Whether we ever emerged from the labyrinth of the 20s is the central question of the large exhibition "Labyrinth of the Nineties", which will open today in Podgorica, at the Modern Gallery at XNUMX p.m.
It was precisely the realization that the 1990s are still present and that we are still living in them that encouraged the team of authors to create a unique concept that combines history, facts, art, documentary, emotions, memories, and then today's circumstances. This was confirmed by both the writer and historian Igor Shtiks at yesterday's press conference.
"The 1990s as a theme will remain with us, unfortunately. We realized this five years ago and realized that a new, different, alternative way of presenting that decade was needed, because, unfortunately, we had to conclude that we were living in an other 1990s that would never let us go," he said.
The Podgorica exhibition "Labyrinth of the Nineties" brings an expanded version of the exhibition originally presented in Belgrade in 2023 and then in Sarajevo in 2024. The authors are: historian Dubravka Stojanović, Director of the Cultural Center "Grad" Dejan Ubović and Igor Štiks, while the segments from Montenegro were shaped by historians Philip Kuzman, Vukan Raznatović i Miloš Vukanović.
Visitors have the opportunity to walk through the "Labyrinth", view various exhibits, from front pages and newspaper clippings of the time, documentary photographs, video recordings, witnesses of certain historical circumstances, but also to re-examine various centers of power and their influence on public opinion. Along with certain historical facts, humor, satire, art, struggle, resistance, but also emotions that make up everyday life are omnipresent... All of this together corresponds in a subtle and powerful way with memory, collective memory, collective or acquired trauma, and then with everything we live today. The exhibition is also proof that art, history and emotions can function together and broaden horizons, Štiks confirmed to Vijesti yesterday.
"On the one hand, there is art and creative work, and on the other hand, history and dealing with facts from a scientific perspective, and then through all of that, we also have emotions... This exhibition brings artifacts, just like newspaper covers, documentary photographs of key moments, certain visual materials that were less well-known. But the exhibition also depends on how the exhibits are arranged and thematically organized," explained Štiks.
Symbols, night, deception, transition, violence, happiness, humor, non-conformity, are the themes through which the exhibition takes visitors. However, ultimately, each individual creates their own exhibition, Štiks emphasized.
"What I want to emphasize is that each of the settings is quite different, so the Podgorica one will also have some different elements," he added.
The exhibition also brings to light that hidden part of history that is not covered through the media, history books, textbooks, and rarely through art - everyday life, the life of "ordinary" people... Stojanović confirmed this, revealing only a segment of the exhibition...
"The first room you enter is the thematic room 'Symbols', which is extremely strong, as are each of the following. This room shows old, demolished symbols, but also new ones that have appeared, and you can see the dialogue between them. There is also everyday life and various parts of society, but they are all placed in the context of a dialogue with horror. We tried to capture that horror through each of these themes," said Stojanović, emphasizing that no exhibit is simple and does not carry just one emotion, but a combination of strong messages...
Stojanović pointed out that the concept itself was more than two years in the making. She also revealed that harsh, sometimes negative criticism from colleagues from the region encouraged them to think about a new approach to the topic of the 1990s.
"We think that the 90s should be spoken about in a new language, because the old languages clearly failed to do so. Now, 30 years after the end of the wars, we need to find new ways to guide people into that decade. Thinking about this, Igor came up with the ingenious idea of a labyrinth. We entered the labyrinth, we did not get out of it, do we want to get out, do we know how to get out, that is the question posed by the exhibition," emphasized the professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade.
She added that the exhibition is, above all, aimed at emotions.
"Of course, there is also knowledge, a lot of data that has been forgotten, suppressed or not known, but the exhibition is primarily focused on emotion and to bring people back to that claustrophobia, the fears of the 90s, the uncertainty of whether we will get out and survive. I think this is a new language that is needed to encourage people to think," explained Stojanović.
The historian also revealed that her colleague Stix, when it comes to this topic, often quotes Bogdan Bogdanović which says that a maze wouldn't be a maze if there was no way out.
"So, there is a way out, it's just that each of us and each society individually needs to find it," said Stojanović.
The exhibition in the premises of the Public Institution Museums and Galleries of Podgorica is realized by the M90 Foundation and the Cultural Front from Serbia, in cooperation with the Center for Civic Education (CCE) from Montenegro. Associate on programs at CCE Maja Marinović, she pointed out that with this exhibition they want to communicate facts in an alternative way, especially to the younger generations.
"This initiative aims to contribute to dealing with the past, strengthening mutual understanding and building lasting peace and stability in the region. Although the wars of the 1990s formally ended almost three decades ago, their impact is still strongly felt in society, in mutual relations between states and citizens, and even through political tensions that still dominate public space today," Marinović concluded.
