Ecomythologies invite you to think about completely new relationships with the world around you, nature, technology, society, and even with yourself, says the selector of this year's Montenegrin art salon "13. November" Milica Bezmarević.
The salon is traditionally held in Cetinje, on the eve of the city's holidays - Capital Day, Cetinje Liberation Day, and so this year, in the Montenegrin Art Gallery "Miodrag Dado Đurić", where interested visitors will be able to see the exhibition until December 18. Under the slogan or theme of "Ecomythology", which Bezmarević singled out as important, the selector gathered artists from Montenegro, the region and abroad, 16 of them from six countries.
The idea from which "Ecomythology" originates is based on a broader and more complex consideration of the ecological register, says Bezmarević, and explains that this term does not refer exclusively to the natural environment, but to a broader discourse concerning social and mental ecology, which are mutually correlated they build an open system that expands and complements each other. She reveals that the exhibition corresponds with the offered theme and with artistic expressions that invite dialogue and open new spaces of interpretation and understanding of nature, technology, society and ourselves.
With such a diverse range of styles, visions and research and offered topics and concepts, the authenticity of their expressions provides visitors with an insight into the different dimensions of artistic thinking, creations, processes...
The following artists will be presented at the exhibition: Andrea Vamoš from France, Selman shines from Kosovo, Nina Ivanovic i Stevan Kojic from Serbia, Emir Sehanovic from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vana Urošević from Macedonia, as well as Montenegrin artists Darko Vučković, Milena Mijović Durutović, Nikolina Zuber, Teodora Nikčević, Jelena Pavićević, Ivana Radovanović, Siniša Radulović, Igor Rakčević, Maja Šofranac i Ivan Šuković.
The expert jury headed by the president of the jury, art historian dr Svetlana Racanović and members, art historians Anom Ivanovic and Milicom Bezmarević, awards the Salon Grand Prix and three equal awards.
The salon is organized by the Capital of Cetinje, in cooperation with the National Museum of Montenegro and the Association of Art Historians, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Media.
For selector Milica Bezmarević, she says, it is a very inspiring, dynamic, at times organizationally tiring, but certainly exciting and creative process, and she talks more about it, about the set-up, concept and theme, for "Vijesti".
Montenegrin art salon "13. November", under the slogan "Ecomythology", is traditionally organized on the occasion of the city's holiday. As the selector of this year's edition, you have chosen a constellation of excellent and proven artists of different poetics. What should visitors expect from this setting?
The concept of expectation is very subjective and in that sense I cannot assume it. I conceived the exhibition in a way of thinking and opening some new questions, facing our own and collective traumas, myths, mythologies, eco-mythologies, regardless of whether we participate in them consciously or simply ignore them.
The exhibition presents artists who, in their artistic practices, deal with the interpretation of the theme of human relations, not only with the natural environment, as the term "eco" usually suggests, but also with its function within the social community, as well as a wider ecosystem that includes certain new naturalness, and first of all technology, therefore, a complex ecosystem in which the questioning of human nature itself is also implied.
Certainly, in addition to thematic harmony, it was very important to me that these should be works of art realized in every sense - idea, content, production, so that they have an aesthetic integrity. In this sense, I believe that this year's salon is a good predisposition for any kind of expectations.
The slogan "Ecomythology" immediately catches the eye/ear. How did you come up with that term and why exactly did you choose it as a topic and direction of reflection, research and creation?
The concept of ecomythology arose from my reflection on a topic that has been interesting to me for a long time, and it concerns a broader meaning of the term "ecology", which does not refer exclusively to the natural environment, but to a broader and more meaningful register to which both social and mental ecology. I believe that today there is a clear and fundamentally important need to think about the natural environment in correlation with individual and social ecology; to see their interrelationships, their interweaving, on which a future multipolar world would be built, which by its very definition would overcome the previous dualistic oppositions and antagonisms.
It is a vivid example of mutated, monstrous algae flooding the Venetian lagoon like deformed, distorted images on the one hand, and impressions coming from television screens or social networks on the other. So, in parallel with ecological imbalances, which hinder the survival of life on Earth, and the extinction of species, human modes of life, individual and collective, are also dying out, which are evolving in the direction of their own decline. Therefore, not only species are dying out, but also social and subjective attitudes, human solidarity is dying out.
Additionally, in the context of our local tendencies towards various mythologizing of identity values, ecological proclamations and the like, it was interesting to me that through art and the wider dimension of aesthetics, I would try to "rethink" those directions of creation, or more precisely, artistic response to the various discourses of our personal mythologies and newly composed myths of our time.
What were your intentions and now, when the exhibition has been fully conceived and completed, can you say that you are satisfied with the result, the setting, the directions in which the original idea developed?
