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The curators of the Museum of Contemporary Art explicitly opposed the decision of the acting director of this institution, Viktor Kiš, to convert part of the exhibition space on the ground floor into a café, where Zoran Todorović’s work “Toplina” was installed as part of the exhibition “Acquisition of MSU 1993-2019”.
Photo: Sasa ReljicThey oppose the director’s announcement to include Jean-Paul Gauthier’s “Love is Love” exhibition on the show’s program, whose pieces – wedding dresses – are, as they say, “not appropriate to MSU’s programming policy.” .
– By hiding Todorović’s work, the concept of the introductory segment of the current exhibition was seriously violated. We believe that it is inadmissible for the exhibition space to have a different purpose at the discretion of the acting director, without the consent of the curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the author of the interior reconstruction project of the Museum and the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Belgrade. Such a decision must be changed immediately, the curators said. They add that due to the preparation of the Paul Gauthier exhibition, the exhibition on the fifth level of the Museum was downgraded, which also violated the original concept of the exhibition “Reflections of our time.”
– At a time when museums are facing the problem of closing or reducing the number of visitors due to the spread of the pandemic, the idea of investing in an extremely expensive “best-seller” traveling exhibition that is expected to generate profits with a large visit it is a reflection of extremely unprofessional, incompetent and socially irresponsible management. against which we express a strong protest – they conclude.
Viktor Kiš states on behalf of Danas that the exhibition from which Todorović’s work was withdrawn was “formally” finished and that it was not his intention to build a café in the Museum, but rather a “place to rest”.
– The exhibition “Acquisitions” was planned mainly for March, but due to the pandemic, the opening was moved to June 27. Although the exhibitions in the museum usually last three months, due to the new situation related to the pandemic, we have extended the exhibition by one month, that is, the entire month of October. Now, the “Acquisitions” are formally completed in full format, and the exhibition is being formatted as a permanent exhibition, which will last until March 2021. I don’t remember any exhibition that lasts that long – says Kiš. He apologized to artist Zoran Todorović, as well as other artists whose works were withdrawn, saying he regretted that the curators did not inform them that the “Acquisition” exhibition was continuing on a reduced scale.
– In the place where the work “Toplina” was during the duration of this exhibition, a resting place is planned in the future. To clarify, we do not have the conditions to build a café there, nor do we have the staff for that. It is just a place where the public, after a long tour, will be able to sit down, collect impressions, perhaps discuss and refresh themselves with coffee or water from the vending machine. I don’t have to say that absolutely every museum in the world has a restaurant and a cafeteria, because that is respect for the audience itself. Let me remind you, there used to be a cafe in the same place – Kish points out. When asked if he had consulted the Institute for the Protection of Monuments in relation to the change of the interior, Kiš replied in the affirmative, noting that the consultation was made “in relation to the movement of the glass from one position to another”.
Danas’ interlocutor also assures that he did not find an understanding with the curators on several occasions, who rejected some of his proposals, including Bitter Pill 1 by the Mentalklinik art couple.
– The project was rejected without problems by the curator, with the explanation that it is something extremely inappropriate and that I take good care of what I do. To put it mildly, I have an official email. I wonder if Jan Fabre’s exhibition was rejected earlier on the same principle, which later, fortunately, was held at the National Museum, says Kiš.
According to him, the Bitter Pill 1 was successfully presented all over the world, and the prestigious American magazine “Art Forum” wrote positively about this project.
– I am very sorry about the pandemic, because if times were different, I would take the entire curatorial team to recreational classes in Divčibare, to learn the basic postulates of teamwork through futsal, such as connection, commitment and heart in the field – said Viktor Kiš.
ULUS i NKSS to MSUB Mobile
The Serbian Association of Visual Artists ULUS and the Serbian Independent Cultural Scene NKSS have strongly condemned the decisions of acting director Viktor Kiš, and NKSS is demanding his immediate removal.
– Intervention in the program and function of the space dedicated exclusively to museum exhibitions, without respecting the opinions of professional curators who have been working for years to improve their experience and monitor world and local cultural trends, the preservation, cataloging and presentation of the artistic offer , indicates a high degree of endangerment and neglect. what art is found today – is stated, among other things, in the ULUS advertisement.
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