She added that not enough is known about that period, and even less openly discussed.
"That space, precisely because of the lack of institutional and educational attention, has become a fertile ground for manipulation, oblivion and increasingly present disinformation. That is why the "Museum of the Nineties" project aims to open that chapter through historical facts, cultural expression and critical dialogue and make it accessible to citizens, especially young people... This exhibition is not only a cultural event - but also a strong social intervention. It symbolically, but also in content, depicts the complexity and contradictions of that period, from violence and war, through resistance and solidarity, to the cultural and social transformations that marked it. Here we are talking about a decade that decisively shaped today's states, but which has been systematically pushed into oblivion and distorted through revisionist narratives," she said.
Marinović also expressed special gratitude to the director of the Public Institution Museums and Galleries of Podgorica, Ivani Nina Vukčević Ćupić, who recognized the importance of the initiative and was instrumental in having it placed in this building. The Director of the Public Institution Museums and Galleries of Podgorica expressed her satisfaction with the opening of the exhibition, reflecting on the period it covers.
"I belong to the generation that perhaps had the worst of it during the 90s, because everything that happened somehow shaped us more strongly, because we were at the end of high school when we start to form critical opinions. I couldn't wait to see this exhibition, which happened during a business trip. I hoped that 'Labyrinth' could come to us, and here it is now, right in our house. I am very grateful to the authors of the exhibition and to CCE as partners, and I am very happy that we will be hosting one of the exhibitions of the year, just as our institution is celebrating its 75th anniversary," she emphasized.
The director also said that the institution's goal is to attract students and teachers, and certainly students, during the duration of the exhibition, despite the end of the school year, and she also announced various accompanying activities.
Štiks added that the exhibition, although aimed at younger generations, is intended for everyone.
"One of the dimensions of this exhibition is certainly addressing the younger generations, but it is intended for everyone and is not just educational... This is an exhibition for all generations, for those generations that were growing up when the wars began, for those generations that were deprived of a life that could have happened, but didn't, and we were already directed to another track. So, this exhibition takes us back to that period, evokes strong emotions, reminds us of facts and events that we have forgotten, but also brings another dimension, such as humor, youth nightlife, happiness, because all of that was during the nineties," said Štiks.
"The exhibition takes us back to that period, evokes strong emotions, reminds us of facts and events that we have forgotten, but also brings another dimension, such as humor, youth nightlife, happiness, because all of that was there during the nineties," said Štiks.
A period that young people see as a burden
The exhibition was created as part of the project "Museum of the 90s - Regional Center for Reconciliation, Education and Future Cooperation" with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands through the MATRA program, the European Fund for the Balkans and the Shared Horizons project funded by the Republic of France and implemented by Expertise France Groupe AF.
Maja Marinović also reminded us yesterday of the research conducted as part of the project, which showed that the school system provides almost no knowledge about the 1990s.
"However, it is encouraging that almost 80 percent of young people in Montenegro believe that the events of that era are still important for today's society, which is a guideline for interest in quality and responsible education about that part of the past... That is why this exhibition has an artistic and educational character. In this way, we want to send an invitation to build a society that remembers, learns and does not give up on critical reflections and dialogue based on facts - which are needed today, perhaps more than ever," she said.
Štiks added that the research was also conducted outside of Montenegro, and that several similar conclusions appear everywhere.
"Young people know relatively little about all this, and if they do, it is about certain traumatic events from their own environment. Also, among a large number of young people there is a certain ethnic distance or distance from their neighbors, so different perspectives on these events do not reach young people. However, what is perhaps even more important is that young people see the 1990s as a burden that we have not really gotten rid of," the writer pointed out.
He added that it is specific that even today we have similar ideologies, similar or the same people in public life as in the 90s, and that the same problems persist...
The Museum of the Nineties opens
Historian Dubravka Stojanović revealed yesterday that preparations are underway for the permanent exhibition of the Museum of the Nineties, which will be officially opened on June 2 in Belgrade.
"Exclusive information is that on June 2nd we are opening the 'Museum of the Nineties' in Belgrade. We have been looking for a space for a long time and it was not easy, because it had to be suitable for both the exhibition itself and the future debate center. We were lucky to find a wonderful house in the very center of the city that celebrated its 150th anniversary, so the house itself is already a museum in a way. While the exhibition is being set up in Podgorica, preparations are underway for the permanent exhibition of the Museum in Belgrade," she announced.
She also recalled the success of the concept in Belgrade and Sarajevo, where the exhibition at the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina was visited by around 7.000 people.
"Every new exhibition, including the one in Podgorica, leads us through that labyrinth. Also, each exhibition invites us to rethink everything," said Stojanović.
Bonus video:
