An indication of a solution to the independent artist's key problems
Serbia's Minister of culture Maja Gojkovic and the representatives of The Association of Fine Artists of Serbia (ULUS), one of this year's most involved organizations in the field of cultural policy, talked on December the 10th about solving some of the key problems of independent artists, which signaled a sort of an informal beginning of a long expected dialog.
A work session was held with Maja Gojkovic, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister of the Serbian government, as part of her visit to the Autumn Exhibition, this year entitled „The Entangled“ and curated by Maja Ciric at the “Cvijeta Zuzoric“Art Pavilion.
The ministry shortly announced on social networks that a work session was held with the representatives of the ULUS, discussing the issues important for the current position of independent artists.
As it was told to the Portal SEEcult.org by the ULUS, among the topics of the talks were the funding of program activities of this organization, the status of the “Cvijeta Zuzoric“Pavilion, the ongoing problems that independent artists have due to the debts for contributions for health and retirement insurance - mostly caused by the fault of local governments, and the open call for the purchase of artworks, which wasn't held in 2020. Series of other issues were also mentioned, including recent verbal attacks on artists.
Danilo Prnjat, Maja Ciric, Maja Gojkovic, photo: MCI
Danilo Prnjat, a member of the ULUS Art Council told the SEEcult.org that it seems that the new convocation of the Ministry of Culture and Information has got the political will to solve some of the key problems from the previous period, as well as the readiness to consider a set of solutions prepared by the ULUS working groups.
Analyzing, meanwhile, the unenviable position of artists... and reacting, most often with the Association Independent Culture Scene of Serbia (ICSS) and the The Association of Fine Artists of Vojvodina (SULUV), to other problems for culture in Serbia.
They also talked about the structural co-financing of the ULUS, that receives funds for a number of "entrusted" jobs, as a distinguished association with more than 2,500 artist members, while for the annual program of its galleries, and based on the open call for contemporary creation of the Ministry of Culture, a modest support of only about a million dinars.
Maja Gojkovic & Maja Ciric, photo: MCI
The ULUS has inherited eight employees from its former management period, and only three are provided with salaries from the entrusted jobs funds.
The exhibition spaces represent a special problem – the ULUS Gallery in Knez Mihailova street, which was returned to its former owners on the basis of restitution – against which the city authorities have filed an appeal, the "Cvijeta Zuzoric" Pavilion is prepared for reconstruction, as announced by the city authorities after a non-transparent decision made without the participation of the ULUS officials in the process.
Autumn Exhibition - photo: Bojan Kovacevic / SEEcult
According to Prnjat, at the meeting with the Minister Maja Gojkovic, they received assurances that the status of this exhibition space, built in the 1920s- and so on the initiative of the Association of Fine Artists, could be resolved by a special contract/agreement.
They also mentioned the recent verbal attacks and threats against certain artists, which were then condemned by the MCI representatives, as well as the reactions of former Minister Vladan Vukosavljevic, that provoked violent reactions from both the professional and general public.
*Support: International Relief Fund of the German Federal Foreign Office, the Goethe-Institut, and other partners
(SEEcult.org)