Yes, in the context of the concept of the exhibition and the final setting, I can say that I am satisfied. The process took quite a long time, although I knew from the beginning in which direction I wanted to conceptually profile the exhibition, it took some time to put things in order, in terms of finally defining the concept, then selecting the works, working on the display, creating the visual identity of the exhibition, and all other steps that will not be visible at the exhibition itself, and which were an important part of the entire process.
Interesting array of artists, what made you choose them? In that context, how big was your responsibility and role?
In the past few years, the salon has been re-established as an international one, so I had the opportunity to include, in addition to Montenegrin artists, those from the region, who are highly established, not only in their own communities but also in a wider, European context. Nevertheless, regardless of their professional reputations, my basic criterion was that the selected artists deal with themes in their work that correspond to the concept of my exhibition.
Therefore, the position of curator always carries that kind of responsibility, but also the challenge, to carefully monitor the art scene and register everything that stands out or is recognized as valuable. In this sense, it is important not to make compromises of any kind.
Some of them are well known to the Montenegrin art audience, some less so, but is there anything that will arouse curiosity or intrigue visitors? How to observe the exhibition?
As I already pointed out in an earlier conversation, I did not think about this year's Salon exclusively in the sense of something new and completely different as far as the artworks themselves are concerned, although almost the entire production was created during this or last year, but my intention was to with this exhibition, some new topics concerning social and intellectual awareness, our incomprehensible, individual and collective, mental and social passivity are raised, to revive some questions concerning the entire community that belongs to one global ecological system. The mythologizing I mention belongs to our arrogance which is based on our ignorance. Ecomythologies invite you to think about completely new relationships with the world around you, nature, technology, society, and even with yourself. In that sense, it would mean something to me if this exhibition contributed to something new and different.
What do you see as the importance and significance of the Montenegrin Art Salon "13. November”? What does that event represent for fine artists and the audience, and what for society?
In my opinion, the significance of the Salon is important, because year after year, an exhibition continuity is maintained. In addition, it gives the possibility of insight into the recent domestic and regional scene, and this is again very important, because this is how different cultural environments are connected, contacts are built, international cooperation is established, and the like, and all this is, especially for a small environment like ours. , very significant, I would say, precious.
In the last few years, the salon has a significant perception in wider professional circles outside of Montenegro, and any visibility of our art scene in that context and how useful and important it is in our circumstances.
What is the process like for you, would you like to point out something in particular?
The production of this year's salon was quite demanding, partly because of its international character, partly because of the works themselves, which, each in its own way, required some kind of special approach. Nevertheless, every new experience of this type is precious and important to me, not only from a professional effort to devote myself fully to all segments of this process, but also from a completely personal experience of questioning my own attitude towards the topics and questions that this exhibition opens up.
In the end, behind me is a very inspiring, dynamic, at times organizationally tiring, but certainly exciting and creative process.
Selective abortions - the most brutal example of disruption of the social eco-system
Montenegro is an ecological country, the first (self) declared, today with a holiday that reminds of that. But what is the situation in practice and is ecology today on a fine line with mythology?
Yes, that is a very good question. And perhaps the real question is, does this border exist at all or is it actually a kind of eco-mythology, which speaks of our traditional, retrograde tendency towards setting up all kinds of mythologies?
This type of local-collective mystification is equally transferred to other ecological registers of social and subjective discourse, so one of the most impressive social anomalies is the one related to selective abortions, which again corresponds to the traditionally established national myth about the inviolable value of the male offspring in to the family. Isn't that the most brutal example of disrupting the natural social balance - the social eco-system?
Is it a devastating fact that Montenegro has such dramatic statistics in this field, enough to warn us of the senselessness and danger of uncritically turning to the past and retrograde tradition, instead of designing a new future in which we would face the arduous task of discarding the heavy burden of heritage in the benefit of civilized perspectives of the future.
Nature cannot be separated from art
How important is it that salons of this type encourage current and universal topics crucial for the existence of the individual, community, society, nation, and even the planet?
I think that any public activity, and art certainly belongs to that discourse, is important and has its own effect, both on the individual and on the wider community. It is important that salons or exhibitions of this type enliven new areas of dialogue, initiate and open up questions concerning both local and universal topics.
Where is the art and where are the artists in all this, whether it is ecology, ecomythology, or some other important social issues, whether local or global?
There is an entire movement of re-thinking ecology, which the French philosopher and activist, Felix Guthrie, defines as ecosophy. It is precisely in this new perception of social and mental ecology that aesthetics occupies a very important place, so it is found in the very foundations of ecosophic beliefs, as that field of interaction of the entire ecosystem, in which today, more than ever, nature cannot be separated from art, where their interweaving builds a new, newly identified referential aesthetic universe. An equally important role, therefore, belongs to artists and art in general, but not in the way of any isms or directions, but in the way of pure, creative creation, which has its own strength and which can restore trust in the world.
Bonus video:
