2009DIN “Fabrika duvana” a.d. Niš, u sastavu Philip Morris International - Bulevar 12. februar 74, NIŠTošin Bunar 130, BEOGRAD

Galerija Matice srpske - Trg galerija 1, NOVI SAD

DIN “Fabrika duvana” a.d. Niš, u sastavu Philip Morris International - Bulevar 12. februar 74, NIŠTošin Bunar 130, BEOGRAD

Galerija Matice srpske - Trg galerija 1, NOVI SAD

Galerija, izraz vere u potencijale Niša

Niš je grad duge istorije, slavnih imena u dalekoj prošlosti, gde se u glavi vladara cara Konstantina i majke Jelene začela današnja evropska hrišćanska civilizacija. Niš je danas grad mladih. Dovoljno je prošetati se njegovim ulicama koje vrve od energije mladosti. A gde je mladosti ima i dara. U to je poverovao Nišlija Radovan Lale Đuric, koji se odavno otisnuo od svoga rodnog grada i obreo u Njujorku. I gde je uspeo kao slikar. On nije žalio truda, rada i sredstava da osnuje Niš Art Foundation da se pomognu mladi darovi širom naše zemlje i da se napravi moderni galerijski prostor, najprostraniji, najlepši i najmoderniji u nas, gde će svake godine mladi slikari do 35 godina pokazati šta su stvorili tokom te godine. Niš, drugi grad po veličini u našoj zemlji, može upravo preko te galerije postati mesto iz kojeg će isijavati nova energija, novo viđenje i novi doživljaj sveta. Galerija se nudi i kao alternativni prostor za nova viđenja scenske umetnosti. Zahvaljujući donatoru DIN “Fabrika Duvana“ a.d. Niš, u sastavu Philip Morris International, sa već osvedočenim smislom za potencijale niške kulture, postoje svi uslovi da se ona razvije i da poduhvat sa galerijom prevaziđe lokalni okvir. Nije tajna da je u gradu Nišu zavladalo mrtvilo među onima koji bi trebalo da podstiču i održavaju nemalu kulturnu tradiciju ovog grada. Energija koja će isijavati iz galerije kao mesta novih poduhvata, biće impuls i za druga događanja u gradu. Galerija, i vera u mladost onih koji su oko galerije, uliće novu nadu u umetničke potencijale Niša. Ja verujem u te potencijale i misiju Fondacije koja je za dobrobit darova mladih i osnovana.

Jovan Ćirilov

The Gallery, Reflecting Faith in the Potentials of the City of Niš

Niš is a town of long history, of glorious names from distant past, the venue in which in the minds of Emperor Constantine and Mother Helen today’s European Christian civilization was conceived. Today, Niš is the city of the young. One needs only to walk along its streets and see them thronging with youthful energy. Energy breeds talent. Such was the belief of Niš native Radovan Lale Đurić, who moved out of his hometown long ago and settled in New York. There he became successful as a painter. He spared no effort, work or resources to start up Niš Art Foundation. Its objective is to help young talented individuals from around our country, and to make a streamlined gallery building, the most beautiful and modern in the region, where every year young artists, up to 35 years of age, will present their creations from the previous twelve months. Niš, the second city in the country by size, can use this very gallery as a centre from which a new kind of energy, a new view and experience of the world will emerge. In addition, the gallery will also provide an alternative stage for new enterprises in performing arts. Thanks to the donation of DIN “Fabrika Duvana“ a.d. Niš, part of Philip Morris International, a company with well-established understanding of the potentials of Niš culture, all conditions have been met for the Foundation to grow and for the gallery enterprise to extend beyond local borders. It is no secret that in Niš apathy prevails among those who should be supporting the cultural tradition of this city, which is by no means neglect-able. The energy that will glow from this gallery, as the core of new ventures, will provide impetus to other events in the city, too. The gallery, and faith in the youth of those around it, will bring in new hope for the artistic potentials of Niš. I believe in those potentials and in the mission of the Foundation, which started precisely with the benefit of youthful talent in mind.

Jovan Cirilov

1

PODRŠKA KREATIVNOSTI KAO DOPRINOS RAZVOJU ZAJEDNICE

April 2009.

Već četvrtu godinu za redom, DIN Filip Moris pruža podršku Niškoj umetničkoj fondaciji i njenim inicijativama koje imaju za cilj pomoć mladim umetnicima Srbije. Veoma mi je drago da je ova izložba postala tradicionalni umetnički događaj u Nišu, Beogradu i Novom Sadu i da Niška umetnička fondacija uspeva da promoviše neke od vrednosti koje su veoma važne za razvoj zajednice – kreativnost, energiju i posvećenost darovitih pojedinaca.

U 2009. godini Niška umetnička fondacija ponovo pruža priliku mladim umetnicima iz cele Srbije da se njihov talenat prepozna i nagradi. Ovaj katalog prika-zuje najbolje radove mladih slikara, vajara i grafičara odabranih među nekoliko stotina umetnika koji su poslali svoje radove na NAF-ov umetnički konkurs. Sam broj i kvalitet priloženih radova, što potvrđuju i poznavaoci likovne umetnosti, jasno pokazuju da rad organizacije kao što je NAF doprinosi poboljšanju umetničke scene u Nišu i Srbiji.

Želeo bih da se zahvalim Niškoj umetničkoj fondaciji na trudu koji ulaže u podsticanje angažmana mladih umetnika u različitim umetničkim disciplinama i nagrađivanje najkreativnih umetničkih izraza. Njihov trud inspiriše kulturnu kreativnost i spaja poznavaoce i ljubitelje umetnosti iz čitave Srbije da slave mlade talentovane umetnike ove zemlje.

Iskreno se nadam da će umetnička dela iz ovog kataloga jasno pokazati da Niš samouvereno korača ka poziciji centra umetnosti i kreativnosti ne samo u jugodistočnoj Srbiji već i u celoj državi.

Skip Bornhiter, generalni direktorDIN „Fabrika duvana“ a.d. Niš, u sastavu Philip Morris International

2

SUPPORTING CREATIVE SPIRIT AS PART OF CONTRIBUTION TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

April 2009

It is four year already, that DIN Philip Morris supports the Niš Art Foundation and its initiatives directed towards helping the young artists from Serbia. I am pleased that the exhibition is becoming a traditional art event in Niš, Belgrade and Novi Sad and they manage to promote some of the values that are im-portant drivers of the community - the creativity, energy and commitment of talented individuals.

In 2009, the Niš Art Foundation has provided the young artists from all around Serbia with a chance to be heard, recognised and appreciated for their talents. This catalogue presents the best artworks of young painters, sculptors and graphic artists that were selected amongst hundreds of artists who submitted their work to the NAF Art Contest. The number and the quality of the submitted work, as testified by the art connoisseurs, clearly shows that the engagement of such an organisation as NAF has contributed to improving the art scene in Nis and Serbia.

I would like to thank the Niš Art Foundation for their efforts to foster the engagement of young talents in art disciplines and to reward the most creative forms of expression. Their efforts have helped inspire cultural creativity and brought together art experts and art lovers from all around Serbia to help cel-ebrate the talented young artists of this country.

I sincerely hope that the artwork collected in this catalogue will help you see that Niš is confidently stepping towards becoming a sovereign centre of arts and creativity not only in the South East region, but in the entire Serbia.

Skip Bornhuetter, Managing Director DIN „Fabrika duvana“ a.d. Niš, an affiliate of Philip Morris International

3

Terapija usamljenosti

Nalazimo se pred četvrtom godinom postojanja Niš Art Fondacije i prisećam se kako sam za prvu izložbu 2006. godine pominjala mistične i važne datume u istoriji i trajanju Niša. Sada mi se opet nekako čini da Niš postaje važno mesto, pre svega zato što će obeležiti jednu od značajnih godišnjica Konstantina Velikog, a onda će proći i Južni tok. Mislim da će se život Niša da se promeni u pravcu u kome i mi priređujemo ove izložbe, a to je eksplozija mladosti.

Tokom žiriranja uvek imamo isti problem– približno isti broj radova i istu nedoumicu kako odabrati a ne pogrešiti, ili pogrešiti ali što manje. Postavlja se pitanje: kako to da pojedine mlade pratimo četiri godine, njihove napore, rezultate, veličine slika, nazive, teme i, naravno, uspehe.

Uvek sam se pitala gde je naše mesto u Novo doba. Čak sam i napisala pesmu o tome kako će tada sve biti odmah mogućno. Da li se bližimo tom raspletu? Da li se bližimo tom vremenu neograničenih mogućnosti? S jedne strane, mogućnosti tehnologije, brzine saznanja, prenošenja znanja, do onoga što je važno, a s druge strane nesavršenost tog istog sveta, sa slikama užasa, sa vihorom nemira na svim stranama, sa izraženim nezadovoljstvom, sa željom da bude bolje i, naravno, da li sve to vidimo na slikama mladosti koja je tu pred nama već četvrtu godinu. Kako ih shvatiti, odnosno kako oni danas shvataju svet?

Da li je to svet potpune usamljenosti bez mnogo ljudi, mada je sve više ljudi na planeti, ali nekako ih je na slikama sve manje ili su, čak, podeljeni na dva dela – samo polovina čoveka, kao kod Vanje Subotić na slici Kuda, ili kod Miroslave Trujkanović na slici Vreme masturbacije, ili je tu samo mnoštvo lica, ili samo tužna lica izgubljene dece.

Ove godine nalazimo se Oči u oči sa Jelenom Trajković, koja otvara Pandorinu kutiju sjajnom instalacijom, a tu je ponovo i Marija Falker, sa skulpturom Arhiva, koja kao i sve arhive ovog sveta izazivaju pitanje šta je unutra - kao u živoj biblioteci podataka koja sadrži sve znanje na lestvici uma.

Međutim, još živimo u sadašnjosti. Mislim da mladi još žive u totalnoj sadašnjosti. Sadašnjost Radmile Matejević su kante u kojima se odlaže nešto od svakodnevice, napuštena skladišta. Da li da počnem s tim? Da li da počnem sa tom svakodnevicom, sa tim već po treći put njenim nepristajanjem na surovu stvarnost, a opet bez mogućnosti da se registruje nešto drugo, bolje, nego što upravo insistiranje na tome da je to tako svakog dana, sveprisutno i nekako, izgleda, neumoljivo stalno.

