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Events Lecture Series Participant Activities Walking as a Way of Knowing – Belgrade For the fall we announce new and revisited existing series of walks as a proposal for artistic interventions to think and practice history and knowledge through entangled encounters. From September onwards, we invite you to join the "Walking as a Way of Knowing – Belgrade", a series of walks within the city, which will be presented each season. These unique explorations are led by local artists, curators, architects, scholars designed through their own research interests, providing different pulses of Belgrade. While drafting these walks, we had in mind Donna Haraway's thinking that only a partial perspective promises an objective vision. (Haraway, Situated Knowledges) These walks are designed to showcase the multifaceted Belgrade, revealing its marginalized histories, and vibrant multicultural identity through the senses and insights. As Australian thinker Stephen Muecke argues that there is a need to study specific, local places in order to “put things more on the scale of everyday living.” [1] Hence, our second season of walking together will start in september and it will be possible to walk with us until the end of October . Each walk will have its own unique focus on the diverse and ever-changing city landscape and show how we can experience it through different senses. Based on her award-winning book Singing Belgrade: Urban Identity and Music Videos Irena Šentevska takes you to a tour of Belgrade which explores some landmarks of the city’s music life since the beginnings of its exposure to influences from the global pop culture. In 2019 The Museum of Modern Art in New York opened an exhibition named Toward a Concrete Utopia and included the original plans and drawings of the building settlement Cerak Vinogradi. Around the same time, Cerak Vinogradi was granted the status of cultural landmark by the state, thus being the first modern neighborhood in this part of Europe and one of three in the rest of the continent with such privilege. Artists Jelena Andzic in collaboration with Kulturni Cerak explores importance of this settlement. With artist Dunja Karanovic we continue feminist walks uncovering histories of the woman and their presence in the public sphere. [1] Muecke, Benterrak and Roe, Reading the Country, 21. Singing Belgrade Walk by Irena Sentevska October 26th 11am Meeting Point: Pobednik Monument, Kalemegdan Fortress Language: English Duration: two to three hours Based on her award-winning book Singing Belgrade: Urban Identity and Music Videos Irena Šentevska takes you to a tour of Belgrade which explores some landmarks of the city’s music life since the beginnings of its exposure to influences from the global pop culture. We start at the Kalemegdan Fortress where we talk about the beginnings of rock ’n’ roll in Belgrade and the culture of lively dance parties (igranke) often held in open air venues. We also talk about neo- folk and the urban-rural divide in Serbia’s popular music. Then we use your smartphones to watch some videos from various music genres, all of them set in Kalemegdan. The tour then takes us to the Students’ Cultural Center (SKC), the unofficial headquarters of Belgrade’s punk and new wave scenes in the 1980s. After some consideration of the importance of SKC for Serbia’s hip-hop and segments of the contemporary underground music scene we take a long ride to ‘South Central Kotež’, Belgrade’s remote northern suburb and home to Serbia’s most famous rappers. If we are lucky, some of them might join us to discuss their rise to stardom. About Irena Sentevska Irena Šentevska received her PhD from the department of arts and media theory of the University of Arts in Belgrade. She is author of two books in Serbian, The Swinging 90s: theatre and social reality of Serbia (2016), and Singing Belgrade: urban identity and music videos (2023), which received the Belgrade City Assembly’s annual award for social sciences and humanities. Her articles have been published by leading academic presses in Europe and the US (Routledge, Palgrave, Taylor and Francis, Peter Lang, Indiana UP, De Gruyter, Berghahn Books, Bloomsbury Academic etc.) She was member of the regional research teams for the project Unfinished Modernisations: Between Utopia and Pragmatism (2012) and exhibition Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia 1948-1980 held in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York (2018). Irena lectured at the interdisciplinary doctoral studies of the University of Arts in Belgrade and received lecture invitations from various university departments and cultural institutions based in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Ljubljana, Rijeka, Prague, Graz, Zürich, Karlsruhe, Tel Aviv etc. In her spare time she enjoys Nordic walking. The Little Town on Top of The Hill – Cerak Vinogradi October 19th 11:00am Walk by Jelena Andzic and Kulturni Cerak Language: English Meeting point: In front of entrance of Vojno Medicinski Center Duration: two to three hours In 1981 a new building settlement was erected on the outskirts of Belgrade, called Cerak Vinogradi. The author team consisted of architects Milenija and Darko Marušić together with Nedeljko Borovnica. At the time of its construction Cerak Vinogradi represented the peak of modern residential architecture. In 2019 it became the first modern neighborhood in this part of Europe and one of three in the rest of the continent, which was granted the status of cultural asset. Furthermore, the architects' plans and drawings were included in the exhibition Concrete Utopia at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. After the exhibition ended it was selected for the museum’s permanent collection, being one of only two works from Serbia that had the honor of being included in it. The uniqueness of the settlement is, beyond doubt, the fact that it was constructed around the idea of walking. Unlike many architectural projects today, whose main aim is to extract any additional square meter, Cerak Vinogradi was built in harmony with its surroundings, not in spite of it. As the terrain on which the settlement was constructed is steep, the walking paths were built along the idea of isolines - lines that connect same altitude points. This allows the residents to walk easily through the neighborhood, encountering many spots designed for socializing and public use. These are called micro-ambients that take many forms - small amphitheaters, isolated bench nooks, etc. They were carefully designed with intent for the pedestrian to slow down, which is something that we are growing unaccustomed to in this ever-accelerating world. Furthermore, these public spaces are a rarity in today's Belgrade, attesting to their occupation by restaurants and cafes. On the other hand, the public spaces that are decentralized are still open to public use, however due to this very fact, their maintenance is constantly being neglected. The walk will be led in cooperation with Kulturni Cerak, an organization whose main aim is the preservation of the settlement's cultural identity. It consists of architects that have been working closely with Milenija Marušić over the years. It is thanks to their constant effort that the settlement hasn't been overlooked and forgotten, which has sadly been the fate of many past projects of architectural importance. The walk will also feature a private/public reading of the artist's publication Poems for The Little Town on Top of the Hill, a book of collaged poems which she has done as a response to the state's neglect of Cerak Vinogradi About Jelena Andzic Jelena Andžić is a visual artist from Belgrade, Serbia. She received her MFA in Set Design at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2019 and in 2016 graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade. She spent two years at the Metàfora Studio Arts program in Barcelona and defended her final thesis at MACBA in January 2022. Her artistic practice revolves around the static image and the potential it holds in terms of giving and absorbing knowledge. Her main points of interest are the impenetrability and ambiguity painting inherently possesses, as well as the different roles time plays in painting and photography. She had her solo exhibition at N.O. Concept Gallery (Belgrade) and took part in group exhibitions in Homesession (Barcelona),àngels barcelona | Espai 2 (Barcelona), Mutuo galería (Barcelona), Cultural Center Pančevo (Pančevo), Museum of Applied Arts (Belgrade). In 2022 she was a resident at Fabra I Coats: Fàbrica de Creació in Barcelona. She was a participant in the 2022 WC/SCD educational program. She is currently based in Belgrade. About Kulturni Cerak Tamara Nikolić Prodić Born in 1997 in Belgrade. I have completed both undergraduate and graduate studies at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade. Volunteered at the Belgrade Architecture Week and participated in several international architectural congresses and competitions. Currently engaged on architectural and cultural heritage revitalisation projects in private practice. The president and one of the founders of the "Cultural Cerak" association. Nađa Vujović Born in Belgrade in 1997. I have completed both undergraduate and graduate studies at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade. Currently working in private practice in the field of urban planning. I studied the topic of citizen participation in the development of strategies for the implementation of sustainable development goals, as well as the return of biodiversity to cities. I am one of the founders of the "Cultural Cerak" association. Olivera Gaborov Lazić Born in 1968 in Zrenjanin. I obtained the title of Graduate Engineer of Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade. Employed in the field of urban planning. As a resident of the Cerak Vinogradi settlement, I have been actively engaged in activism and the protection of the settlement as a cultural asset within my professional domain since 2015. I have been an active member of the association "Cultural Cerak'' since its foundation. As an expert team within our association, we focus on designing and implementing projects in architecture, urban planning, cultural heritage preservation, and environmental protection. Our key projects include: Monitoring planning documents for the Cerak Vinogradi area and Belgrade city; Participating in the preparation of urban and planning documents; Conducting research, preservation and digitization of archival materials related to our locality; Renovating the local green areas by planting specific types of trees as per horticulture and landscaping projects; Organizing urban culture workshops tailored for different age groups. Painter. Poet. National Hero October 12th 11am Walk by Dunja Karanovic Language: English Duration: two to three hours The names and faces we pass on our daily commutes and wanderings are rarely reflected upon, and sometimes they even seem arbitrary, but the ways in which our public spaces are