"All together, we have incorporated the best part of ourselves as a gift to the people who live and work here. And that is the goal. To their joy, but also to us who have left our mark here," said the art historian. Ankica Bjelica, organizer of the art colony that was held in the Nikšić Home for the Elderly.
The exhibition featured the works of 13 painters, participants in the colony - 26 works that will adorn the premises of the Home for the Elderly.
"Many people asked me why I started this. The reason was the empty walls of the nursing home. In one show, at the very beginning of the work, I saw a lot of white walls. Everything was clean and tidy, but somehow sterile that it hurt me. And that's where the idea of a humane art colony was born," Bjelica explained the reasons for organizing the colony, which was held for the second time in the nursing home.
The artists, she points out, were happy to respond to her invitation, the management of the Home for the Elderly recognized their humane mission, and the Municipality helped to make the colony a success. Bjelica thanked the participants of the colony, especially Milena Krivokapic i Miomir Miša Vemić who were her right hand and on whom, she says, she could completely rely.
"This institutional connection between artists, society, and the system is an idea that is being realized through this colony. I believe that the colony's activities will continue and will spread not only to the Home for the Elderly, but also to other institutions. The contact between artists and institutions is that support, that networking that gives hope to this society, raises civic awareness and attitude towards culture," said Milena Krivokapić, adding that art reflects eternal values, the universality of life, and that it makes everyday life better and easier.
The exhibition was opened by the director of the “Nikšić” Nursing Home, Jelena Banjević who said that the colony had a special significance for the users because it represented a bridge between generations, making everyone who was part of the project happy and connecting them.
"We have once again shown that old age should not be seen as a complete discontinuity with youth, but quite the opposite. Of particular value to us are the artistic paintings that remain the property of the Home, which, in addition to beautifying the premises, will further enrich the time our residents spend here," said Banjević.
The colony is extremely important, he says, because it unites two, often separate entities, art and everyday social life, into a single story.
"This is an example of how such initiatives can raise civic awareness and expand cultural and artistic activity in a broader social context. This colony is not organized solely for the purpose of creating works of art, but primarily to create relationships between artists and the community, between the past and the present, between the artwork and the observer," said the director of the Center.
She thanked the participants of the colony, as well as the Municipality of Nikšić for their selfless help. As a token of gratitude, she presented the Municipality with a painting.
The participants of the colony were: Milena Krivokapić, Mišo Vemić, Angelina Janjušević, Zoran Mićanović, Ankica Bjelica, Jelena Krivokapić, Rade Vujačić, Kristina Lalatović, Aleksandra Božović, Zoran Patric, Nikola Kovačević, Isidora Sarić i Jovana IvanovicThe exhibition was attended by the Minister of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography, Damir Gutic, and the Chief of Staff of the Mayor, Marko Perućica.
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Bonus video:
