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.