Project Description: The partnership grant between the Citizens’ Association “Tatamate” and the Association of Fine Artists of Serbia began with the gathering of local residents active in various initiatives and activist organizations, as well as cultural and educational institutions, to form a local cultural committee initially comprised of seven members: managers, philosophers, visual artists, journalists, activists, etc. Online meetings were organized for project team members and the local committee with experts who shared their experiences in implementing artistic interventions in various cultural and social environments, as well as local community projects aimed at activating public properties to serve public interests. A call for artists was also issued, and they visited potential locations for artistic interventions that reflect the issue of ecological sustainability. Three projects were selected for realization: by artists Vesna Radović, Jovana Sudimac, and the group of artists Mira Odić, Vesna Vesić, and Vladimir Ilić. To ensure the successful implementation of the interventions, each project was assigned a mentor-collaborator from ULUS (Association of Fine Artists of Serbia). Jovana Sudimac held workshops with local residents in Fruškogorska Street, and each new meeting helped residents better understand and accept the proposal to raise a joint sculpture. The result of this artistic intervention was a jointly designed installation titled “Monument to the Future,” which was placed on the facade of the neighborhood. Artist Vesna Radović conducted over 15 video interviews with residents of Nova Pazova about the ecological transformation of public spaces, which resulted in a documentary film titled Nova Zova. The artistic trio Vesna Vesić, Mira Odić, and Vladimir Ilić chose Burgen Park as the location for their artistic intervention, where kaleidoscope sculptures were installed. During conversations with local residents, the project team recognized numerous prejudices related to contemporary art, especially in the context of taking a more active role in deciding the content, methods, and goals of artistic interventions by the local community. Nevertheless, the realization of activities outside official cultural institutions, in neighborhoods isolated from the city center, engaged the local audience—not only as recipients of content but as active participants in the artistic process. Moreover, the mediation by artists and the project team between the ethnically mixed population in the neighborhood contributed to increased social cohesion.
Grant amount: 2,927,231.12 RSD
