Project description: The project marked 30 years of the existence of Cultural Centre Rex by reaffirming and critically examining the role, position, and future of the independent cultural scene, with the aim of reflecting on new possibilities for action. Four projects were realised, based on artistic, theoretical, and activist research into the experiences of Rex’s participants, collaborators, and audiences: the survey How (Through/By Whom) Does Cultural Centre Rex Exist Today?; the artistic research project Rex’s Inner Kaleidoscope; the Rex Archive Video Landscapes project; and the open call for works on the theme How to Continue Without Yourself? The open call addressed the wider public, with participants responding to questions about different artistic formats before a jury composed of some of the most active and long-standing collaborators of Cultural Centre Rex: Dragan Protić Prota, Dragana Alfirević, Dušan Maljković, Zoe Gudović, Marina Dokmanović, Vahida Ramujkić, Dalibor Ranđić, Aleksandar Gubaš, with special honorary positions reserved for Darka Radosavljević, Katarina Živanović, and Dušica Parezanović.
Svetlana Ivanov realised the public workshops Rex’s Inner Kaleidoscope and conducted interviews with participants involved in Rex’s programmes and projects. Artist Miloš Tomić created collage video miniatures based on Rex’s archives for the project Video Landscapes-Collages, while journalist and activist Ilir Gaši conducted the artistic research How Does Rex Exist? among a wide circle of 1,200 Rex collaborators and audience members.
An open call and exhibition of artistic and documentary works on the theme How to Continue Without Yourself? were realised. Numerous participants presented their work through a recital and performative evaluation of ongoing artistic research and other collaborative experiences, viewed through the broader perspective of Rex’s history and heritage. The Rex Evolutionary Garden was updated, and wall newspapers dedicated to current social developments were published.
Among the accompanying programmes, the pop-up performance Behind Closed Doors stands out, as it coincidentally aligned perfectly with the concept of “continuing without oneself”.
The project enabled reflection on the past, present, and future of the centre, as well as on its conceptual and material heritage within the field of engaged culture and the broader social context of the “end of an era”. It initiated public discussion and critical dialogue on current social issues, drawing on past experiences, affirming the present, and inspiring future cultural, artistic, and activist engagement.
Grant amount: 1,550,000.00 RSD