Pomenula sam odsustvo ljudi. Ima ih, kao na slici Swimming Pool Marjana Muškinje, neko ko je u vodi, kome je lepo, a dobro su naslikana i voda i naočare za vodu. To je jedna od onih slika koja bi možda trebalo da bude posvećena lepoti življenja, lepoti plivanja, jednom beskrajno opuštenom danu, sa čarolijom i vode, i sunca i nečega za šta bi vredelo, makar deset do petnaest dana godišnje, ne više od toga.

Kristina Ristić, jedna od učesnica svih ovih godina, bavi se crvenom bojom na način Maksa Ernsta, s naznakama Ernstovih čudovišta su crvenim odorama (slika Otimanje mlade, 1939), na način koji ukazuje na to da crveno nije strašno, nego je očaravajuće, puno boja, puno nabijenosti, do ispunjenosti celog platna. Tosu platna Susret, Glava koja duva, Strašilo.

Ako je voda grupna terapija, onda je za Tijanu Čakić i samoposluga Terapija. Sjajno izrađena slika koja sadrži prizvuk ovog vremena, ovih kolica za kupovinu, ove pomame i neumoljive potrebe za kupovinom, sa veoma dobro naslikanim nogicama tih kolica - kao da su tu baš pred nama. Uvek iznenađujuće izborom tema koje nam nudi i koje s pravom i ne primećujemo. To je terapija i za nas posmatrače, procenjivače: ništa ne postoji a da nije u domenu umetnosti i nečijih očiju.

Usamljenost je jedno od kapitalnih osećanja mladih. Od potresne slike izbeglica sa Kosova Milene Milosavljević, koja asocira na čuvene slike ( kao da su to isti ljudi a seobe neprestane), pa do brilijantno naslikanih uglova ulica i taksija Menhetna na slici Cab Sanje Milenković i Ground Zero Project-a Jovane Lubarde do Godine na margini Nataše Dimitrijević i Zida i Pretty Pillow Nataše Dragišić, gde je uneta čak i lepota i snaga grafita, pa sve do moćnih pejzaža visoke pikturalnosti Vladana Labovića.

Veliko nebo Ranka Markovića je nebo u koje bi rado da uđeš i skoro da ne izađeš iz njega. Uočava se usamljenost slika malih formata na tapetima soba, kao kod Bojana Radojčića na slici The Boy Who Was Trying to Kill the Fly, a nestala bela devojčica Milana Gložića je zaista nekako Nestala na fonu velikog grada.

Po četvrti put tu je i Nikola Marković čiji Izvodi iz neverbalnog govora nastavlja dijalog rukama, virtuozno nacrtanim. Još kad bismo rastumačili šta prsti govore? Možda će nam to reći na sledećoj izložbi.

Nabrajam imena jer svi oni zajedno čine grupnu terapiju usamljenosti. Skoro da nema ništa gde bi bio neko. Usamljenost visoke frekvencije najviše se oseća kao

4

5

odjek bola u Prostoru Ivane Grubić, Fabrici Aleksandra Bunčića, Zemlji Ane Puljić i Zatvoru Predraga Čomagića. Mali izuzetak su Balerine Jovanke Mladenović, ima ih više, ali su veoma sićušne, skoro nevidljive.

Skulptura je ove godine manje zastupljena. Jedan od lepih primera mogućnosti, mišljenja, oblikovanja, igre formi i boja, međutim, jeste Ćaskanje Ivane Kostić. Tu je i skulptura Lazar Tanje Šajin, ljudska figura u čudnim metalnim pantalonama, koja deluje izazovno čak i pri dodiru. Mislim da pored ove skulpture ne bi trebalo da stoji upozorenje „ne dirati“. Posebno mesto na našim izložbama imaju točkovi. Jedan je bio posvećen Dišanu, a sad imamo ceo bicikl, sa jednim dodatkom koji ne bih da komentarišem, ali je među nama, pa i među nogama.

Opšti utisak o svim odabranim slikama i skulpturama jeste vladanje bojama, tehnikom i veštinom na pravom i visokom umetničkom nivou.

Predeli, pustoš, usamljenost, da li to čini našu trenutnu mladost i što je naš svet danas? Uvek sam imala nedoumicu i stalno o njoj govorim: da li umetnost utiče na događaje u svetu, na razvoj civilizacije, na poimanje, razumevanje i, na kraju, eventualno i na bunt, revoluciju. Da li umetnost ima tu ulogu?

I uvek je to pitanje ostajalo negde na pola, više kao pitanje, manje kao odgovor, sve do sjajne izložbe koja se ovih dana održava u Londonu, u Modern Tate galeriji. Izložen je ruski konstruktivizam s početka XX veka – Rodčenko i Popova - sa slikama koje su intimnih dimenzija, ništa grandiozno, ali su drukčije u poimanju sveta, u njegovom predstavljanju – u geometrijskim formama, arhitekturi, crtežu i, na kraju, na slikama. Izložba je podeljena u dvanaest soba i svaka soba ima svoju temu: Odbrana konstruktivizma, Kandinski, Arhitektura, Objekti u prostoru, 5 x 5 = 25, Reklama, Grafički dizajn, Politička reklama i edukacija, Pozorište, Film, Ženski žurnalizam, Radnički klub. Iz ovoga se vidi da su umetnici napravili neshvatljiv uticaj na misao početka XX veka, sve do Ruske revolucije, pa i posle nje. Umetnost je napravila to – možda i glad i Prvi svetski rat, ali i slike. Slike su odjeknule kao nešto što do tada skoro nije ni postojalo. Postojale su konstatacije ratova, naknadne proslave pobednika, priče o pobeđenima - od Napoleona, Svete Jelene, Vaterloa, Borodinske bitke - sve je došlo naknadno, slike su nastale posle bitke, posle ispričanih istorijskih događaja. Kad je reč o ruskoj avangardi – konstruktivizmu, slike su bile prethodile istoriji. Bile su glasnogovornici nekog novog vremena, ve-likog preokreta i, kad se preokret dogodio, one su uticale na sve – na police sa knjigama, na plakate, novinske izveštaje, naslovne strane novina i časopisa, dizajn bočica i upotrebnih predmeta. Sve je bilo prožeto tim prvim slikama Popove, od arhitekture, predstave novog čoveka, nove ideologije, pa sve do Lenjinove smrti . A onda nastaje jedna tamna slika. U predgovoru kataloga ove izložbe konstatuje se da nastaje drugi čovek, čovek socijalizma, čovek optimizma. Ono što je bitno jeste da sam dobila potvrdu, i to na ruskoj strani umetnosti, da slika utiče na događaje, da ona može da izazove nove događaje, nove situacije, pa čak i nove ljude. I to baš slika, ne toliko reči, zato što je slika sažeta situacija svega, uključujući i reči.

Bila sam presrećna što sam to doživela, kao činjenicu koja nam je sada data na uvid. To je mogućno i nema sumnje da će tako i biti. To upućujem i mladim umet-nicima: ako imaju ideju. Naravno, to ne mora da bude revolucija, može da bude Novo doba koje podrazumeva sve mogućne promene:

Obraćam se Novom dobuU kome će sve biti mogućno odmah,Na nežni dodir, Na mali znak pažnje,Na otisak palca i zvuk imena,Na jedva primetnu boru,Na podrhtavanje zenica.Obraćam se tvorcima čeličnih sistema,Stratezima mira,Generalima dogovaranja i razaranja,Krojačima novih granica na starim mapama.U Novo doba jedan će biti zamenjen mnoštvom.

Olja Ivanjicki, 6. marta. 2009.

The Therapy of Loneliness

As we embark on this fourth year of the Niš Art Foundation, I recall that, when we opened the first exhbition in 2006, I mentioned mystical and important dates in the history of Niš. Now, it seems, Niš is once again reclaiming its important place, first with its commemoration of Constantine the Great and also with its connec-tion to the “southern route” international highway. Life in Niš is changing in the same way we defined this exhibition: an explosion of youth.

Judging these works also presents the same problem: we receive roughly the same number of submissions, and we are similarly apprehensive about how to select from among them and how not to err in our choices, or at least how to err as little as possible. There is also the question of how to follow over a four-year period the creative output of individual young artists, their artistic efforts and results, the size of their works, titles, subjects and, naturally, their successes.

I always wonder what our place is in this New Age. I even wrote a poem about a time when everything will be not just within our reach, but within our grasp. Are we getting closer to that day? Are we getting closer to a time of unlinited possibilities? On the one hand, we have what technology makes possible, the speed of communication, the transfer of knowledge; on the other hand, we have the failings of that same world, with its images of horror, gales of unrest blowing from all sides, clear dissatisfaction, yearning for things to be better than they are. Now, in our fourth year, we still see these things in the works young people submit to us. How should we interpret them? How can we understand how they see they world?

Is theirs a sparsely-populated world of utter loneliness? There are more and more people on the planet, but there are fewer and fewer people on these canvasses. Some of them are even split in half, or are just parts of persons, as in Vanja Subotić’s Kuda/Where, Miroslava Trujkanović’s Vreme masturbacije/Masturbation Time, or simply a mass of faces, or the sad faces of lost children.

This year we are Oči u oči/Eye-to-Eye with Jelena Trajković, who opens Pandorina kutija/Pandora’s Box with a wonderful installation. Marija Falker is here again, too, with her sculpture Arhiva/Archive that -- as does every archive -- raises the question of what is inside, as in a living library that contains all the knowledge on the shelves of the mind.

Nevertheless, we all do live in the present. Young people live in the present, perhaps even in the moment. Radmila Matejević’s present is made up of bins in which bits of everyday life are housed, abandoned storage containers. Should I start with them? Should I start with those bits of everyday life, with her refusal -- for the third time -- to accept cruel reality and her inability to register anything different or better, with her insistence that that’s the way it is, every day, all the time, im-mutably?

I mentioned the absence of people. There are a few, as in Marjan Muškinj’s Swimming Pool. Someone is in the water, and it’s quite pleasant there. The water and goggles are especially well painted. It is one of those paintings that perhaps should be dedicated to the beauty of living, the beauty of swimming on an endlessly relaxed day, with magic and water and sun and something to make it all worthwhile, at least 10-15 days a year, no more.

Kristina Ristić, who has participated in this competition every year since we began, deals with the color red much like Max Ernst, whose monsters wear red (The Robing of the Bride, 1939) in a way that is not terrifying, but enchanting, vivid with color, full and filling the canvas. She does this in Susret/Meeting, Glava koja duva/The Head That Blows, Strašilo/Scarecrow.

The supermarket is Terapija/Therapy to Tijana Čakić. The wonderfully-executed painting contains the clarion call of our time, the sound of shopping carts, the insatiable drive to shop. The legs of the cart are very well done, as if they are right in front of us. The selection of objects on offer is always surprising. It is therapy for us as observers and assessors: nothing exists that is not within the domain of art and someone’s eyes.

Loneliness is one of the defining feeling of young people. From the moving image of those fleeing Kosovo, by Milena Milosavljević, which brings to mind the famous painting in a way that suggests those people are perpetually in flight, to the brilliantly painted Manhattan street corners and taxis in Sanja Milenković’s Cab and Jovan Lurbarda’s Ground Zero Project to Nataša Dimitrijević’s Godine na margini/Years on the Edge and Zida/Walls and Pretty Pillow by Nataša Dragišić, where the force and beauty of graffiti emerge, to the powerful, highly pictural landscapes of Vladan Labović.

You want to enter Ranka Marković’s Veliko nebo/Big Sky and never leave. One feels the loneliness of small-scale paintings on the walls of the room in Bojan Radojčić’s The Boy Who Was Trying to Kill the Fly. The little girl in Milana Gložić’s painting has indeed Nestala/Disappeared in the big city.

Nikola Marković exhibits for the fourth year in a row, and his Izvodi iz neverbalnog govora/Excerpts from Nonverbal Speech continues the dialogue of hands, drawn with virtuoso skill. If only we could interpret what those fingers are saying! Perhaps, in the next exhibition...

6

I list these artists as a group because, taken together, they comprise a group therapy of loneliness. Their territory is uninhabited. High-frequency loneliness is felt most strongly as a stab of pain in Prostor/Space by Ivana Grubić, Fabrika/Factory by Aleksandar Bunčić, Zemlja/Country by Ana Puljić and Zatvor/Prison by Predrag Čomagić. Jovanka Mladenović’s Balerine/Ballerinas is a small exception: there are a few persons to be seen, but they are slight, almost invisible.

Sculpture is less represented this year than in the past. Ivan Kostić’s Ćaskanje/Chatting is a lovely example of possibilities, thought and shaping processes, play of form and color. Tanja Šajin’s Lazar, a human figure in unusual metal pants, is also inviting to the touch. I do not believe that the admonition “Do Not Touch” should be posted next to this sculpture. Wheels have a special place in our exhibitions. One was dedicated to Duchamp, and now we have a bicycle with an accoutrement I would prefer remain “between us,” so to speak.

The general impression presented by all the selected works is a high-level mastery of color, technique and skill.

Deserted landscapes, voids, loneliness -- is that what it means to be young today? Is that what defines our world? I have always wondered about this and often talk about it: does art have an effect on world events, on the development of civilization, on conceptualizing and understanding and, ultimately, on rebellion and revolution? Does art have that role?

That question continues to arise but has always remained unanswered -- until now, with the wonderful exhibit currently up at the Modern Tate in London. It is Russian Constructivism from the beginning of the 20th century – Rodchenko and Popova - with paintings of intimate dimension, nothing grandiose, but different in their conceptualization of the world and the way it is presented, in geometric forms, arhitecture, drawings and, ultimately, in paintings. The exhibition is divided into twenty rooms, each of which has a theme: Defense of Constructivism, Kandinsky, Architecture, Objects in Space, 5 x 5 = 25, Promotional Art, Graphic Design, Political Promotion and Education, Theater, Film, Women’s Journalism, Workers’ Clubs. We see how the artists had an immeasurable influence on thinking at the start of the 20th century, all the way to the Russian revolution and beyond. Art made that. So, too, perhaps hunger and World War I, but also paintings. Paintings resounded in a way like nothing before. There had been the conclusions drawn from wars, post factum celebrations of victors and tales of the vanquished -- Na-poleon, St. Helena, Waterloo, Borodin -- but it was all post factum, and the paintings, too, came in the wake of the battles, after the storied historical events. With the Russian avant-garde, with Constructivism, the paintings preceded history. They were the bellwethers of a new era and great change and, when the change happened, they influenced everything: books, posters, newspaper report, the front pages of magazines and newspapers, the design of bottles and everyday ob-jects. Up until Lenin’s death, everything -- architecture, presentation of the New Man, new ideology -- was imbued with those first paintings by Popova. Then the canvas goes dark. The introduction to the exhibition catalogue concludes that a a different man came into existence, the man of socialism, the man of optimism.

What is important for me is that I found confirmation on the Russian shores of art that painting does affect events, that it can give rise to new events, new situations, even new human beings. Paintings can do that, images, not words, because a painting is the concise situation of everything, including words. That is a given, and I was very happy to have experienced it. It is within the realm of the possible and there is no doubt it will be that way again. This is my message to young artists with ideas. It doesn’t have to be revolution, but it can be a New Age, with all the changes that promises:

I call upon the New AgeWhen everything will be possible, immediately.Within our grasp, gently,At the smallest sign of attention,At our fingertips,With fingerprint and sound recognition,With a barely perceptible wrinkle,As a retina flickers. I call upon the makers of systems of steel, The strategists of peace,The generals of deal-making and destruction,The tailors of new borders on old maps.In the New Age, one will be replaced by many.

