Exhibition realised in collaboration with the Festival Grenze Arsenali Festival, with the essential support of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Belgrado, and book published by Studio Faganel.
The story is the result of hours of walking, observing, and listening to all the living elements that make up the island: the land, the stone, the people. In this precise order, I sought to build a series of events that have characterized and made this place unique. I started from the land that men dug to bring the stone to light. I arrived at the land that is now preserved in the cavities that give rise to the underground gardens. In this place, the real past and present blend with facts, legends, possible truths, and distant mythologies: the literary contribution of Marilena Renda is essential in conveying these words, as she was invited to participate in the project by drafting unpublished texts. Photography and words translate and strengthen the meaning of the cavity, understood as a generative space.
Alessandra Calò
Word and image have always been in a mutually generative dialogue. The image evokes absence, while the word brings it to life and sustains it. The twentieth century turned this into a drama – a creative conflict over what forms, settles, and becomes the artisan or material of an imaginary. The installation at the Italian Cultural Institute in Belgrade prompts the relationship between iconographic text and narrative text in the realm of myth, where “high” and “low” vie for the kingdom of storytelling and memory. A tale without an incipit, development, or conclusion unfolds linearly along the walls of the room, without interruption. The visitor is on an empty island. This allows every “once upon a time” to begin anew from the perspective of the frontal viewer, reflecting in the circularity of their own archetype, whether celestial or maritime, earthly or divine. Here, texts emerge from the image like the voice of a sibyl from the cavity plunged into the unspeakable. The culture of syntax distills the wild chaos of nature. In the disordered secret garden, the voice of reason gathers the remnants of ancient regenerative metamorphoses. A fierce darkroom, magma and repository of found iconographic fossils, made visible only by the hand, the craftsmanship bent to the reasons of the artistic process, like ghosts: before the final immersion in the popular archive.
Simone Azzoni
Izložba realizovana u saradnji sa festivalom Festival Grenze Arsenali Festival, uz neophodnu podršku Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Belgrado, a knjiga je objavljena u izdanju Studio Faganel.
Priča je rezultat višesatne šetnje, posmatranja i osluškivanja svih živih elemenata koji čine ostrvo: zemlje, kamena, osoba. U ovom preciznom redu, pokušala sam da konstruišem niz događaja koji su karakterisali ovaj predeo i doprineli njegovoj jedinstvenosti. Počela sam od zemlje koju su ljudi iskopavali kako bi otkrili kamen. Stigla sam do zemlje koja se danas čuva u šupljinama koje stvaraju podzemne bašte. Na ovom mestu, stvarna prošlost i sadašnjost se mešaju sa činjenicama, legendama, mogućim istinama i dalekim mitologijama: književni doprinos Marilene Rende, koju smo pozvali da učestvuje u projektu i priredi neobjavljene tekstove, odigrao je ključnu ulogu u svemu ovom. Fotografija i reči prevode i jačaju značenje šupljine, podrazumevane kao plodonosan prostor.
Alesandra Kalo
Reč i slika su oduvek u međusobnom plodonosnom dijalogu. Slika evocira odsustvo, reč ga čini živim i održivim. Dvadeseti vek je od toga napravio dramu, kreativni sukob oko onoga što se formira, taloži i postaje stvaralac ili materija imaginarnog. Izložba u Italijanskom institutu za kulturu u Beogradu pospešuje odnos između ikonografskog i narativnog teksta u oblasti mita, gde se „uzvišeno“ i „prizemno“ otimaju za vladavinu pripovedanja i sećanja. Priča bez uvoda, razrade i zaključka odvija se linearno preko zidova sobe, bez prekida. Posmatrač se nalazi na praznom ostrvu kako bi „bio jednom jedan“ moglo iznova početi iz perspektive frontalnog posmatrača koji se ogleda u okviru sopstvenog arhetipa, nebeskog ili pomorskog, zemaljskog ili božanskog. Ovde tekstovi izranjaju iz slike poput glasa proročice iz šupljine potonule u neizrecivo. Kultura sintakse destiluje divlji haos prirode. U neurednoj tajnoj bašti glas razuma sakuplja ostatke drevnih regenerativnih metamorfoza. Svirepa mračna komora, magma i naslage pronađenih ikonografskih fosila koje vidljivim, poput utvara, čini samo ruka, veština koja se povija pred zakonima umetničkog procesa: pre konačnog uranjanja u narodni arhiv.
Simone Aconi
Vladeta is a zine presenting the work of Serbian and international authors whose work explores the cultural memory and visual heritage of Serbia through a personal and documentary approach in the field of photography. The publication brings unpublished and overlooked projects into the spotlight, delves into archives, and offers insight into the contributions of photographers from different generations, placing them within a broader cultural and historical context. In doing so, it fosters a dialogue between past and present, offering new perspectives on visual narratives that shape and reflect the region’s identity.
The presentation will be conducted in English.
Vladeta je zin koji predstavlja stvaralaštvo domaćih i stranih autora čiji rad istražuje kulturno pamćenje i vizuelno nasleđe Srbije kroz lični i dokumentarni pristup u domenu fotografije. Publikacija aktuelizuje neobjavljene i zanemarene projekte, proučava arhive i otvara uvid u doprinose fotografa različitih generacija, smeštajući ih u širi kulturni i istorijski kontekst. Na taj način uspostavlja dijalog između prošlosti i sadašnjosti i nudi nove perspektive vizuelnih narativa koji oblikuju i odražavaju identitet života na ovim prostorima.
The talk will be conducted in English.
Today, independent publishing in photography is no longer a choice or a strategy — it has become a necessity.
Through my publication “Kultura Fotografije”, I will try to show why this necessity might actually be the best thing that could have happened to us as artists.
The talk will be conducted in English.
Zašto nam treba nezavisno izdavaštvo? Priča iza publikacije Kultura Fotografije.
Danas nezavisno izdavaštvo u fotografiji više nije izbor niti strategija — ono je nužnost.
Na primeru moje publikacije „Kultura fotografije“ pokušaću da vam pokažem zašto je upravo ta nužnost možda i najbolja stvar koja se nama, umetnicima, mogla dogoditi.
In The Horses Are Coming, Christina Werner focuses on animal symbolism as a main visual and staging strategy of National Socialism: Eagles, lions, horses and sheepdogs functioned in the Third Reich as symbols of strength, purity and order – codes that are still effective today: When Viktor Orbán presents Austria with two horses as a “sign of friendship” in 2022 or Herbert Kickl calls for the launch of a mounted police force, it becomes clear how animal motifs continue to be used as strategic symbols in right-wing and authoritarian narratives.
The work uses the technique of collage to visualise ideological codes by fragmenting and rearranging historical image sources. It is thus in the tradition of political art, such as the photomontages of John Heartfield, who worked visually against the rise of fascism in the 1930s.
Nike Bekemeier, Curatorial Assistence, Westlicht Vienna
Christina Wener
Born in 1976 in Baar (Switzerland), grew up in Baden near Vienna (Austria) and lives and works in Vienna (Austria)
In her artistic practice, she analyzes political visual strategies, mechanisms of visual power, and their dissemination through the media. She focuses on global developments such as the rise of neo-fascism and the role of public space as a place of commemoration. The archive is becoming increasingly important as a source of knowledge and starting point for many of her works.
From 2007 to 2013, she studied photography and moving image with Tina Bara and media art with Alba D’Urbano at the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig (Germany).
Works have been exhibited at venues including the Deichtorhallen – House of Photography, Hamburg (D); Lentos Museum, Linz (A); Mattatoio, Rome (I); Museum Villa Stuck, Munich (D); National Gallery, Prague (CZ); Fotogalerie Wien (A); the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles (USA); the Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna (A); the Galerie Photon-Center for Contemporary Photography, Ljubljana (SI); and the Bauhaus Museum Dessau (D).
Her works are included in the following collections: the Austrian Federal Collection, the Vienna Museum, the Collection of the State of Lower Austria, the Lentos Museum Linz, and the Vienna Chamber of Labor.
www.christinawerner.com
Instagram: werner.christina
This exhibition was made possible with the support of the Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade.
U radu The Horses Are Coming, Christina Werner fokusira se na simboliku životinja kao glavnu vizuelnu i inscenacijsku strategiju nacionalsocijalizma: orlovi, lavovi, konji i nemački ovčari funkcionisali su u Trećem rajhu kao simboli snage, čistoće i poretka – kodovi koji su i danas i dalje delotvorni. Kada Viktor Orbán 2022. godine Austriji poklanja dva konja kao „znak prijateljstva“ ili kada Herbert Kickl poziva na formiranje konjičke policije, postaje jasno kako se životinjski motivi i dalje koriste kao strateški simboli u desničarskim i autoritarnim narativima.
Rad koristi tehniku kolaža kako bi vizualizovao ideološke kodove kroz fragmentaciju i ponovno komponovanje istorijskih izvora slika. Na taj način se nadovezuje na tradiciju političke umetnosti, poput fotomontaža Johna Heartfielda, koji je vizuelno delovao protiv uspona fašizma tridesetih godina XX veka.
Nike Bekemeier, kuratorska asistentkinja, WestLicht Vienna
Christina Werner
Rođena 1976. godine u Baaru (Švajcarska), odrasla u Badenu kod Beča (Austrija), živi i radi u Beču (Austrija).
U svojoj umetničkoj praksi analizira političke vizuelne strategije, mehanizme vizuelne moći i njihovo širenje putem medija. Fokusira se na globalne procese poput uspona neofašizma i na ulogu javnog prostora kao mesta sećanja. Arhiv postaje sve važniji kao izvor znanja i polazna tačka za mnoga njena dela.
Od 2007. do 2013. godine studirala je fotografiju i pokretne slike kod Tine Bare, kao i medijsku umetnost kod Albe D’Urbano na Akademiji vizuelnih umetnosti u Lajpcigu (Nemačka).
Njeni radovi izlagani su, između ostalog, u: Deichtorhallen – House of Photography, Hamburg (Nemačka); Lentos Museum, Linc (Austrija); Mattatoio, Rim (Italija); Museum Villa Stuck, Minhen (Nemačka); National Gallery, Prag (Češka); Fotogalerie Wien (Austrija); Goethe-Institut Los Angeles (SAD); Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Beč (Austrija); Galerie Photon – Center for Contemporary Photography, Ljubljana (Slovenija); kao i u Bauhaus Museum Dessau (Nemačka).
Njeni radovi nalaze se u sledećim kolekcijama: Austrijska savezna kolekcija, Muzej grada Beča, Kolekcija pokrajine Donja Austrija, Lentos Museum Linz i Privredna komora rada Beča.
www.christinawerner.com
Instagram: werner.christina
Ova izložba je realizovana uz podršku Austrijskog kulturnog foruma u Beogradu.
What would happen if the little toy soldiers from our childhood could tell the story of a country?
We invite you to discover an original and thought-provoking perspective on Cuban reality through the photography of artists Lidice and Yamel Santana. In this artistic photography exhibition, they use the iconic Toy Story soldiers as a visual metaphor to reflect on everyday life, resilience, and the many stories lived in Cuba. Through carefully constructed scenes, the images portray daily life, tensions, and contradictions that are part of the island.
Each image transforms seemingly simple scenes into powerful narratives full of symbolism, where playfulness blends with the social and the human. A creative proposal that invites viewers to observe, question, and engage in dialogue about reality from another perspective. Each image mixes memory, play, nostalgia, and reflection, creating a visual universe where the small becomes immense and where every photograph invites us to feel, question, and look beyond the obvious.
Come discover how art can turn a toy into a story—and a story into a unique experience, blending pop culture and social critique to encourage us to see things from a different perspective.
@lidi_sabinera
@yamsfocsa
ta bi se desilo kada bi mali vojnici iz našeg detinjstva mogli da ispričaju priču jedne zemlje?
Pozivamo vas da otkrijete originalan i provokativan pogled na kubansku stvarnost kroz fotografiju umetnika Lidice i Yamel Santana. Na ovoj izložbi umetničke fotografije koriste ikonične vojnike iz Toy Story-ja kao vizuelnu metaforu da promišljaju o svakodnevnom životu, otpornosti i mnogim pričama koje se žive na Kubi. Kroz pažljivo konstruisane scene, fotografije prikazuju svakodnevni život, tenzije i kontradikcije koje su deo života na ostrvu.
Svaka slika pretvara naizgled jednostavne scene u snažne narative pune simbolike, gde se igra i humor mešaju sa društvenim i ljudskim temama. Kreativan predlog koji poziva posmatrača da posmatra, preispituje i razgovara o stvarnosti iz druge perspektive. Svaka fotografija spaja sećanje, igru, nostalgiju i refleksiju, stvarajući vizuelni univerzum u kojem malo postaje veliko i gde svaka slika poziva da osetimo, preispitamo i pogledamo dalje od očiglednog.
Dođite da otkrijete kako umetnost može da pretvori igračku u priču, a priču u jedinstveno iskustvo — spajajući pop kulturu i društvenu kritiku kako bi nas podstakla da gledamo iz drugačije perspektive.
@lidi_sabinera
@yamsfocsa
* Galleries and exhibition spaces retain the right to change the date and time of the exhibitions and other events