Social role of artists in Montenegro; social position of the artist; funding of cultural and artistic projects and their social impact; position, education, chances and limitations of young artists; redemption policy; the role of local cultural institutions, are just some of the topics and questions that were raised yesterday at the professional conference "Position of independent culture and its participants in Montenegro - reset or enter?", which was organized by the Association of Fine Artists of Montenegro (ULUCG) with the aim improving the social and social status of (young) artists.
The conference announced last week, as part of the ULUCG project "I see an artist! I envision a better society" aroused the interest of numerous audiences, media, professionals and art lovers, but not all invited (representatives of the Ministry of Culture, female artists and curators, employees of public institutions) to contribute to the dialogue on improving the atmosphere in which culture survives, just like the workers in that field...
The art historian raised the most questions and problems about the position of the artist and the different contexts and connotations of that phrase. Ljiljana Karadzic.
"I would not talk about artists who belong to the non-governmental (NGO) sector or those who are connected to cultural institutions, but I would talk about the whole army of artists that we as a society do not recognize and cannot find them the right place (in society) and adequate conditions for work. Since the name of this panel is 'The social role of artists in Montenegro', I don't know what it means in today's Montenegrin society, because it is actually more decorative and artists are more mythologized and romanticized, and essentially the role of artists in this, as in all other societies and in all times, including today, it should be corrective, because artists are there to improve society, to motivate us, to create empathy, solidarity, tolerance...", she said at the beginning of her speech.
Individual problems of artists, finances, status and position, space for creation, studios, purchase policy, assessment of the value of art, association of artists and art collectives for the sake of the same goal - these are all questions raised by the art historian.
Speaking about the social context of the artist's life, Karadžić pointed out that everyone in Montenegro lacks initiative and the spirit of collectivity. She asked the question "What does it mean to support an artist today?" pointing out that many institutions and institutions in their own organization will present the artist and organize an event in his honor, but, she points out, this is not enough and is not essential.
"His torment, his creation, existence, institutions are not of much interest to him. So we don't help the artist and we don't care about his fate. We rarely ask ourselves how that artist lives, whether he is able to pay the bills, and at the same time, this is not a question related only to young artists, but we have so many artists who have done a lot for the culture of Montenegro, but they are sitting in dilapidated houses and without the possibility to go to a doctor because they do not have that type of status resolved either. And, although I may be morbid now, when one day that artist is no more, all the institutions would take over his works and brag about how he is one of the most important Montenegrin artists", she clearly pointed out, and there are many examples that confirm her words. .
She points out that even on these issues "we are not very inclined to join forces", both today and throughout the history of art.
"I did not notice the organization of different sectors to act strongly in order to improve the social component of life, and in my opinion it is crucial that every artist has a dignified life. We are aware of the injustice in every society and we cannot have equal conditions for everyone, which is unfortunately a combination of circumstances, but I think that no one should live below a minimum of dignity, and above all not an artist. Because the artist and his work are always a reflection of society," says Karadžić.
Graphic designer and artist Srđa Dragović in a later discussion presented an example of an association of which he is a member as the need and will of young artists to join forces, while his colleague and Arijana Kadic pointed out that art is not a business that needs a fund, but an essential need, so she assessed that many artists approach their vocation differently.
The representative of the Bijelo Polje Cultural Center, at the same time the only representative of the cultural centers even though they all received an invitation, Milko Kovačević he emphasized the need for cooperation and communication with the umbrella institution, that is, the Ministry of Culture. However, he says, experience has taught him, so he is not surprised that their representative was not at the conference yesterday. With the aim of strengthening cultural centers, local artists, events, program offerings and audience acquisition, he presented a proposal to network all cultural centers in Montenegro.
In addition to all that, he reminded that the Municipality of Bijelo Polje allocates four percent of its budget for culture, which caused the enthusiasm of almost everyone present because that percentage is much lower both at the national level and at the level of the rest of the municipalities.
conference moderator, Edin Jasarovic from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts used this opportunity to mention that Montenegro does not have a national strategy on the development of culture, reminded that the law on culture is old, pointed out that civil society has not been continuously developed in culture and repeated the proposal of public-civilian partnership for public- private.
"The contribution of all those who are outside the system should be respected, and when we talk about the independent scene in culture, we are actually talking about actors who are peripheral to the system," he pointed out.
Continuing, the director of JU Museums and Galleries Podgorica Vučić Ćetković, he said that often the same people are in institutions and in NGOs, that is, in the independent sector.
"When we talk about the relationship of public-civil partnership, my question and observation, when it comes to people from this area, is: who are the people who sit in the NGO sector? These are the same people who sit in public institutions. It is something that needs to be talked about and talked about publicly. People should decide whether they will be on one side or the other, and until that border is drawn, we cannot talk about improving the situation either on the independent stage or in public institutions and institutions," he said.
Ćetković added that "it is devastating that there is no representative from the Ministry of Culture, because these are all problems that we all face, and the artists whose status we are talking about, but also the institutions - both at the national and at the local level".
The problem exists, but so do the possibilities, which need to be delineated and which can be reached through joint efforts.
"But if we wait for cultural policy and other policies that rely on cultural policies to create some policies, we will have a hard time waiting for that," he said. Igor Milošević from the NGO "Zid", pointing out that initiatives of this type have been going on for decades.
Petar Djukanovic from the Center for Civic Education, which supported the ULUCG family, reminded that the need of every artist is to be free and to create, but also that independent culture is the one that should open opportunities for creating new values and giving the artist a voice. Until that is achieved, it needs to be worked on, and CGO will continue to do so.
The dean of the Faculty of Visual Arts at the University of the Mediterranean also spoke at the conference Marija Džoganović which presented efforts to empower future artists during their studies.
Academic painter Stefan Todorovic he was one of the speakers, but he didn't want to express any concrete views.
Ljiljana Karadžić concluded that it is possible to gain a lot with small moves.
"I don't expect much, I long ago lost the illusion of utopia and that we can change a lot, but in small concentric circles, in some micro-relations, I believe there can be some changes that might make the situation better and more tolerable," she said.
How to buy capital works with minimal budgets?
One of the problematic issues raised by Karadžić is the purchase policy, which also significantly affects the position of artists. Using the example of the National Museum, she pointed out that the budget intended for it is "very modest", so much so that the question is "what should we do with it".
"What should we do with that very modest budget if, as happened this year, a collector's auction house from France appears at the competition and offers a great work by Dada Đurić from the 70s, for which they are asking 70.000 euros? Shouldn't it be our goal to redeem capital works? But with the fund at our disposal we cannot buy it. On the other hand, shouldn't we then help young artists, those who are just starting out and buy their works that will be important one day, and at the same time enrich our fund and help them?", she asks.
Karadziceva recalls that during the socialist era, companies bought works of art, which is not the case today, but a matter of prestige...
"At the same time, the price of a young artist's work is reduced to a minimum and its market value decreases, instead of helping him," she reminded.
Vučić Ćetković added that "prices are regulated on the market, that is, on the art market, which does not exist in Montenegro and there are no mechanisms for regulation", and ULUCG president Igor Rakčević said that there should be a clear strategy for the purchase of works of art.
Bonus video:
