In Serbia

Initiation and production of The De Valigia Train, sideline shows and catalogue in Yugoslavia
by Stichting De Blinde Schilders in collaboration with Jelena Milisavac and The Belgrade Cultural Centre.

with

converted Greek passenger carriage / (33 ) Greek artists

converted Danish passenger carriage / (26 ) Danish artists

converted Dutch cargo carriage / (28) Dutch artists

converted Yugoslavian passenger carriage / (33) Yugoslavian artists

converted film carriage (automobile carriage of Tito's blue train) for exhibition and daily screening of films of Film Museum, Belgrade

one converted container on container wagon as exhibition stage for artists from other countries

one 'look-in' container on a central position/square in every town

Time table

Belgrade

Opening celebration in Belgrade Central Railway Station, Track 1, on the 24. June 1997, 8 p.m.

Programme Opening celebration:

the train was getting pulled into the Belgrade Central station with an old steam locomotive Orchestra playing welcome fanfare

Opening speeches

Il teatro Artigiano de "La Scuola de Tovena"

exhibition dates 24. June until 15. .July 1997.

Novi Sad

Opening celebration 18. July, 8 p.m.

exhibition dates 19. July till 27. July

Nis

Opening celebration 30. July, 8 p.m.

exhibition dates 31. July till 9. August

opening times at all locations: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

* the project was on view to the public free of charge

Activities and sideline shows

Invites of Yugoslav artist through collaborations with:

Jasmina Cubrilo (independent)

Sava Stepanov (Gallery Novi Sad)

Dragomir Ugren (Museum Savremenih Likovnih Umetnosti )

Bojana Buric (Belgrade Art Academy)

Svetlana Racanovic (independent)

Dorde Kadijevic (independent)

Preparation catalogue, De Valigia Train in Yugoslavia, (1700 copies), which were sold for cost price to the public. Artist's addresses and telephone numbers have been published in the catalogue.

Preparation of Yugoslav railway carriage.

Preparation of second container into exhibition space. In form of a light installation. A mixture of Red and white light escaping through small windows, attracting attention of people passing by. This container was for the period of time, shown in town, in a very predominant place (City Hall, Museum, Shopping centre) in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Nis city centres.

Artist network party. 10 day prior to the opening, the artists, curators and organisers were getting together on 'Topsider Station', where the railway carriages got prepared. To meet each other and to celebrate.

16 mm films about traveling were shown in film wagon, daily 7 p.m.

65 suitcases from Italy, Germany and other countries, which were previously part of the De Valigia exhibition, were shown as Satelite-exhibitions at 5 different locations.

1. Belgrade Cultural Centre

2. Goethe Institute

3. Gallery in Art Academy of Belgrade (with Artwork of 20 students from academy)

4. Hyatt Regency Beograd

5. Container

Educational activity

Co-operation with Art lecturer from the Academy on subject related program with their
students (1 lecturer, 6 students joining the project)

Press conferences, publicity and media

Press conference in Belgrade on the 23. June, 1.00 p. m.

Preparation invitation cards and international mailing

Preparation posters and flyers

Newspapers and magazines: 50 publications, advertisements

Television: through media sponsor, television clips broadcasted daily,

Film by independent film maker

'Bla-bla show', open podium discussion with art critics, curators, artists and project initiators in Belgrade Cultural Centre

Visitor attendance

Visitors attendance at the opening in Belgrade: about 800

Visitors attendance for the whole period of time in Yugoslavia: about 9.000

Satelite-exhibitions (Belgrade Cultural Centre, Goethe Institute, Gallery in Art Academy of Belgrade): about 5.000

Hyatt Regency Beograd about 2.000

Container in city centres about 10.000

Official co-organiser and other co-operation

Yugoslav Railways

Belgrade Cultural Centre

Jelena Milisavac Mentor

Snezana Sredojevic (Press)

Soros foundation

B-92 (Adrienne Van Heteren)

Dr .J. Sizoo, Ambassador from the Netherlands in Belgrade

Nenad Bolpacic, Altmark D.o.o.

Administration for International Scientific, Educational and Technical

Cooperation of Republic of Serbia, Yugoslavia

City of Belgrade - Stari Grad Municipality, Yugoslavia

Secretariat for Culture of the City of Belgrade, Yugoslavia

Participation of professionals (artists)

DEJAN ANDELKOVIC

RADOS ANTONIJEVIC

BOSIOK DORU

DEJAN GRBA

ZIVKO GROZDANIC

IVAN GRUBANOV

ZDRAVKO JOKSIMOVIC

BOBAN JOVANOVIC

DRAGAN JOVANOVIC

ZORICA KLJAIC

BATA KRGOVIC

VELIZAR KRSTIC

RATOMIR KULIC

VELJKO LALIC

PETAR LOLIC

MARINA MILOJEVIC

BOJAN MITROVIC

MILORAD MLADENOVIC

ZORAN NASKOVSKI

MIMA ORLOVIC

OLIVERA PARLIC

VESNA PAVLOVIC

MILETA PRODANOVIC

JELICA RADOVANOVIC

SLOBODAN ROKSANDIC

VIOLETA SAMARDZIC

KATARINA STANKOVIC &

DRAGAN TRAJKOVSKI

BALINT SZOMBATHY

TALENT FACTORY

JOVAN TRKULJA

NENAD VOJICIC

BANE VUKIC

remarks

It was a politically difficult period, when we first went to set up the show in Belgrade. It was at the time, when thousands of people where demonstrating on the street to force changes of Socialist City Councils into Democratic ones. Nobody knew what will happen and therefore, promises or commitments were hard to make. Just in time in April 1997, the City Councils changed. The project was stressing the point of acceptance by working together for the project under different political ideologies. We found ourselves and the project being a perfect intermediate for discussing local problematic and solutions. The opening in Belgrade was the most spectacular opening of the whole journey so far. Thanks to the generally open spirit of Yugoslav people and of course the waiters, serving wonderful food and drinks for everybody, arranged by Dr. J. Sizoo.

Thanks to the following people and instances

Fakulty of Fine Arts Belgrade, Dutch Embassy Belgrade, Yugoslav embassy, the Netherlands, Darija Kacic, Milena Dragicevic-Sesic, Vesna Danilovic, Branislava Andelkovic, Marijana Arsic, Danica Jovovic- Prodanovic, Srdan Vujica, Vladislava Grubacic, Rade Vojvodic, Nikola Dokmanovic, Snezana Stanojevic, Svetozar Zivin, Sveta Zivin, Adrienne van Heteren, Katarina Zivanovic, Nenad Bolpacic, Dragana Vujic, Velizar Krstic, Mile Petrovic, Beba Kapicic, Aleksandar Grebnik, Aleksandar Andic, Aleksandar Filipovic, Olja Milanovic, Igor Kovacic, Bata Ristanovic, the team of Publikum, Igor Prokic, the team of BG Elite Photo, Silverio Zanotto, Ratko Zivkovic, Radoslav Zelenovic, Yugoslav Film Archive-Distribution, Dania ten Hoopen, Eva De Klerk, Ellis van de Giessen, Edo Sutherland, Ilja van Heijningen, Nienke Schachtschabel, Judith Heumer, Tom-Andre Skullerud, Sophia from Florina(GR), Gee Niemeijer, Mark Mark, Anna Flavia Roman, Gianpaolo D'Andrea, Pietro Argenti, Loredana Manfré, Anita Possamai, Terrenzio Del Grosso, Daniela D`Andrea

Mr. Kaktus, for the use of his studio for photography of the art works.