20.04. - 24.11.
The project It Takes an Island to Feel This Good, by contemporary visual artist Darja Bajagić and curator Ana Simone Zelenović, represents Montenegro at the Venice Biennale (La Biennale di Venezia).
In May 2022, Darja Bajagić had a solo exhibition Crucio in Novembar gallery, curated by Ana Simona Zelenović, then curator of Novembar gallery. The beginning of their professional collaboration resulted in a project that represents Montenegro at the Venice Biennale, the goal of which is to critically examine the culture of collective memory and reflect on our relationship to historical heritage. After two years of research of the island of Mamula and its history in the archives of Montenegro, the artist used the collected material as a basis for visual compositions of paintings and sculptures.
“The project It Takes an Island to Feel This Good highlighted the unique place of the Montenegrin cultural heritage of the Mamula fortress, and used its history as an occasion to raise universal issues important for contemporary art and society. Focusing on contextually and meaningfully charged contemporary and historical issues, Bajagić bravely examines complex phenomena, asking questions such as: is the prerequisite for evil, on the one hand, the neglect of history, and on the other hand, its commodification,” said Ana Simona Zelenović, curator of the project.
The project corresponds in many ways with the theme of this year’s Biennale, Foreigners Everywhere, curated by Adriano Pedrosa. During the Biennale, from April 20 to November 24, 2024, the public will be able to visit the Montenegrin pavilion at Complesso dell’Ospedaletto, Barbaria de le Tole, 6691, Venezia.
Photography: Geray Mena