organized are highly political and shape our cultural and collective identities. In Belgrade, only 4.37% of streets are named after women, many of whom are not even historical figures but mythical heroines and metaphors. Out of the 115 streets whose names commemorate women, 73% are among the smallest, and 26.1% are so-called ‘dead end’ streets. What this speaks to is the implicit gendering of public spaces and the century-long division between the private and public spheres as inherently masculine and feminine. In order to see beyond the systematic exclusion of women from public spaces, we have to look not only at what little is there, but at what’s invisible and hidden within the margins. In the second edition of our feminist walks, we will be (re)discovering the streets, monuments, and artistic interventions in public space that tell the history of Belgrade from the perspective of women. Join us from September to learn more about the women artists, authors, heroines, and peace activists who left their mark on the city from the 19th century to the 1990s. Dunja Karanović is a visual artist and journalist based in Belgrade, Serbia. She holds an MA degree from the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Policy and Management at the University of Arts in Belgrade and an MFA from the China Academy of Arts. In her practice, she explores ways of bridging cultural policy, theory, and practice through interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches that foster radical friendship and collective care. Her research is focused on mainstreaming care in cultural institutions and reimagining them as slower, softer, and more inclusive spaces. She is a regular contributor of Liceulice magazine. She is passionate about feminist art histories, embroidery, the small, and the marginal. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your walk. Pre-booking is required via email or instagram Send us your full name and title of a walk Please note that all group walks have limited capacity Price tickets: 1,760 dinars We do not accept debit or credit cards Photos by Jelena Andzic < Mentors Educational Program How to Apply >

< Back NETWORKING THE PERIPHERIES: LOOKING EAST FROM THE EAST 15 Oct 2021 Jelica Jovanović Adding or Subtracting, Multiplying or Dividing: The Equations of the 17+1 Initiative While writing this entry, I am waiting for my Covid-19 booster shot, just like circa half a million of my fellow citizens in Serbia, which means that it would be the third jab that I will get this year. Meanwhile, I was infected with corona virus in May and had mild symptoms of the disease, but this had happened after I got vaccinated with two doses of the Vero cell / Sinopharm vaccine by mid-February. This situation sums up briefly the dubious situation that Serbia is currently in. While the citizens of many countries of the world are waiting for their first jab and will most probably continue to wait at least until 2022, Serbia has different set of problems. Serbian government obtained enough jabs for the country’s population very early in 2021. However, due to widespread disinformation’s of the anti-vax movement and general distrust among the citizens, the estimations are that around 40% of citizens are vaccinated in Serbia, which is not enough for the collective immunity, and leads to further spread of the infection and potential appearance of new mutations of the virus [1] . Earlier this year, the mass vaccination with Vero cell / Sinopharm vaccines in Serbia raised many questions: how much it costs [2] , under which circumstances was it registered and approved [3] and whether Serbia’s mass vaccination program is in fact the third phase trial of the vaccine efficiency [4] . The doubts have further increased since the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is still reviewing and has not approved the Sinopharm vaccine, while the procedure commenced in May 2021 [5] . However, the fear of disease and death seemed to have trumped all the above mentioned legal and formal concerns, as the global race for vaccine was gaining traction. At the beginning of vaccination process in February 2021, Serbia had second highest rate of vaccination in Europe, just behind United Kingdom. Today, as I am writing, the country is ravaged by the virus, with more than 50 deaths and more than 7000 infections per day, which is among highest infection rates globally [6] . New cases and deaths from Covid-19, JHU CSSE COVID-19 Data, accessed 21.10.2021. Vaccination rollout for Covid-19, Our World in Data, accessed 21.10.2021. Although the modus operandi of Serbian government regarding the purchase of the vaccines was criticized, especially within the context of the geopolitics of Serbia’s cordial relations with PR China and Russian Federation while accessing European Union, many countries were looking (South)East and seeking ways and means to follow the example of Serbia. The prime minister of Hungary declared that he was waiting to see how the vaccination plays out in Serbia [7] , but Hungarian government had announced that it is not going to wait for Brussels but start the procurement procedures for Chinese vaccines. Western media wrote about the “healthcare Silkroad” of the Chinese government as a way of salvaging the ruined initiative 16+1 with the “mask diplomacy”, and how the loyalty of Serbia – unlike the other members of the initiative – actually paid off [8] . As the process of vaccination in European Union got off to a rough start in December 2020, the discrete signals were sent by European Union