With the aim of introducing order in the area of planning and supervision over the installation of monuments, Montenegro needs a reform of the legislative and institutional framework.
This is the conclusion of the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) research "Monuments in Montenegro 2006-2022" whose author is a member of the CDT and an art historian Tatjana Koprivica.
"Due to the shortcomings of the legislative and institutional framework, in Montenegro we do not have adequate planning for the installation, nor the selection of monuments, so we get memorials that are of questionable value and aesthetics. The system of erecting monuments is without a long-term vision and serves to satisfy current needs and interests and often for political promotion or revision of history," the survey concluded.
Koprivica notes that the monitoring system is weak, but also that central state institutions are bypassed, which leads to a general lack of transparency, a chaotic situation at the local level and the absence of sanctions for monuments erected without legal procedures.
Posted despite the ban
The reform should lead to an increase in transparency, respect for the rules of the profession, raising aesthetic and artistic criteria, protection of copyrights, as well as the inclusion of the wider professional and civil community in the dialogue, so that the decisions of each new government do not lead to the negation of previous memorials. recommended by an art historian.
"In Montenegro, in the period from 2006 to 2022, a large number of monuments were erected in public space, and their erection was often accompanied by disputes and polemics in the public. Some of them were erected despite the ban of the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro and competent institutions, and they are still in the same locations," the CDT press release points out.
The authors are mostly the same, no women and few young people
In the research, it was recorded that the monuments were mined, damaged, altered, dislocated, often used as a medium for historical revisionism.
The largest number of monumental monuments are dedicated to historical figures and events, and a small number are dedicated to artists, it was stated in the research.
"The forms are most often anachronistic, and there are very few artistic solutions that correspond to contemporary artistic tendencies in sculpture. The largest number of monuments in public spaces are the work of a few artists. Not a single monument in public space in Montenegro was made by a woman. Only one sculpture placed in public space was done by a woman (2022, Dubravka Duletić). The younger generation of Montenegrin artists is insufficiently represented with their works in the public space," the research states.
Koprivica reminds that for the monument, in addition to "visual-emotional strength and suggestiveness", "quality selection of the location and integration into the architectural-urban planning" is important.
Point out problems and offer solutions through analysis
The CDT notes that the intention is not to map and present problems related to monuments in the Montenegrin public space, nor to criticize existing monument practices, but rather to draw attention to the most significant problems related to the installation of monuments in public space and offer through the analysis of the legislative framework solutions for some of them.
The research is based on official data obtained on the basis of the Law on Free Access to Information, insight into relevant official databases and field work.
The publication was prepared as part of the "Action" project, which aims to involve individuals, associations and non-governmental organizations with high professional references in a dialogue about all important problems in society.
"In this way, we are creating a kind of knowledge base about different segments of the functioning of the state, which we will offer to state bodies as support for the creation of a better and fairer society," they conclude in the announcement.
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