, a unique holiday of culture, has been gathering the most important contemporary artists, art lovers and art admirers in one place for almost 140 years. She also said that, for our country, the Biennale is one of the most important cultural events that create an authentic picture of the global art scene and provides the artists with the opportunity to present themselves in the best light. The Venice Biennale is also an opportunity to ask a variety of questions and give, or at least hint at, the answers that contemporary art can provide. “The Walk with Water project, which this year represents the Republic of Serbia (the work of artist Vladimir Nikolic and curator Biljana Ciric), openly and essentially responds to the theme of this year's Biennale - "Milk of Dreams" - defined by the Biennale’s artistic director Cecilia Alemani. According to her, the theme symbolizes a world in which "everyone can change, transform and, become something or someone else," Ms Gojković stated. According to her, the immediate answer to the question of constant changes in nature and society, which are the stamp of the modern age, is found by stepping into the magical world of art-
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ists. "In it, through the element of water, there is an inspiration to seek answers to the more than current issue of individual responsibility towards the planet, other people and life forms. Today, perhaps more than ever, it captures the attention of all humanity. History teaches us that art, almost without exception, can provide adequate and accurate answers to the challenges concerning the common future," the minister added.
HISTORY TEACHES US THAT ART, ALMOST WITHOUT EXCEPTION, IS ABLE TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE AND ACCURATE ANSWERS TO THE CHALLENGES CONCERNING THE COMMON FUTURE Then, she thanked Princess Jelisaveta Karadjordjević for accepting to be a guest of the Serbia Pavilion of Serbia. "By doing so, she highlighted the importance of the role that Prince Pavle Karadjordjević in the construction of the Pavilion, helped
by the most eminent museum experts of the time, with by Milan Kašanin, the then director of the Knez Pavle Museum (The Prince Pavle Museum) in Belgrade, at the helm. Thanks to that visionary act, our country has been appearing at the Biennale since 1938,” Ms Gojković added. She also said that what Prince Pavle and his associates recognized as key reasons for the construction of the Pavilion in the early 1930s are still relevant today. "On the one hand, appearance at the Venice Biennale significantly contributes to the cultural reputation of a country in the international arena. On the other hand, participation in this event gives artists greater visibility and easier access to exhibition spaces around the world. Also, there is an inexhaustible source of creativity and imagination in our country, as seen at the Biennale. I believe that the artists who represent Serbia this year, as well as many other well-known and talented creators, will continue on the path blazed by the greatest artists who exhibited here," the Minister of Culture and Information concluded. She ended her speech by congratulating the artist, curator, commissioner and director of the successful exhibition, and invited the guests to peruse the exhibition together and discover the secret of "Walking with Water".
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OUR APPEARANCE AT THE BIENNALE
WE ARE ALL MADE OF WATER At the opening of the Serbia Pavilion, at the 59th Art Biennale in Venice, curator Biljana Ćirić, who, together with the artist Vladimir Nikolić, worked on the "Walk with Water" project, which represented Serbia at this year's Biennale, addressed the audience iljana Ćirić gave a welcome address during which she said that Vladimir and she staged the exhibition by being in constant communication with each other and that, in her welcome speech, she speaks both for him and her, as a collective expression of their connection. She added that she firmly believed that once an exhibition is staged it creates a whole different world unto itself and speaks on its own behalf as a physical and mental experience which your body and mind will remember as such. "Walking with water also suggests thinking with water. According to Donna Haraway, thinking with water means co-habiting with difficulties like the difficulty of learning to become a different kind of people in a world that rec-
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WE ARE ALL FACING THE SAME QUESTION HERE - HOW THE ART WORLD WE SEE TODAY CAN INFLUENCE AND UNITE SOCIETIES DURING THE PERIOD OF WAR, THE PANDEMIC AND GOING THROUGH THE DEEPEST CRISES OF HUMANITY ognizes our interconnectedness. We are all facing the same question here how the art world we see today can influence and unite societies during the
period of war, the pandemic and going through the deepest crises of humanity," Ms Ćirić added. According to her, the Walk with Water project reminds us that we are all made of water, and that water in us and around us forces us to have fun with relational ontology and our relationship with other water bodies and surfaces. "We want to draw attention to the fact that the artist has created both works in the last three years during his continuous research of film, painting and human relations with a world that does not belong only to people. The exhibition consists of two new art pieces – ‘800 Metres’ and ‘The Document’ - which are the result of Vladimir's relationship with water and technology," said the curator.
She added that during the conversation about The Document, Vladimir told her: "The concept of The Document contains a hidden feeling of fear of a reality that is no longer safe. Not in the sense of changing our point of view, which has been shaped by various cultural models for a long time, but in the sense of physical changes in reality itself. When I say the word "document" in that context, it also contains fear of the future - fear of the direction we are heading and the growing irrationality of our cultural and ideological models." Ms Ćirić went on to say: "For us, water knows no national borders. We experience it as described by Epeli Hau'ofa, more as a point of connection than a point of separation. Although we represent Serbia today, we also stand in solidarity with our colleagues who deal with this same topic around the world, striving every day to provide answers to urgent questions. Given that we are all involved in this collective process of learning and unlearning, we hope that our project will also make its modest contribution to collective knowledge on the path to deep listening.” Before the end of the speech, she invited the audience to have a talk with her, Vladimir Nikolić and their friend and associate Marko Skotini, on the occasion of the presentation of the book which publication Marko helped.
Vladimir Nikolić was born in 1974 in Belgrade and graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade in 1999. After graduating, he attended the School of History and Theory of Painting at the Centre for Contemporary Art Belgrade. He got his Master's degree in 2005 from the Faculty of Fine Arts, and his doctor-
GIVEN THAT WE ARE ALL INVOLVED IN THIS COLLECTIVE PROCESS OF LEARNING AND UNLEARNING, WE HOPE THAT OUR PROJECT WILL ALSO MAKE ITS MODEST CONTRIBUTION TO COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE ON THE PATH TO DEEP LISTENING ate in 2016 from the same faculty, where he also teaches at the Department of New Media. He uses video as his primary medium, and since 2001, he has exhibited at international and national group and solo exhibitions. Mr Nikolić perfected his artistic practice at residency programmes in New York, Par-
is, Marseille, Rome, Guangzhou, Stockholm and Ljubljana. According to the Commission, the proposed project of Vladimir Nikolić and Biljana Ćirić met all the propositions prescribed by the competition in the best possible way - from artistic quality, innovation, clear conceptualization and correspondence with the central theme of the event, through a convincing and feasible financial proposal and distinguished professional biographies of artists and curators, both in our country and abroad, which contributes to the establishment and improvement of international cooperation, and above all the affirmation of the contemporary art scene in Serbia on a global scale. The Commission reviewed 35 proposals before approving the project. Eight of them were shortlisted, and project authors were given the opportunity to further explain their projects. The Minister of Culture, Maja Gojković, who also spoke at the opening, said that the immediate answer to the question of constant changes in nature and society, which are the stamp of the modern age, was stepping into the magical world of artists. In it, through the element of water, there is an inspiration for seeking answers to the more than current issue of individual responsibility towards the planet, other people and life forms.
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MAJA KOLARIĆ, DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART BELGRADE AND COMMISSIONER OF THE SERBIA PAVILION
THE BAR IS SET HIGH FOR FUTURE REPRESENTATIVES OF SERBIA There are always many challenges when it comes to such large-scale projects like bureaucratic restrictions that do not apply only to our institution, as well as the rules and procedures prescribed by the Biennale Directorate mmediately after the vernissage and opening of the Serbian Pavilion at the 59th International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale, where Serbia was presented by the project Walk with Water by the artist Vladimir Nikolić and curator Biljana Ćirić, the contemporary art online platform, Artsy, declared our pavilion one of the 10 best national pavilions. In addition to the Serbian Pavilion, Artsy also chose the American, German and British pavilions, which were awarded the Golden Lion for the best national pavilions this year. The director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade and the commissioner of the Serbian Pavilion, Maja Kolarić, said on the occasion that as the commissioner of Serbia’s appearance at this year's Biennale, this news brought her a lot of joy, bearing in mind the many challenges they Serbian representation faced in organizing its appearance and participating in the Venice Biennale. They also feared that the situation with Covid-19 would not make it possible to open the exhibition to the public at all. “As the commissioner of the Serbian Pavilion, I was greatly honoured to have had the opportunity to cooperate with exceptional colleagues, especially Professor Jerko Denegri, but also with other members of the commission who are very well known to the specialised public, including my colleagues Ana Ereš, Jasmina Čubrilo and Sarita Vujković, as well as the artist Ivan Grubanov, who only a few years, presented Serbia with notable success right here in Venice" the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art added.
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She also said that at the public competition, a total of 35 projects were submitted which were all exceptional in terms of their artistic qualities and that the art project Walk with Water by artist Vladimir Nikolić and curator Biljana Ćirić received a unanimous vote. According to Ms Kolarić, they were successful in increasing the initial budget by several million thanks to the approval of the Ministry of Culture and Information, and those funds were additionally invested in arranging the pavilion and producing the exhibition, which, in turn, greatly contributed to fulfilling all desired artistic requirements of the Serbian project. "There are always many challenges when it comes to such large-scale projects like bureaucratic restrictions that do not apply only to our institution, as well as the rules and procedures prescribed by the Biennale Directorate, such as that the Pavilion must be de-
signed and adapted only by a licensed architect who is also licensed to work in Italy,” Ms Kolarić explained. Plus, she added, Catholic Easter fell right in the middle of the exhibition timeline so it was impossible to do anything. Still, the Museum of Contemporary Art’s team, as the organizer of Serbia’s appearance at the Biennale, has managed to overcome all visible and invisible obstacles and implement the project at a very high-quality level. This was evidenced in the reactions and praise that they have been getting from both the national and international public on a daily basis. "This exhibition has set the bar high for the next representatives at this most prestigious world art event, and I am very proud to have given my vote to this project in the competition", concluded the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art and the commissioner of the Serbia Pavilion, Maja Kolarić.
PRINCESS JELISAVETA KARADJORDJEVIĆ
ART INFUSES HOPE IN THIS SURREAL TIME While being keenly aware that a team of top-notch professionals participated in the presentation of this project, which represents Serbia, with the huge support of the Republic of Serbia’s Ministry of Culture and Information, at the same time, I think how important it is to have more such performances worldwide
t this year's 59th Venice Biennale, a special guest, Princess Jelisaveta Karadjordjević, addressed those gathered in the Serbia Pavilion. She told the audience that she was only two years old when the then Kingdom of Yugoslavia first took part in the Venice Biennale in 1938, and her father, Prince Regent Pavle Karadjordjević, officially opened our pavilion in Giardini. After a few months, this beautiful pavilion was finished and it exhibited works by selected Yugoslav artists - Ljubo Babić, Vladimir Bečić, Petar Dobrović, Matija Jama, Milo Milunović and Tomo Rosandić. "The exhibition’s commissioner then was Dr Milan Kašanin, the director of the Museum of Prince Pavle, which had been opened in Belgrade only two years prior. Although I was too young to remember such an important event, knowing my father, who was a great lover of art, I am sure that he saw Yugoslavia's participation in the most prestigious art event in the world as of the most significant achievements in his life," the Princess added. "He believed that art had the power to say more about a country and to promote its greatest values, more than any other type of content. I sincerely share his conviction, and I would have liked him to see the continuity that our country has managed to maintain for more than eight decades, which is how long we have been participating in the Bien-
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nale, but also all the changes that have occurred in the meantime in terms of artistic perception of the world. and the reality in which we live. It would be especially interesting to see his reaction to new media and the way of interpreting current topics, the artists' perception and forming the messages they want to send out to the global audience in the dynamic reality we live in," Princess Jelisaveta Karadjordjević went on to say.
I AM CONFIDENT, JUST LIKE MY FATHER WAS, THAT THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO PROMOTE A COUNTRY THAN ONE IN WHICH ART PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE Addressing the audience in the Serbia Pavilion, she added: "At the same time, it is interesting to see that, regardless of the changes that have taken place when it comes to creativity, we live in an equally turbulent time as in 1938. The pandemic is still ongoing, we are on the brink of a new world war, and living in an era of collective concern for the well-being of our planet and civilization. This time is so surreal that even the oneiric "The Milk of Dreams”, written by Leonora Carrington, after which
this year's exhibition was named, can hardly match reality. However, what inspires hope in such a time is precisely art. More precisely, the artist's ability to see beyond that framework and re-examine reality with their work, but also to transcend it, as does our representative this year, Vladimir Nikolić, with his "Walk with Water". "While being keenly aware that a team of top-notch professionals participated in the presentation of this project, which represents Serbia, with the huge support of the Republic of Serbia’s Ministry of Culture and Information, at the same time, I think how important it is to have more such performances worldwide. I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Mr Nikolić, curator Biljana Ćirić, the Expert Council, Commissioner Marijana Kolarić, Ms Maja Gojković and the entire team at the Ministry of Culture, on this exceptional endeavour. I sincerely want to see our creative work even more prominently on the international art scene. I am confident, just like my father was, that there is no better way to promote a country than one in which art plays a major role," concluded Princess Jelisaveta Karadjordjević at the official opening of the Serbia Pavilion in Venice.
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Professor JERKO DENEGRI, PhD
SERBIA AND THE BIENNALE Throughout the century, numerous political events influenced the history of the Biennale - first the First World War, then the Second, post-war recovery, the emergence of new countries and what is especially interesting, all possible artistic phenomena that have changed over the centuries and have raised numerous and big questions
rofessor Jerko Ješa Denegri, PhD, is a Serbian art historian and art critic. He graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade with a degree in Art History. He was a curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade from 1965 to 1991 and a regular professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade from 1991 to 2007 in the Art History group. In 1982, he was a commissioner at the then Biennale, which he has been following from 1964 until today. The Biennale was also the main reason why we spoke with the professor. We talked about the Pavilion of Serbia and Yugoslavia and the changes and challenges he saw during his decades-long following of this prestigious global art event. The story of the Serbia Pavilion, Yugoslavia Pavilion and the performances at the Venice Biennale is a vast one. This topic preoccupied as much as the artists themselves, as well as the institutions that organize artistic events in the other environments and institutions that are also specialized in these performances – Professor Denegeri begins his story about the Biennale. The Yugoslavia Pavilion was opened in 1938, while the Venice Biennale was launched in 1895. This is a long-lasting international event, held on a special
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site in Venice called Giardini, on a small periphery where some countries have built their pavilions over time, including Yugoslavia. In recent times, as the number of participating countries has increased, the exhibition spaces have moved behind Giardini to specialized locations inside the complex, in the arsenals. Some countries have their own pavilions in Venice itself, where they rent space. For the world of art, this is one of the most important and largest
events, says the professor. Throughout the century, numerous political events influenced the history of the Biennale - first the First World War, then the Second, post-war recovery, the emergence of new countries and what is especially interesting, all possible artistic phenomena that have changed over the centuries and have raised numerous and big questions. In terms of the Biennale appearances of our country, now called Serbia, several studies cover
Paja Jovanović
this topic, as well as art history methodologies about large-scale global exhibitions, and consequently, about cultural policies which should play the role of representing individual countries, environments and artists. It is generally thought that artistic practice is born in an artist’s studio, but once the artist’s work is done, how can it reach the wider public? Let’s not even go into how artwork can reach the international public and forums – Professor Denegri wonders. These are special instruments that institutions deal with, and in recent times, an entire branch within art history was formed that analyzes cultural policies, namely, how did individual countries choose their representatives, in the light of major changes, to, of course, leave the best impression possible on the international public. Participation in the Biennale is a very important segment in the biographies of some artists, so naturally, it is also a very big topic. The professor goes on to say that in the pre-Yugoslav times, in 1917, Ivan Meštrović exhibited at the pavilion of the then Austria-Hungary, while Paja Jovanović did the same in the Serbia
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia and Princess Jelisaveta Karađorđević
IN THE PRE-YUGOSLAV TIMES, IN 1917, IVAN MEŠTROVIĆ EXHIBITED AT THE PAVILION OF THE THEN AUSTRIAHUNGARY, WHILE PAJA JOVANOVIĆ DID THE SAME IN THE SERBIA PAVILION Pavilion. When Yugoslavia was formed, the country took part in certain selections at the Biennale until 1938 when a national pavilion was built – a magnificent building with an extraordinary exhibition space. After everything that has happened lately, the building now belongs to the Republic of Serbia following the restitution process, and considering that the Serbian side played a big role in founding and building the pavilion – namely, the renowned historian Milan Kašanin and the Karađorđević dynasty. For instance, one of the interesting events during the opening of this
year's Biennale, i.e. the Serbian section, was Princess Jelisaveta Karađorđević addressing the audience. Since our ancestors have also been the founders, this was a majorly important cultural issue at the state level from the very beginning. Accordingly, the Biennale, of course, attracts a lot of attention from the public and artistic circles alike, with everybody wondering who will be selected, in which way will the chosen artist present themselves, how they will present the country they represent, and so on - Professor Denegri explains. Concretely, this year’s jury was made of all experts. Some of them and some of us have had experience working at the Biennale in the past. The entire judging process was carried out based on the competition system. Artists had to adhere to very strict prepositions – they were told what standards they should meet and what awaits them, as well as asked what they wished for themselves. It was a competition, a method that has proved both successful and democratic. Earlier methods included certain institutions electing their officials, who called themselves commission-
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Student demonstrations in Belgrade 1968
ers. They could select one or more authors. So, over time, the criteria or methods of selecting an artist have changed, but they have always been demanding and there was always an ever-present ambition for the process to be the best and fairest possible. This time was no exception. My impression is that this year’s procedure was successful and was performed as it was conceived and required. Alas, the public is always divided. It is a common practice that the artistic public is divided according to various criteria, but that is simply a part of artistic life. There is never or very rarely a definitive consensus. In any case, the procedures and performances reflect the criteria that must be met the professor continues his story about the Biennale. When asked what it was like when he was commissioner at the Venice Biennale in 1982, Professor Denegri says that, back then, the work method was completely different from today's. There was no competition as there was the museum curator, a role I played back then, who, among other things, had to select the Biennale participants. To-
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THE SERBIAN SIDE PLAYED A BIG ROLE IN FOUNDING AND BUILDING THE PAVILION – NAMELY, THE RENOWNED HISTORIAN MILAN KAŠANIN AND THE KARAĐORĐEVIĆ DYNASTY day, we have one participant, while back then, in 1982, there were three Bora Iljovski, Andraž Šalamun and Edita Šubert. If we remember the artistic circumstances of that time in the early 1980s, they were marked by the socalled new artistic practices, new media, and the use of new technologies videos, movies, photography, physical action and so on. Painting or sculpture has had a sort of a comeback or at least, there is a new way of reinterpreting constant artistic techniques. It was necessary to find artists who corresponded to such artistic events and processes in
our environment and the international context in order for their performances to be noticed and justified. That was very interesting and exciting. Back then, we selected artists from various parts of the country, although that wasn’t mandatory. So, Bora Iljovski came from Belgrade, Andraž Šalamun was an artist from Slovenia, while Edita Šubert came from Croatia. There were some balances to keep but that did not affect the criteria and quality. These were all top-notch artists. Compared to today’s selection methods, and those from not too distant past, we could see how cultural policies and professional criteria changed over time. For every country, including Yugoslavia, the Venice Biennale’s entire history and participation of individual countries were appealing topics. These topics are today written about in academic studies, monographs and doctoral dissertations. Also, large-scale retrospective exhibitions are staged which showcase the artwork from that era – starting with Meštrović to date. This is all done to remind the public about how it all looked way back then. Even the Biennale was held intermittently, the professor continues. Many political and historical events affected the Biennale, like the 1968 student riots which spread to the event itself, so the pavilions had to be closed. Our country had to find its place in this exciting history, so that our internal opportunities were translated into the performances of our selected artists abroad, just like foreign artistic events found their way back to our country and influenced the criteria for selecting the participating artists, the interpretation of the art of this part of the world, its presentation and finding the ways of bringing it closer to the foreign public. These artists had great aspirations and their artwork was bought to be included in worldwide collections. A lot of attention was paid to how international critics review our artists and their performance. I won’t even go into what a stiff competition was among the leading and prominent artistic environments. I would just like to mention the participation of the United States’ artists, the confrontations between the cri-
teria used there or influences outside artistic circles (from political to market ones), and internal and external resistance to methods used in certain selections in our country and others, etc. So, I reiterate, the Venice Biennale history is a long-standing and extremely exciting one, both for the Biennale and individual participating countries. Every year is different due to the ever-changing language of art, especially the one I had the opportunity to see – the professor says, as he continues his story about the Biennale. I have not missed one Biennale from 1964 to date. In the beginning, that was a professional activity I was involved in as a museum curator and critic. It was an important segment for us to follow because it took place not so far away from our country and created the opportunity to see the new global art production every two years, so fairly regularly. It affected our awareness and enriched us with a lot of information about worldwide art which is why it is difficult to rank individual Biennales. Some were, of course, unforgettable because of magnificent performances by individual artists or very ambitious performances of individual countries. Going back to the 1964 Biennale, the United States artists made a huge offensive with Robert Rauschenberg winning the award. In 1966, the focus was back on Europe and South America. These international events were very instructive to us and took place not so far away. Our art professionals, museum curators, art critics and art historians were very keen observers of the Biennale because of the various artistic practices and productions presented there. On the other hand, they were able to hone their own criteria and evaluation standards relating to both domestic and international events, while getting to know more about how largescale exhibitions are viewed in the context of cultural policies. Today, when the Biennale has expanded, when the number of participating countries is greater than ever before, when many countries outside the European context, from South America and Africa, with unknown local circumstances, images of contemporary art are becoming
more complicated, compatible, complex and pluralistic. Professor Denegri goes on to say that all of that affects the understanding of modern art which is why it is difficult to single out just one Biennale, or the one that featured more or fewer spectacular events, had big performances or highlighted problems in global art. The world of art and artistic developments have been constantly changing in a rapturous and exciting fashion, and even went through a crisis or two. The entirety of these developments is actually quite interesting to explore and has been covered by numerous analyses. The picture is getting more complex, instead of simpler, which is perhaps
EVERY YEAR AT THE BIENNALE IS DIFFERENT DUE TO THE EVERCHANGING LANGUAGE OF ART, ESPECIALLY THE ONE I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE
where the magic of the Biennale lies. This year’s Venice Biennale has opened a short time ago, after a hiatus, and, of course, Serbia has its own pavilion. Vladimir Nikolić, who was selected in a competition launched by the Ministry of Culture, is our representative. More than 30 candidates applied for the competition. They all had to meet certain propositions, and the Ministry and the institution that was in charge of organizing Serbia’s appearance at the Biennale, the Museum of Contemporary Art, had to put together the entire representation, together with the artist. The consensus is that our participation is very successful, and noticed among peers and international art pundits. Serbia took part in the Biennale in previous years too, but it is nice to be present on the international art scene again after some time. Venice has been at the centre of contemporary art, hosting numerous guests and experts. Various art professionals, journalists, media outlets, curators, museum directors and artists are there too, which makes this even very significant for all of us Professor Denegri concludes his story about the Venice Biennale.
Pavilion of Yugoslavia
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CHRONOLOGY
CHRONOLOGY OF SERBIAN PERFORMANCES AT THE BIENNALE 1897 – Vlaho Bukovac Although he lived in Austro-Hungary, Vlaho Bukovac was the first person from our region to participate in the Biennale, only 12 years after the first Biennale in Venice. Born in 1855 in Cavtat, Bukovac was a painter and academic. In his youth, he
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sailed and then travelled across North and South America. Bukovac visited Serbia for the first time in July and August 1882, to do portraits of the royal family. He came to Serbia for the second time in 1901, to Smederevo, also to do the portrait of the royal couple. After that, he visited Serbia in the summer of 1903, when he did a portrait
of Peter Karadjordjević, and in 1922 of King Aleksandar Karadjordjević. Just before he died in 1922, he painted a portrait of the Yugoslav King Aleksandar I Karadjordjević. He died on his return to Prague, which still houses many of his works. Bukovac also wrote the autobiography titled "My Life", which was published in 1925 in Belgrade by the Serbian Literary Association.
bankers, oil barons and monopolists, including certain heirs to the Standard Oil fortune in the United States of America. He was a very sought-after portraitist worldwide, which made him incredibly wealthy in his lifetime. Many European and international museums carry his works, signed under various names including Paul Joanowitch in the National Gallery of Victoria and also two portraits in the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Paul Joanowits, Paul Ivanovitch, Paul Joanovitch, Paul Joanovitsch, P. Joanowitsch and others. Jovanović focused mostly on Serbian history, painting various historical events. He painted the iconostasis in the church of St Nicholas in Dolovo and the Orthodox cathedral in Novi Sad, which was painted without commission. He spent most of his time in his atelier in Vienna, where he settled, and occasionally travelled to Belgrade. He is included in the 100 most prominent Serbs list. Jovanović received a number of orders and decorations both in Serbia and abroad. Several schools in Serbia are named after him. Bukovac's artwork is exhibited at the National Museum in Belgrade, the Matica Srpska Gallery (“La Grande Iza”), the Odbrana Media Centre for Defense (“Far from Home” and other paintings of his), as well as in other public and private collections. His childhood home in Cavtat was made into a museum called the Bukovac House and is part of the Museums and Galleries of Konavle. The museum showcases a diverse collection of Bukovac’s artwork, such as portraits and paintings he did while living in Paris, Zagreb, Cavtat and Prague. Also, Bukovac's paintings are a part of the collection of Milan Jovanović Stojimirović who bequeathed a large number of paintings, sketches and artefacts to the Art Department of the Museum in Smederevo. In 2006, Bukovac's painting “Une Fleur” (also known as “Reclining Nude”) was sold at Bonhams in London for £100,800.
1901 – Vlaho Bukovac
1903 – Vlaho Bukovac
1912 - Paja Jovanović The Kingdom of Yugoslavia 1914 – Ivan Meštrović
1907 - Paja Jovanović Pavle "Paja" Jovanović (1859 – 1957) was a Serbian painter who painted more than 1,100 works including The Wounded Montenegrin (1882), Decorating of the Bride (1886) and Migration of the Serbs (1896). Paja was also the premier portraitist of Europe after 1905, he painted Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria over 14 times, he painted royalty, major industrialists, scientists,
Ivan Meštrović
Ivan Meštrović (1883 – 1962) was a Croatian sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic per-
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sonality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pavle Bilinić's Stone Workshop in Split and at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, where he was formed under the influence of the Secession. Most of his early works of symbolic themes were formed in the spirit of the Secession, some of which, like the Well of Life, show impressionist restless surfaces created under the influence of Rodin's naturalism, and the second, reviving national myth, become stylized monumental plastics (Kosovo cycle, 1908-1910). During the 1920s and 1930s, the classical component prevailed in his works. During this period, he created a number of public monuments of strong plastic expression, pronounced and legible shapes (Grgur Ninski and Marko Marulić in Split, Andrija Medulić, Andrija Kačić-Miošić and Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Zagreb, Pobednik in Belgrade, Svetozar Miletić in Novi Sad and The Bowman and The Spearman in Chicago). Portraits take a special place in his opus. Meštrović achieved works of strong plastic value in the construction-sculptural monuments and projects, mostly with central layout (the Mausoleum of the Račić family in Cavtat, the Mausoleum of the Meštrović family in Otavice, the Meštrović Pavilion in Zagreb, Monument to the Unknown Hero in Belgrade). Auguste Rodin's evaluation was often quoted: "Meštrović was the greatest phenomena among the sculptors" of his time. Alonzo Lansford, the editor of Arts Magazine in New York City, reviewed the Mestrovic show of 1947 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He wrote: "It is therefore singularly significant that he is almost unanimously revered by American sculptors of all schools as one of the greatest living sculptors." Several streets in Serbia are named after him.
1926 – Ivan Meštrović 1928 – Milo Milunović Milo Milunović (1897 – 1967) was a distinguished Yugoslav and Montenegrin painter. He dabbled in both Impressionism and Cubism.
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His works were characterized by a rationalistic approach, both to composition and space. Anti-illusionistic devices were used in the representation of space. Milunovic's art can sometimes be seen as abstract, other times as impressionistic, and even sometimes as Fauvist.
1940 - Marino Tartaglia, Milivoj Uzelac, Frano Kršinić
1938 – Yugoslavia Pavilion officially opened
Participants: Matija Jama, Ljubo Babić, Vladimir Becić, Ivan Meštrović, Milo Milunović and sculptor Tomislav Rosandić (Milan Kašanin was the exhibition commissioner) Prince Pavle Karadjordjević had a significant role in the construction of the pavilion with the help of Milan Kašanin, the Serbian art historian, art critic, curator and writer. Kašanin served as the head of three Belgrade based museums, the Museum of Prince Pavle (the modern-day National Museum of Serbia), the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Gallery of Frescoes. Ljubomir Babić (1890 – 1974) was a Croatian artist, museum curator and literary critic. As an artist, he worked in a variety of media including oils, tempera, watercolour, drawing, etching, and lithography. He was one of the most influential figures in the Zagreb art scene between the two world wars. Vladimir Becić (1886 – 1954) was a Croatian painter, best known for his early work in Munich, which had a strong influence on the direction of modern art in Croatia. Becić was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb (1924–1947), and a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts from 1934.
Frano Kršinić (1897 – 1982) was a Croatian sculptor active in former Yugoslavia. Along with Ivan Meštrović and Antun Augustinčić, he is considered one of the three most important Croatian sculptors of the 20th century. His most widely known work is the statue of Nikola Tesla installed at the Niagara Falls State Park, United States, an identical copy of the monument residing in front of the building of the School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade (Serbia).
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1950 - Vanja Radauš, Vojin Bakić, Kosta Angeli Radovani, Zoran Mušič
Zoran Mušić
Vojin Bakić (1915 – 1992) was a prominent Yugoslav sculptor
of Mostar are considered the most radical abstract landscapes in Croatian modernism. Motika's exhibition Archaic Surrealism (1952), produced a strong reaction among Croatian critics, and is considered "the boldest rejection of the dogmatic framework of socialist realism." The exhibition has become the main topic of theoretical and ideological discussion among Croatian critics.
1954 - Dušan Džamonja, Vilko Selan - Gliha, Zdenko Gradiš, Zlatko Prica, Nikola Reiser, Josip Restek, Josip Roca, Vilim Svečnjak (commissioner Franc Štele) Vojin Bakić
Educated at the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts and by Ivan Meštrović and Frano Kršinić, Bakić's early works were dominated by a figurative depiction of female nudity with reduced breasts and closed volumes. During his lifetime, Bakić exhibited in over 200 group exhibitions in Yugoslavia, of which 75 were organized abroad. Uninterested in his own promotion, and deeply immersed in creation, he had only a handful of solo exhibitions. In 1979, he received the Vladimir Nazor Award for his lifetime and achievements in the arts.
1952 - Antun Motika, Emanuel Vidović (commissioner Marino Tartaglia) Antun Motika (1902 – 1992) was a Croatian artist. He was an innovative artist, not attached to any particular artistic school or tendency. Motika was a prolific painter, who left behind a great legacy. Although he occasionally painted with oil on canvas, he generally preferred watercolour or gouache, whose application he preceded with a series of preparatory drawings in pencil or charcoal. From 1941 until his retirement in 1961, he worked at the School of Applied Arts in Zagreb, where he taught various courses. His paintings from the Cycles
Dušan Džamonja (1928 – 2009) was a Yugoslav, Croatian and Serbian sculptor of Serbian ancestry. Džamonja drew primarily in chalk and used the technique of washed ink; however, he leaned towards sculpture early on. He used many materials, from bronze and iron to wood, glass, concrete and polyester in his sculptures. He was a recipient of numerous awards and was an academician with both the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
1956 - Vojin Bakić, Zoran Mušič, Miodrag B. Protić (commissioner Aleksa Čelebonović) Zoran Mušič (1909 – 2005), baptised as Anton Zoran Musič, was a Slovene painter, printmaker, and draughtsman. He was the only painter of Slovene descent who managed to establish himself in the elite cultural circles of Italy and France, particularly Paris in the second half of the 20. century, where he lived for most of his later life. He painted landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits, as well as scenes of horror from the Dachau concentration camp and vedute of Venice.
1958 - Krsto Hegedušić, Edo Murtić (commissioner Aleksa Čelebonović)
Krsto Hegedušić (1901 – 1975) was a Croatian painter, illustrator and theatre designer. His most famous paintings depict the harsh life of the Croatian peasantry in the manner of naive art. He was one of the founders of the Earth Group. Paintings like The Bridegroom, the Ox and the Pump from 1969 are critical of urban life. In the period 1971–73, Hegedušić worked on a large cycle of macabre frescoes for the war memorial of Tjentište. He illustrated books and designed ballet and theatre sets. He died in Zagreb.
1960 - Dušan Džamonja (commissioner Zoran Kržišnik)
1962 - OTON GLIHA Oton Gliha (1914 - 1999) was a Croatian artist, born in Slovenia. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Gliha continued his studies in Paris, Vienna and Munich. He is best known for his series of abstract paintings based on the patterns of the drystone walls of coastal Croatia. The first in the series appeared in 1954, and it was a theme he developed for the rest of his life. Gliha exhibited solo in Croatia and abroad. Two retrospective exhibitions of his work have been held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb. Oton Gliha received the Vladimir Nazor Award for lifetime achievement in 1977. He was elected to the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1998. Oton Gliha's paintings are part of public collections around the world, including in New York, São Paulo, Paris and Turin.
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1964 - Oton Gliha, Edo Murtić, Ordan Petlevski, Zlatko Prica, Frano Šimunović, Vojin Bakić, Dušan Džamonja 1966 - Miroslav Šutej
Miroslav Šutej
Miroslav Šutej (1936 – 2005) was a Croatian avant-garde painter and graphic artist. Šutej was born in Duga Resa in 1936. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts Zagreb and was an associate in Krsto Hegedušić's master's workshop. Since 1970, Šutej was a professor at the Academy. Šutej became a full member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1997. He was the designer of the modern Croatian flag as well as the banknotes for the Croatian kuna, the Croatian coat of arms, and the jersey pattern of Croatia's national football team.
film productions at various theatres in Vienna, Zagreb, Osijek, Dubrovnik and Split. In 1965, at the Lausanne Biennial of Textile Art, Buić impressed contemporary art critics with her first textile installation which was immediately bought by the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. In the 1980s she started using metals in her sculptures and installations, and in the 2000s she turned to using collages of assorted materials, including paper, cardboard, wool, etc. Buić won numerous awards for her work, including the Grand Prize at the São Paulo Art Biennial, the Herder Prize (1976), and the Vladimir Nazor Award for Life Achievement (2014).
1972 - Vladimir Veličković, Dušan Otašević, Vjenceslav Richter (commissioner Miodrag B. Protić) - Miroslav Šutej, Ivan Picelj, Juraj Dobrović, Edo Murtić and Virgilije Nevjestić took part in the accompanying exhibition called Graphic Art Today
Vladimir Veličković (1935 – 2019) was a Serbian painter living in Paris from 1966 until his death. Veličković graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at Belgrade University. From 1963 to 1966, he was an assistant in Krsto Hegedušić’s master workshop in Zagreb. In 1965, he was honoured with a prize at the Biennale in Paris, where he moved to the following year. Veličković gained public attention in 1967 with an exhibition at the Galerie du Dragon in Paris, which established him as one of the leading artists of the Narrative Figuration art movement. In 1983 he was elected professor at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and taught there until 2000. In 1985 he was elected a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) and Honorable doctor of science at the University of Kragujevac. He was honoured with the highest French award in the field of culture and arts, the Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His paintings were exhibited in many countries in Europe and the Americas since 1951. Since 7 December 2005, he has been
1969 - Vlado Kristl and Ivan Picelj exhibited at the accompanying exhibition called Manifesti d’arte 1970 - Jagoda Bujić, Dušan Džamonja, Janez Bernik (commissioner Zoran Kržišnik) - Vjenceslav Richter and Aleksandar Srnec exhibited at the accompanying exhibition called Proposal for Experimental Exhibition Jagoda Buić (1930) is a Croatian visual artist best known for her monumental fibre art installations and tapestries. She has worked on more than 120 projects as a costume and stage designer in various opera, ballet, theatre and
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Radomir Damnjanović Damnjan
a member of Académie des Beaux-Arts, section I, seat number 7.
1974 – Yugoslavia did not participate 1976 - Radomir Damnjanović, Braco Dimitrijević, Herman Gvardijančić, Boris Jesih, Ivan Kožarić, Julije Knifer (commissioner Radoslav Putar) Radomir Damnjanović Damnjan (1935) is a Serbian painter and conceptual artist. He lives and works in Milan and Belgrade. Damnjan does painting, drawing, graphics, photography, film, video and performance. During the 1960s, early in his career, Damnjan painted symbolic, abstract and minimal features. He has been using new media - video and photography - in his artwork since the 1970s, while his paintings reflect his analytical stream. At the turn of the 1990s, Damnjan focused on painting 'still life' and '(self)portraits' on the floor or wall installations in the spirit of postmodern citation called 'new pointillism'.
1978 - Ivo Friščić (commissioner Boris Petkovski) Ivo Friščić (1937-1993) was a Croatian painter and artist. He initially joined surrealism and the world of imagination but also tried his hand at expressionism, lyrical abstraction, geometric abstraction, hyperrealism and decorative ornamentalism. Friščić masterfully evokes the illusion of objects, a complexly hidden symbolism, but in such a perfect way and with very thoughtful compositions. He has done mostly cycles of paintings during his life as an artist, such as Eko-Flores, Hortus Conclusus, Gordana and others. Friščić is the winner of numerous national and international awards for his paintings and graphics.
1980 - Bogdan Bogdanović, Dušan Džamonja, Slavko Tihec and Miodrag Živković (commissioner Zoran Kržišnik)
Miodrag Živković
Miodrag Živković (1928 – 2020) was a Serbian sculptor and university professor. He is well-known for his work on memorial complexes throughout Yugoslavia. He graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Belgrade in 1952. After working as an art teaching instructor in Mladenovac and Novi Beograd, he was employed as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Applied Arts within the University of Arts in Belgrade, becoming Dean in 1974, a position he occupied until 1977. From 1977 to 1984 he was head of the Faculty's sculpture department. From 1991 to 1996 he was again Dean of the Faculty.
1982 - Boris Iljkovski, Andraš Šalamun and Edita Schubert (commissioner Ješa Denegri) Braco Dimitrijević took part in the accompanying exhibition called Aperto Slobodan "Braco" Dimitrijević (1948) is a Bosnian conceptual artist. His works deal mainly with history and the individual's place in it. He lives and works in Paris, France. He has been exhibiting internationally since the 1970s, including at the Tate Gallery in 1985. He has participated in Documenta (1972, 1977 and 1992) and the Venice Biennale. His works are held in the collection of the Tate Gallery, MoMA Museum of Modern Art New York, and of the Pompidou Centre, among others.
1984 - Boris Bućan (commissioner Davor Matičević)
Boris Bućan (1947) is a Croatian artist, painter and graphic designer, who also uses glass as his medium. He is a full-fledged member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He appeared on the domestic art scene in the late 1970s, performing interventions in the city's public urban spaces: a painted blue sidewalk in Varšavska Street in Zagreb and an art piece called the Pictorial Loop (large snake-like spatial image) that he worked on with Josip Stošić in 1969. The Centar Gallery commissioned it for its yard in Gundulićeva Street. He is highly regarded at home and abroad for his distinctive approach to poster design. Bućan has won numerous awards at home and abroad. In the last decade, he has increasingly turned
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to conceptual painting and conceptual combinations of found photographs and graphics. In 2006, the Croatian Design Society gave out the Bućan Lifetime Achievement Award.
1986 - Emerik Bernard, Zvjezdana Fio, Nina Ivančić, Mileta Prodanović, Lujo Vodopivec (commissioner Andrej Medved)
worldwide-known galleries and collections. He had over 60 independent exhibitions, including at the main galleries of the former Yugoslavia, Klagenfurt, Milan, Rome, Paris, Berlin, New York... Several times, he also participated at the Venice Biennale, as well as at several group exhibitions at home and abroad. He also received a number of international honorary awards and gold medals for painting and graphic design. His works are kept by Slovenian galleries (Ljubljana, Maribor, Ajdovščina, and Idrija) and by galleries and museums in most larger European cities (London, Vienna, Prague, Zagreb, Warsaw, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam). Many of his works are also kept in the Northern and Southern Americas (San Francisco, Washington, New York, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro), and even Japan (Tokyo).
1990 - Branko Filipović Filo (commissioner Zoran Gavrić) Mileta Prodanović (1959) is a Serbian painter, writer and university professor. He has exhibited since 1980 in solo and group exhibitions in the former Yugoslavia and several European cities (Rome, Tübingen, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Venice, Vienna, Graz, Prague, Regensburg and Kyiv). His works are part of the renowned public and private collections in Serbia, including the Museum of Contemporary Art and the National Museum in Belgrade, the Nadežda Petrović Gallery in Čačak and many others. He has won several awards in the field of fine arts, art critique and literature.