Olja Ivanjicki, March 6, 2009

7

ŠTA MLADI ŽIVE, A ŠTA SLIKAJU

Svetom savremene umetnosti vlada toliko različitih estetika, pa me nijedna ne obavezuje da njome ocenjujem slike mladih koji ove godine učestvuju na konkursu Niš Art Fondacije. Zato mogu sebi dozvoliti da se zapitam šta to mladi umetnici u ovom trenutku vide i kako to što u sebi i oko sebe vide slikaju ili vajaju.

Očigledno je da mladi žive u veoma zaoštrenim društvenim okolnostima, da kriza više nije lokalna već globalna. I njihove slike su umetnost krize - materi-jalne, moralne, svekolike.

Neću ništa novo niti otkrivalački reći, ako kažem da im gama nije vedra, bez obzira na to da li je reč o apstraktnim ili o figuralnim slikama. Ali nije reč samo o gami, tamnoj, kestenjastoj (s malim izuzecima) tmastoj, već da su im motivi, kad je o figuralnom slikarstvu reč, napuštene fabrike, puste stanice, haotični supermarketi, pešačke zebre bez pešaka, bulevari zagušeni taksi vozilima, sve do izanđalih tapeta sa tragovima zločina.

U apstraktnim slikama, po prirodi stvari, teže je uočiti društveni aspekt njihove poruke, vezu okruženja u kome mladi slikari žive i stvaraju. Izvesno je da na njima nema ni tračka ohrabrenja, osim nekih belih leptira na jednom platnu.

Portreta je malo. A ono što ih ima, to zabrinuta, nevesela lica , čak i kad su na telu atletske građe. Kad su motiv ruke, a ne glava, onda su ispruženi kažiprsti znakovi neverbalnog govora, rekao bih uzaludni pokušaji sporazuma.

Predmeti i skulpture su posebna priča. Tu su knjige, ali u torziji pomoću nemilosrdne prese, ili arhiv predmeta zarobljenih u kvadratnim pregradama.

Sve to zabrinjava kao doživljaj sveta, ali bi još više zabrinjavalo kad naši mladi ne bi bili svesni sveta u kom žive i kad bi obmanjivali i sebe i nas bojama lažne vedrine.

Ono što ohrabruje jeste da naši mladi likovni umetnici to što stvaraju čine sa istinskim likovnim obrazovanjem i sa zavidnim profesionalnim nivoom, i, nara-vno, s nesumnjivim darom. Takođe ohrabruje i činjenica da svake sledeće godine očigledno sve bolje slikaju ili vajaju i da ih je sve više. Oni koji su nagrađeni, a i dalje učestvuju na konkursu, osetno su napredovali, a sve je više mladih umetnika koji ne žive u našim najvećem kulturnim centrima, kao što su Beograd, Niš i Novi Sad, već su iz ostalih malih gradova naše zemlje.

Nadam se da sam svojim komentarom blizak onom osećanju s kojim posetioci svih generacije doživljavaju ove radove i da Niš Art Fondacija, uz pomoć DIN Industrije duvana a.d. Niš u sastavu Philip Morris International-a, podstiče našu mladost da stvara autentičnu umetnost svog vremena.

Jovan Ćirilov, mart 2009

8

What young people experience -- and what they paint

Many different esthetics govern the world of contemporary art, yet no single one of them can define the way to assess the works of the young people who are participating in this year’s Niš Art Foundation competition. The diversity of these works leads us to wonder about the nature of the lives young people are living these days and how they paint and sculpt what they see in themselves and around them.

It is obvious that young people live in extremely heightened social circumstances, that the crisis is no longer local but global. Their paintings are the art of material, moral, all-encompassing crisis.

To say that the works do not convey a sense of “Blue skies, clear sailing ahead!” is not exactly a revelation on my part. It’s not just (with few exceptions) the chestnut, brooding darkness, but the motifs: abandoned factories, stations without passengers, chaotic supermarkets, crosswalks without pedestrians, streets clogged with taxicabs, crumbling walls that bear the traces of crimes. In the abstract works, as one would expect, it is hard to make out any social aspect or links to the environment in which young artists live and work. There are no specks of encouragement, except for a few white butterflies on one canvas.

There are few portraits. Where we see faces, they are worried, unhappy, even when on a strong and athletic body. When the motif is hands, extended index fingers signal nonverbal speech, a futile attempt to reach agreement.

The objects and sculptures are a story in and of themselves. There are books skewed by a merciless press, or an archive of emprisoned, pigeonholed objects.

This is all worrisome as an experience of the world, but it would be even more troubling if our young people were not aware of the world in which they live and if they were to deceive themselves, and us, with false “blue skies” and rosy visions.

It is encouraging that our young artists demonstrate in their works genuine arts education, enviable professionalism and, naturally, unquestionable talent. It is also encouraging that every year they are painting and scuplting better and every year there are more young artists doing remarkable work. Those whose works have been recognized this year have noticeably progressed, and there are more young artists who live and work not just in our larger cultural centers -- Belgrade, Niš, Novi Sad -- but also in smaller towns.

