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ecause you’ll probably lose. A city walk will lead you to Ferhadija,
a pedestrian street in the centre of the city that has different shops,
cafes and restaurants. One of the street passages leads to Stakleni
grad (Glass City), where two alternative galleries are located,
Duplex and Galerija 10m2. The Duplex is dedicated to exhibiting
and promoting artistic projects in a variety of media. Twice a year,
it presents an exhibition of young Bosnian artists in addition to
public interventions and discussions related to other artistic activities.
Next to it stands the Galerija 10m2, started by French artists
Pierre Courtin and Claire Dupont in a vacant store in 2004. These
two art spaces gather innovative young local and international
artists, creating a productive alternative scene in Sarajevo. A cultural
crisis seems to have been present for many years in this city.
It not only brings the quality of cultural events and their production
into question, but also how conscious Sarajevo natives are of
the significance of culture. The unconventional and popular artist’s
group Zvono (The bell), formed in 1982 and named after the café
where they hang out, organize happenings, actions, performances
and unconventional exhibitions opposing the academic influence
and limitations of institutionally accepted art. However, the history
of urban- and sub-culture in Sarajevo started long ago with punk
culture, fanzines and alternative clubs like KUK and AG. Celebrated
bands like SCH, who changed their sound from post new wave to
noise rock, reflected the time and rebellion against the system
through their individual activities and their presence in public
affairs. At the end of the ’90s, Barake (Barracks), which no longer
exists, was a new alternative place for exhibitions, concerts and various
unconventional social events.
The major project of the Centar za savremenu umjetnost Sarajevo
(Centre for Contemporary Arts or SCCA), founded in 1996 as
one of the last in the network of twenty Soros Centres for Contemporary
Art in Central and Eastern Europe, is to establish an
unitary organization that can create a database, form a library, and
promote and ensure participation of Bosnian visual artists in international
art currents. On another note, the primary intention of
the Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art is to set up Sarajevo as
a centre for international dialogue and cultural exchange. After a
city cultural tour, spending a weekend in the surrounding mountains
is a perfect choice and a great escape from city pollution in
the wintertime. In only a half hour trip from Sarajevo, you’ll find
yourself in open countryside, drinking mulled wine or rakija, enjoying
the fresh air and eating some Bosnian specialties. If you decide
to stay overnight, you’ll find suitable accommodation at hotels in
Bjelašnica (2,067 meters) and Jahorina (1,913 meters). This would
be the perfect end to a short trip to this unique European city. ——
»Zetra«, part of the
Olympic Complex built
in 1984
A cultural
crisis seems
to have been
present for
many years
205
Sarajevo
SPIKE ART GUIDE EAST 01 — 2009
Sarajevo