In the previous months, we witnessed that politicians watched us, and we watched them (willingly or not), at every corner - from social networks, television, to walking around the city, and we could see their slogans and/or faces on almost every billboard across Montenegro. .
And that's nothing unusual, because the billboard is "a space for your advertisement". However, if that space, at least in the smallest possible part, was used to offer and present content to the society as a whole that they otherwise do not have permanent access to, perhaps we would be more educated, more cultured, with more empathy and humanity, perhaps we would revive some (neglected) interests , acquired new hobbies, discovered talents, and perhaps such billboards would attract a new audience to galleries, museums, theaters, to public classes, discussions...
However, what can be seen these days on certain billboards in Bar and Podgorica is a real refreshment, and in question is a kind of exhibition of paintings by the Montenegrin academic painter Goran Ćetković, probably the first of its kind, not only in Montenegro, but also beyond, because this conceptual exhibition solutions would, by their very nature, have a great resonance. Thus, everyday passers-by in Podgorica, among others, on Mihaila Lalića Boulevard, on Ulica bratstva i jedinstva near Gintaš or on Ulica Jovana Tomašević near the City Stadium in Bar, are now attending an exhibition of selected works by Ćetković from the cycle "Horizons" that he put up on advertising billboards. He organized everything himself, with the support of his friends, he tells "Vijesti".
"During the planning of this exhibition, I did not address any municipality or cultural institution, but realized the project together with my friends, admirers of my art. I must point out that this way of promoting art was also present before, when it came to my exhibitions. I hope it will be like that in the future as well. But for real art, it's not even necessary...", points out Ćetković.
His latest cycle "Horizons" has a landscape as its basis, so the motifs of earth, water and sky dominate the works, as well as the remains of ruined architecture, the Montenegrin karst, the homeland, and in addition to the beauty of the landscape, an atmosphere of transience is also felt. For this occasion, he singled out ten of his pictures that he chose himself, relying primarily on his intuition.
"Given the newly created circumstances caused by the emergence of the virus and the fact that there are certain restrictions when it comes to galleries, I came up with the idea of presenting myself to the art audience in Podgorica and Bar in an alternative way, through billboards. The author of the photographs and conceptual solution for the billboards is Balša Rakočević, and what I especially like about them is their simplicity," Ćetković tells "Vijesta" and reveals how the process of preparing for an exhibition of this type went, outside the gallery space, outdoors.
"When it comes to preparing for an exhibition of this type, it is of the utmost importance to have quality photos of the paintings, with a strong resolution and a creative conceptual solution for the billboard. There is no official opening of the exhibition, but it will be announced through the media. The audience will have the opportunity to see the paintings in several locations in Podgorica and Bar. The goal of this project is to make art current and visible even in such complex and difficult times. As soon as the billboards were installed, the first positive reactions and comments arrived. People have become tired and saturated with certain content, and this exhibition is a real refreshment for them," Ćetković says sincerely.
Given that his works will be seen by a large number of people in this way, "Vijesti" was also interested in whether this was one of the goals of the project - to bring fine art closer to those who do not have the practice of visiting galleries and similar spaces, and what kind of society we would have were when art was a part of our everyday life.
"Certainly, the main goal is the promotion of art. Art that in this way becomes accessible to everyone, both to the wonderful art audience and to those people who are not in the habit of visiting exhibitions. Unfortunately, in most of the society, art is reduced to something secondary and without importance.
So a large number of people, materialistically minded, will not notice the real beauty that the painting-work expresses, but will deal with its market value, the name and reputation of the author. If art were a part of everyday life, I am convinced that we would live in a more beautiful and better world, both spiritually and in every other sense", points out Ćetković and concludes the conversation with his well-known sentence:
"I paint, therefore I exist".
Bonus video:
