International exhibition for the first time

Belgrade, 11. September - 31. October 2004

Gorica Mojović

Member of the Belgrade City Council

October Salon - From Local to European Event

Over the past fifty years, the life in Belgrade, in the cultural sphere and beyond, has been marked by nine big cultural events: The Festival of Shorts and Films and Documentaries, FEST, BITEF, BEMUS, the Joy of Europe, the Book Fair, and, of course, the October Art Salon.

And although it may seem to us that the October Salon is precisely the event whose "roots" run deepest, none of the other events, compared to the Salon, has undergone such dynamic changes in an attempt to remain "important" and "representative", and provide "a review of the best achievements in the sphere of visual arts".

The inner dynamics in the concept and organization of the exhibition has been caused by numerous good intentions which have led to improvements, but also to "never-ending" controversy, praise and criticism of the October Salon. Let us briefly recall some of these:

Between 1960 and 1967, only visual artists in the classical sense exhibited their works at the October Salon: painters and sculptors. Then the works from the sphere of applied art joined theirs.

From that moment on, the key issues have continued to be debated: the visual or applied arts, together or separately, separated or combined. The debate has not yet ended, and the visual and extended media have since taken a permanent place in visual arts and Salon exhibitions. If any of the Salons from the early seventies, or any one from the end of the 20th century, could be repeated today, it would be an exciting confrontation of two different worlds, of several different kinds of poetics and aesthetics, and it would be apparent that a redefinition of the very concept of art had taken place in between.

Another word concerning the changes, this time on the venues. The Salon was first held in the ULUS Gallery, which was then in Masarikova Street. When "the shack" was demolished, the Salon moved to the Cvijeta Zuzoric Pavillion. This is where the Belgrade Cultural Centre, as the new, or more precisely, once again organizer, found it in 1986. From that moment the changes in the Salon's concept have been increasingly faster. As Director of the Belgrade Cultural Centre, I myself participated in, assisted and "encouraged" some of these changes.

Ljiljana Popovic, long time director of the Belgrade Culture Centre Visual Arts Programme, and I as the Centre director, went to Sarajevo in 1987 to see "Documents". Taking that exhibition as our model, we had the idea to organize the Salon in several Belgrade galleries. We put this suggestion before the Council, who were first reserved and later very keen in support of that idea. The author principle became more and more apparent at the Salon: there were selectors and art directors. The "Guest Author" exhibition was also introduced, although it was short-lived, since our country was soon plunged into isolation.

The Belgrade Cultural Centre was nonetheless persistent in its search of the new. The country was getting smaller, but the Salon was getting bigger. In 1993, the Salon moved to the 25th May Museum. The opening ceremony of that year's Salon will certainly be remembered as one of the most spectacular ever. It was attended by almost 3,000 people, with an elaborate stage performance. The taxi driver who gave me a ride to the opening ceremony asked me: "Is there a football match, or what?" The museum and the drive were lit up, even the fountains were working, and there were special buses running from Republic Square to the Museum (a bus as an exhibition item, by Vladimir Najdovic, won an award at the Salon that year). Souvenirs were on sale in the lobby (mugs, scarves and notepads), with logo designed that year by a young, talented, promising author, Slavimir Stojanovic. That was one of the last years to be filled with such enthusiasm and energy.

The country was sinking into isolation, into "patriotic" intolerance. Concerned experts for "true natural values" inspired a veritable coup at the October Salon. Halfway through the preparations for the 1994 Salon, the City Assembly replaced the entire Council of the October Salon (headed by Bogdan Kršic), and chose new, politically correct members. I myself came under criticism for the fact the logo of the 1993 Salon contained yellow and blue (an allusion to the colours of the Democratic Party). The Salon logo, in fact, had contained red, black and white, as well, but the colour scheme helped neither me nor the Salon. The event was diminished to a >>a cross-section<< representation, which inevitably led to mediocrity.

Owing to the commitment of devoted artists, experts and organizers, and later political changes, the Salon was saved from becoming "average". The selection principle, and the authors' signature on exhibitions, provided the vitality and exploratory purpose of the vent. So here we are, on the eve of the 2004 Salon, and the event is on its way to becoming even bigger. For the first time in its 45-year history, the exhibition has become international. I believe that the meeting of domestic and international artists in Belgrade will be beneficial for us, and beneficial for art. And anyone who thinks otherwise is simply afraid for themselves and their own isolated self-sufficient little world. For those of us who are self-confident, reliable, curious, tolerant and talented, the international character of this exhibition will serve as confirmation that Belgrade keeps abreast of world trends. Owing to the culture, art and the October Salon, our country and its capital will once again be part of the European composition of peoples, part of European culture, as they indeed, are essentially a part of Europe.

Over the past fifty years, the life in Belgrade, in the cultural sphere and beyond, has been marked by nine big cultural events: The Festival of Shorts and Films and Documentaries, FEST, BITEF, BEMUS, the Joy of Europe, the Book Fair, and, of course, the October Art Salon.

And although it may seem to us that the October Salon is precisely the event whose "roots" run deepest, none of the other events, compared to the Salon, has undergone such dynamic changes in an attempt to remain "important" and "representative", and provide "a review of the best achievements in the sphere of visual arts".

The inner dynamics in the concept and organization of the exhibition has been caused by numerous good intentions which have led to improvements, but also to "never-ending" controversy, praise and criticism of the October Salon. Let us briefly recall some of these:

Between 1960 and 1967, only visual artists in the classical sense exhibited their works at the October Salon: painters and sculptors. Then the works from the sphere of applied art joined theirs.

From that moment on, the key issues have continued to be debated: the visual or applied arts, together or separately, separated or combined. The debate has not yet ended, and the visual and extended media have since taken a permanent place in visual arts and Salon exhibitions. If any of the Salons from the early seventies, or any one from the end of the 20th century, could be repeated today, it would be an exciting confrontation of two different worlds, of several different kinds of poetics and aesthetics, and it would be apparent that a redefinition of the very concept of art had taken place in between.

Another word concerning the changes, this time on the venues. The Salon was first held in the ULUS Gallery, which was then in Masarikova Street. When "the shack" was demolished, the Salon moved to the Cvijeta Zuzoric Pavillion. This is where the Belgrade Cultural Centre, as the new, or more precisely, once again organizer, found it in 1986. From that moment the changes in the Salon’s concept have been increasingly faster. As Director of the Belgrade Cultural Centre, I myself participated in, assisted and "encouraged" some of these changes.

Ljiljana Popovic, long time director of the Belgrade Culture Centre Visual Arts Programme, and I as the Centre director, went to Sarajevo in 1987 to see "Documents". Taking that exhibition as our model, we had the idea to organize the Salon in several Belgrade galleries. We put this suggestion before the Council, who were first reserved and later very keen in support of that idea. The author principle became more and more apparent at the Salon: there were selectors and art directors. The "Guest Author" exhibition was also introduced, although it was short-lived, since our country was soon plunged into isolation.

The Belgrade Cultural Centre was nonetheless persistent in its search of the new. The country was getting smaller, but the Salon was getting bigger. In 1993, the Salon moved to the 25th May Museum. The opening ceremony of that year's Salon will certainly be remembered as one of the most spectacular ever. It was attended by almost 3,000 people, with an elaborate stage performance. The taxi driver who gave me a ride to the opening ceremony asked me: "Is there a football match, or what?" The museum and the drive were lit up, even the fountains were working, and there were special buses running from Republic Square to the Museum (a bus as an exhibition item, by Vladimir Najdovic, won an award at the Salon that year). Souvenirs were on sale in the lobby (mugs, scarves and notepads), with logo designed that year by a young, talented, promising author, Slavimir Stojanovic. That was one of the last years to be filled with such enthusiasm and energy.

The country was sinking into isolation, into "patriotic" intolerance. Concerned experts for "true natural values" inspired a veritable coup at the October Salon. Halfway through the preparations for the 1994 Salon, the City Assembly replaced the entire Council of the October Salon (headed by Bogdan Kršic), and chose new, politically correct members. I myself came under criticism for the fact the logo of the 1993 Salon contained yellow and blue (an allusion to the colours of the Democratic Party). The Salon logo, in fact, had contained red, black and white, as well, but the colour scheme helped neither me nor the Salon. The event was diminished to a >>a cross-section<< representation, which inevitably led to mediocrity.

Owing to the commitment of devoted artists, experts and organizers, and later political changes, the Salon was saved from becoming "average". The selection principle, and the authors' signature on exhibitions, provided the vitality and exploratory purpose of the vent. So here we are, on the eve of the 2004 Salon, and the event is on its way to becoming even bigger. For the first time in its 45-year history, the exhibition has become international. I believe that the meeting of domestic and international artists in Belgrade will be beneficial for us, and beneficial for art. And anyone who thinks otherwise is simply afraid for themselves and their own isolated self-sufficient little world. For those of us who are self-confident, reliable, curious, tolerant and talented, the international character of this exhibition will serve as confirmation that Belgrade keeps abreast of world trends. Owing to the culture, art and the October Salon, our country and its capital will once again be part of the European composition of peoples, part of European culture, as they indeed, are essentially a part of Europe.