I hope these comments reflect the sentiments of visitors of all ages who experience these works, and that like the Niš Art Foundation, with the help of DIN Industrija duvana a.d. Niš/Tobacco Industry Niš and Philip Morris International, they encourage our young people to create the authentic art of this age and time.

Jovan Cirilov, March 2009

9

Ana Miletić “Prostranstvo” - ulje na platnu 200x150cm

“Vastness of space” - oil on canvas 200x150cm

10

Jovan Lubarda “Ground zero project” - kombinovana tehnika, akril,katran 200x170cm

“Ground zero project” - combined technique, acrylic, tar 200x170cm

11

Kristina Ristić “Strašilo” - ulje na platnu 140x100cm

“Scarecrow” - oil on canvas 140x100cm

12

Kristina Ristić ”Glava koja duva” - ulje na platnu 140x100cm

”The blowing head” - oil on canvas 140x100cm

13

Kristina Ristić“Susret” – ulje na platnu, diptih 2x140x100cm

“Meeting” – oil on canvas , diptych 2x140x100cm

14

Sanja Milenković“Cab” - akrilik na platnu 115x145cm

“Cab” - acrylic on canvas 115x145cm

15

Ana Pejić“Zemlja 1” - kombinovana tehnika, akril 120x150cm“Earth 1” - combined technique, acrylic 120x150cm

16

Tijana Luković“Comment” – ulje na platnu 150x180cm “Comment” – oil on canvas 150x180cm

17

Nataša Dragišić“Pretty pillow” – akril na platnu 200x175cm

“Pretty pillow” – acrylic on canvas 200x175cm

18

Marija Felker “Arhiva”- kombinovana tehnika ,skulptura 20x50x50cm “Archive”- combined technique, sculpture 20x50x50cm

19

Vladica Ristić“Zebra” - ulje na platnu 100x120cm

“Pedestrian crossing” - oil on canvas 100x120cm

20

Milan Paradinović“The element of love” - kombinovana tehnika na platnu 130x130cm “The element of love” - combined technique on canvas 130x130cm

21

Bojan Radojčić“The Boy Who Was Trying To Kill Fly” - kombinovana tehnika, ulje, pastel,papir, karton 190x120cm

“The Boy Who Was Trying To Kill Fly” - combined technique, oil, pastel, paper, carton 190x120cm

22

Miroslava Trujkanović “Vreme masturbacije” - kombinovana tehnika 150x150cm

“The time of masturbation” - combined technique 150x150cm

23

Andrea Ivanović Jakšić„Divljina“- kombinovana tehnika 160x180cm

„Wilderness“- combined technique 160x180cm

24

Andrea Ivanović Jakšić “Priroda utrobe“ - kombinovana tehnika, drvo, zavoj, metal, zemlja – skulptura 155x115x21cm

“The nature of guts“ - combined technique, wood, compress, metal, earth – sculpture 155x115x21cm

25

Ljubica Denković“Lov i ribolov 1” – tuš na platnu, crtež 8x20x16cm

“Hunting and fishing 1” – indian ink on canvas , drawing 8x20x16cm

26

Ranka Marković“Između” - ulje na platnu 70x300cm “Between” - oil on canvas 70x300cm

27

Milorad Panić“Opstanak” – kamen, beli venčac, skulptura 20x28x17cm

“Survival” – stone, marble, sculpture 20x28x17cm

28

Nikola Marković“Izvodi iz neverbalnog govora” - ulje i akrilik na platnu, triptih 142x120cm 2x142x102cm

“Ehcerpts from Non – Verbal - Speech” - oil, acrylic on canvas ,triptych 142x120cm 2x142x102cm

29

Dimitrije Čurčić“Autamat aut odit mulier :nihil tertium” - ulje na platnu 100x100cm

“Autamat aut odit mulier :nihil tertium” - oil on canvas 100x100cm

30

Vladimir Sekulić“ Dick on the bike” – ready made – skulptura 173x124x67cm“ Dick on the bike” – ready made – sculpture 173x124x67cm

31

Jelena Đurić“Turn over” – akrilik i ulje na platnu 175x145cm“Turn over” – acrylic, oil on canvas 175x145cm

32

Jelena Đurić“Sugarcloud” – akrilik i ulje na platnu 175x145cm“Sugarcloud” – acrylic, oil on canvas 175x145cm

33

Duško Bjeljac“Week” - kombinovana tehnika, ulje na platnu 150x100cm

“Week” - combined technique, oil on canvas 150x100cm

34

Nataša Dimitrijević“Zid“ - ulje na platnu 140x200cm

“ The Wall “ - oil on canvas 140x200cm

35

Jovanka Mladenović“Balerine 1” – kombinovana tehnika, olovka, tuš, akrilik, crtež 2x100x70cm

“Ballerinas 1” – combined technique, pencil, indian ink, acrylic, drawing 2x100x70cm

36

37

Vladan Slavković“Sujeverje” – ugljen i akrilik 146,5x156cm

“Superstition” – charcoal ,acrylic 146,5x156cm

38

Milana Paunović“Innocence” –kombinovana tehnika 80x80cm“Innocence” – combined technique 80x80cm

