Project Description: The Polycrisis Residency – (Un)Expected Encounters project is ZMUC’s response to the increasingly precarious position of artists and cultural workers, as well as to the urgent need for alternative solutions in the face of the closure of cultural centers across Serbia, the deterioration of gallery spaces, the loss of artists’ studios, the absence of systematic institutional support, the unresolved social status of contemporary artists, and the general neglect of culture by the state.
The term polycrisis, named the “Word of the Year” by the Financial Times, refers to interconnected global threats such as the pandemic, war, climate change, natural disasters, deglobalization, and other overlapping crises. Through dialogue and collaboration among artists from different disciplines, together with the local community, the project concluded that traditional artist residency models are no longer sufficient to address the realities faced by contemporary artists. As a result, the project established the programmatic platform of the Alternative Residency Center (ARC) Two Babes, which functions as a safe space and creative refuge for artists from the region and around the world experiencing various forms of crisis.
The program offers artists access to production tools, exhibition and working spaces, opportunities for collaboration, and a place to recover from precarious working conditions. It brought together 15 artists and cultural workers, providing them with space for artistic production, co-production, professional exchange, and rest. Through continuous dialogue, artistic production, and documentation, the center remains open and accessible 365 days a year to artists in need of support. The residency also investigates the risks faced by artists in Serbia and the wider region, creating a platform based on solidarity, dialogue, knowledge exchange, and artistic collaboration. The program began with the participation of Afghan musician and composer Halil Ahmad Yousufi. Other invited participants included Serbian writer Ana Isaković; Bosnian journalist Kristina Ljevak, visual artist Kasja Jerlagić, and linguist Sandra Zlotrg; Slovenian activist Arijana Markučić Brecelj and web artist Vuk Ćosić; Croatian curator and cultural manager Zvonimir Dobrović; Montenegrin writer Brano Mandić and Marxist scholar Slađana Kavarić Mandić. Serbian participants also included visual artists Jelena Mijić, Anica Vučetić, and Aleksandar Jevtić; photographer Srđan Veljović; poet and translator Ljiljana Ilić; and curator Jelena Spaić.
The immediate outcomes of the project included a documentary film, a series of public events, and the development of local audiences. By supporting this initiative, the Culture for Democracy program not only strengthened the position of artists but also contributed to the Municipality of Sopot, which encompasses 17 villages and previously had very limited and non-diverse cultural programming.
Grant amount: 1,500,000.00 RSD
