Danube Dialogues 2013
Conemporary Art Festival for Danube region countries
Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Germany, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia
Novi Sad-Petrovaradin
31.August-15 September 2013.
Project manager: Gallery Bel Art Novi Sad
Partner: Austrian cultural forum Belgrade
Director: Vesna Latinović
Art director: Sava Stepanov
The concept of the Plein Art Festival Danube dialogues reflects the idea defined by its title. The Danube river, with its banks and bridges, is perceived not only as a geographical feature but also as a symbol and driving force, reflected in fascinating contemporary art presentations in the countries of the Danube region. Initiator and organizer of the festival, Gallery Bel Art has the intention to establish Novi Sad as a meeting point of various artistic ideas, concepts and philosophies, and offering an opportunity for co-operation and building bridges, while appreciating and accepting differences among the artists and arts of this culturally versatile and rich European (Danube) region.
The project has been conceived as an international mosaic-like event which will take place simultaneously in various galleries and open spaces in Petrovaradin and Novi Sad. Novi Sad has a great advantage in that its city centre and the Petrovaradin Historic Town are located at a walking distance. There will be painting and sculpture exhibitions, performances, video-projections, art flags exhibition, light installations, dicussion fora and round tables, artistic workshops, art book presentations, plein air painting, etc.
Besides the group exhibitions and individual exhibitions from Danube region countries (Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Germany), the co-operation between Gallery Bel Art from Novi Sad and Austrian Cultural Forum from Belgrade, has resulted in an encounter of Austrian and Serbian artists. The concept of simultaneous art exhibitions from Austrian and Serbian milieu is actualized (Ruprehter-Brtka, Iljovski – Linschinger, Robert Hammerstil: Dialogues with painters from Serbia, Austria, Germany, Romania, Croatia, Greetings from Vienna – author Pia Jardi, exhibition of young artist from art colonies in Čortanovci and Vršac) In spite of similar sensibilities of individual artists, one of the main features of the Danube Dialogues Exhibition are their artistic differences. Communication is everything: the participating artists are open for dialogue, raising numerous questions about similar (yet different) phenomena of our daily lives, discussing problems of individuals in societies in transition, musing about the destinies of nations living next to each other… These minute exhibition forms clearly show that the universality of art surmounts all linguistic, political, social, cultural and other “obstacles”, significantly contributing to our understanding, tolerance and learning about one another. The organizers of the exhibition also hope to show its visitors that a synthesis of esthetic and ethical principles, so badly needed in these difficult times, has a crucial value. At any rate, it is a universally acknowledged truth that art cannot change the world, but it can make it a better place.