1988 - Janez Bernik (commissioner Jure Mikuz) Janez Bernik (1933 – 2016) was a multiple-time awarded and internationally acclaimed Slovenian painter and academic. Bernik was a versatile artist, who reached excellent results in painting, sculpture, graphic design, illustration, tapestry, book design, and poetry. His graphic prints are kept in numerous
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Branko Filipović Filo was born in Cetinje in 1924. He lived in Belgrade from 1936 to 1941, only to return to Cetinje in 1941. He spent some of the war years in concentration camps. After the war, at the invitation of the painter Milo Milunović, Filipović enrolled in the Art School in Cetinje and was mentored by Professor Petar Lubarda. He graduated from the Art School in Herceg Novi and later, in 1955, from the Academy of Arts in Belgrade. Filipović was also enrolled in the Academia di Belle Arti in Rome. He went on study trips to France and Italy.
The Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia 1993 – did not exhibit 1995 - Miloš Šobajić (commissioners Radislav Trkulja and Vesna Milić) Miloš Šobajić (1945 – 2021) was a Serbian and French painter and sculptor. Šobajić has presented his works in over eighty solo exhibitions around the
planet and participated in about five hundred group exhibitions. His works are in about thirty museums of contemporary art in the world. He has won several awards in Serbia. In 2018, the Russian State Duma awarded him the Order of the Honorary Guest of Russia, and in 2019 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Republic of Serbia, for exceptional merits in the field of cultural activities, especially painting. Five monographs on the work of Šobajić have been published by publishers in Paris, Belgrade and London, whose texts were written by Alain Jouffroy, the Nobel Prize laureate Peter Handke, Edward Lucie-Smith and others. Over six hundred texts about him have been published in the domestic and world press and through television shows.
1997 - Voja Stanić (commissioner Branislav Sekulić) - Marina Abramovich won the Golden Lion together with Gerhard Richter Vojo Stanić (1924) is a Montenegrin painter and sculptor. Vojo Stanić was born in Podgorica, and grew up in Nikšić. He graduated from the Academy of Sculpture in Belgrade, after which he moved to Herceg Novi. During that time he focused on painting, which helped him to better express his peace-loving, Mediterranean spirit and interest in people. His paintings are small drama stories from everyday life, full of spirit. They bring back to life the spirit of Renaissance comedies, presenting human weaknesses and at the same time he shows understanding for them. Topics from cafes, sea or home
are often a mixture of surreal details or imaginative relationships of characters and objects. His paintings are exhibited in several galleries in Montenegro, as well as in the permanent exhibit in the Art Museum in Cetinje.
made by the artist Milica Tomić (commissioner Branislava Andjelković).
1999 - Milorad Damnjanović, Marijana Gvozdenović, Slobodan Kaić, Mladen Marinkov, Borislava Nedeljković-Prodanović and Todor Stevanović (commissioners Radislav Trkulja and Vesna Milić)
Vladimir Perić (1962) is a Serbian multimedia artist who has been active on the contemporary art scene in the country and abroad for almost three decades. Perić studied graphics and photography at the Faculty of Applied Arts and Design in Belgrade. He has been a member of the Association of Fine Artists of Serbia for about twenty years, and since 2004, he has also been a member of the Art Directors Club of Serbia. Vladimir Perić has been participating in the visual arts scene for over three decades, and his work can be divided into three periods - when he exhibited under the pseudonym "Talent", then as the founder and member of the art group "Talent Factory", after which he exhibited under his name and the auspices of the new ten-year Childhood Museum project.
During his long-standing work as an artist, Mladen Marinkov has participated in many renowned art events in the country and abroad, as evidenced by a large number of his exhibitions, both solo and group exhibitions. He has successfully participated in public competitions for making monumental sculptures and has done several large bronze monuments in our country and the former Yugoslavia. Marinkov has also sculpted several busts of public and cultural figures and won significant awards. He has represented his country at several major art exhibitions and international biennials, such as the Venice Biennale, the Pest Biennial of Small Format Sculpture Exhibitions and others. He is active and has been continuously present on the cultural and artistic scene, both here and internationally, and has been frequently covered in articles, reviews, critiques and conversations in print and electronic media.
SERBIA 2013 - Vladimir Perić, Miloš Tomić
2015 - Ivan Grubanov, Lidija Merenik (Commissioner) 2017 - Vladislav Šćepanović, Milena Dragićević, Dragan Zdravković The project "Enclave - Painting, a
consequence of this kind of life" was presented.
2019 - Djordje Ozbolt Djordje Ozbolt (1967) is a London-based Serbian artist who explores ideas of history, memory, and contemporary culture through paintings, sculptures, drawings, and installations. He was chosen to represent Serbia at the 2019 Venice Biennale. Ozbolt's work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the Belgrade Biennale, the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, the National Museum of Art, Osaka, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, White Columns, New York and The Holburne Museum, Bath.
2022 - Vladimir Nikolić, Marijana Kolarić (commissioner) Vladimir Nikolić was born in Belgrade in 1974. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade in 1999, Department of Painting, in the class of Professor Moma Antonović. After graduating, Nikolić attended the School of History and Theory of Painting at the Centre for Contemporary Art in Belgrade. He received his Master's degree in 2005 from the Faculty of Fine Arts in the class of Professor Čedomir Vasić and in 2010, started his doctoral art studies at the same faculty.
2001 - Milija Pavićević and Oleg Kulik (commissioner Petar Ćuković) SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO 2003 - At the 50th Biennale, Serbia and Montenegro presented two separate projects under the joint name of Yugoslavia Pavilion. The first project was called "International Exhibition of Modern Art", by an anonymous author, and the second "National Pavilion", an installation on the pavilion’s façade,
Vladimir Perić
Biennale 2022 | 23
BIENNALE
2022