39

Tijana Čakić“Terapija” - kombinovana tehnika, akrilik na platnu 240x200cm

“Therapy” - combined technique, acrylic on canvas 240x200cm

40

Vojislav Nadeljković“Bez naziva 6” – grafit, akril 140x180cm

“No name 6” – graphite, acrylic 140x180cm

41

Milena Milosavljević“Kosovo” – akrilik na papiru 190x120cm“Kosovo” – acrylic on paper 190x120cm

42

Radmila Matejević“Svakodnevnica” - ulje na platnu 135x175cm

“Daily routine” - oil on canvas 135x175cm

43

Radmila Matejević“Hangar” - ulje na platnu 135x180cm

“Hangar” - oil on canvas 135x180cm

44

Jelena Trajković“Oči u oči” – kombinovana tehnika crtež 135x 165cm “Pandorina kutija I i II” – klirit – skulpture 25x20x20cm“Face to face” –combined technique, drawing 135x 165cm “Pandora’s box I and II” – clirit – sculpture 25x20x20cm

45

Vladimir Miladinović“The troubles” - ulje na platnu 200x160cm

“The troubles” - oil on canvas 200x160cm

46

Vanja Subotić“Kuda” - ulje i akrilik na platnu 140x180cm

“Where to” - oil, acrylic on canvas 140x180cm

47

Jovana Krstić“Sirena u novom milenijumu” – akrilik na platnu 120x100cm

“Mermaid in the new millennium” – acrylic on canvas 120x100cm

48

Jelena Stošić“Triptih 1,2,3” – ugljen na papiru 3x115x60cm

“Triptych 1,2,3” – charcoal on paper 3x115x60cm

49

Milan Krstić“Pejzaž” - ulje na platnu 200x140cm

“Landscape” - oil on canvas 200x140cm

50

Tanja Šajin“Lazar” – metal, poliester – skulptura 192x55x25cm

“Lazar” – metal, polyester – sculpture 192x55x25cm

51

Ivana Grubić“Prostor I” – kombinovana tehnika 300x190cm

“Space I” combined technique, 300x190cm

52

Ivana Bešević“You: sitting on a chair in front of your monitor” – kombinovana tehnika 200x250cm

“You: sitting on a chair in front of your monitor” – combined technique 200x250cm

53

Marjan Muškinja “Swimming pool VIII” - ulje na platnu 100x200cm

“Swimming pool VIII” - oil on canvas 100x200cm

54

Predrag Čomagić“Zatvor” - kombinovana tehnika na platnu 90x90cm

“Prison” - combined technique on canvas 90x90cm

55

Lana Šukletović Stamenić“Portreti”- akrilik na papiru 4x 25x35cm“Portraits”- acrylic on paper 4x 25x35cm

56

Slobodan Stošić“Torzija reči” - kombinovana tehnika, žica, knjiga, skulptura 52x13/20cm

“Torsion of words” - combined technique, wire, book, sculpture 52x13/20cm

57

Milan Glozić“Nestala” - ulje na platnu 80x100cm

“Missing” - oil on canvas 80x100cm

58

Ivana Kostić“Ćaskanje“ – keramika, kamenina – skulptura 42x19x23cm

“Chitchatting “ –ceramics, stoneware - sculpture 42x19x23cm

59

Vladan Labović“Godine na margini” - ugljen i kreda – crtež 132x178cm

“Years on the margin” - charcoal, crayon – drawing 132x178cm

60

Darko Nikolić“Da li me se sećaš?” - ulje na platnu 130x120cm

“Do you remember me?” - oil on canvas 130x120cm

61

Neda Šukletović Veselinović“Bez naziva” - ulje na platnu 150x100cm

“No name ” - oil on canvas 150x100cm

62

Jakša Vlahović“Etnokalipsa III” – digitalna tehnika 100x70cm“Etnokalipsa III” – digital technique 100x70cm

63

Aleksa Jovanović“Bez naziva” – akrilik na platnu 80x100cm“No name ” - acrylic on canvas 80x100cm

64

Aleksandar Bunčić“Fabrika” - kombinovana tehnika, bitumen, ulje, auto lak 120x90cm

“Factory” - combined technique, bitumen, oil, car lac 120x90cm

65

Ana Bondžić“Passage” - ulje na platnu 154x200cm

“Passage” - oil on canvas 154x200cm

The founders of Nis Art FoundationRadovan Lale Đuric NY, Olja Ivanjicki, Neda Arnerić, Jovan Ćirilov, Gordana Suša, Tihomir Trivunac, Rada Đuričin, Dr. Đorđe Lalošević, Dr. Dragoš Stojanović,Mihailo Spasović, Borislav Gvozdenović

express gratitude for the donation to DIN„Fabrika duvana“ a. d. Niš, an affiliate of Philip Morris International.

Osnivači Niš Art FondacijeRadovan Lale Đurić NY, Olja Ivanjicki, Neda Arnerić, Jovan Ćirilov, Gordana Suša, Tihomir Trivunac, Rada Đuričin, Dr. Đorđe Laloševic, Dr. Dragoš Stojanović, Mihailo Spasović, Borislav Gvozdenović

zahvaljuju se na donatorstvu DIN “Fabrika duvana” a.d. Niš, u sastavu Philip Morris International.

Spisak autora(sa brojevima strana)

Real izovano zahval jujućiDIN “Fabr ik a Duvana” a .d. N iš , u sastavu Phi l ip M orr is I nternat ional

66682009