high officials that they too are open to diversifying the sources of vaccines, and not opposed to Russian or Chinese companies providing them [9] . Painfully aware of the country’s peripheral status, Serbian government diversified the suppliers from the onset, and even started negotiations to produce the Sinopharm and Sputnik V vaccines [10] . Source: Covid: How Serbia soared ahead in vaccination campaign, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55931864 , accessed 10.2.2021. But what is this Initiative 16+1 and how is it currently related to Serbia? In 2012 the initiative 16+1 (also known as Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (China-CEE, China-CEEC) was kick-started by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This initiative was formed as a as a transnational cooperation forum, which should’ve brought together the 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe on one side and China on the other side, in various cooperation projects within the Belt and Road Initiative. The following countries are members of this initiative: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. With the entry of Greece in 2019, the initiative formally changed its name to 17+1. This cooperation platform between the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and China was formed after the China-Central and Eastern Europe Economic and Trade Forum was held in Budapest in 2011, and every year since then a meeting was held in one of the member states [11] . Every member state has national coordinators, while the secretariat is situated in Beijing. The meeting planned for 2020 was supposed to take place in Beijing, but was cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic, which was seen as an opportunity to launch activities and interventions to counteract the projects that have been either negotiated or considered within this initiative: in Czech Republic China’s General Nuclear Power was excluded from the bidding for the expansion of Dukovany nuclear power plant [12] , in Croatia a 50-years concession for the port of Rijeka was halted as it became clear that the consortium of Chinese companies offered the highest bid [13] , Romanian government decided to bar Chinese companies from the public infrastructure projects, namely, highroad constructions which was extensively done by Chinese companies like Synohydro and PowerChina [14] , while one of the last moves of the previous US administration was to halt the construction of the Huawei’s 5G telecommunication infrastructure in the Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. However, Serbia seems unfazed by these events, and although the government signed the agreement in Washington to forbid the use of a 5G network procured from unreliable customers – the so called “clean 5g network initiative” [15] – this did not prevent Huawei from opening the Center for Innovations and Development in Belgrade mid-September 2020 [16] . This is not the only project undertaken by the Huawei in Serbia: the company participated in the setup of the broadband infrastructure of the state telecommunication company, installed surveillance systems in streets of Belgrade, participated in setup of the data center in Kragujevac, development of the infrastructure for the public communal and educational services [17] . Furthermore, the government continues to sign more and more contracts worth billions of dollars for various infrastructural developments and redevelopments, such as the construction of the new metro system in Belgrade, construction of wastewater treatment plants and sewerage networks in 65 municipalities, rehabilitation and/or construction of six regional landfills and planned construction of 7 powerplants, financed by the loans from Chinese banks. [18] The criticism regarding – what seems to be – preferential status of Chinese capital in Serbia, which is coming from the western countries, is dampened by opening and diversifying the market for similar agreements with companies and banks coming from the West – loans for high ways, direct foreign investments for companies from West subsidized by Serbian government etc [19] . Having in mind which are the projects of Chinese companies in Serbia [20] , the pattern is clear: while China is mostly focused onto the sectors of telecommunications, traffic and mining, on the other hand Serbia is (re)constructing its most robust metallurgical industries, proverbially labeled as long-time losers and the sores of the country’s economy, as well as decrepit traffic routes and nonexistent sub-structures which are neuralgic points of the communal organization and sanitation. Leading Investors by number of projects (%). Source: RAS, 2021, https://ras.gov.rs/uspesne-price , 21.10.2021. Debt Trap, Deathtrap, Something Else? Interpretations of the Presence of Chinese Capital in Serbia. An inconspicuous office building in New Belgrade Block 21, recently turned heritage site, was leased to the Bank of China, which started its operations in Belgrade in 2016 [21] . The bank is working with the legal entities only, primarily oriented towards corporate customers and entrepreneurs. However, its presence is considered a token of China’s benevolence towards Serbia, or at least the pragmaticism regarding the servicing of the loans that Serbian government and corporate sector had taken from China’s central bank. The loans were not as high until recently: Serbia was the top borrower among the Balkan countries, but the overall numbers were not as dramatic as the media outcry made it look: 1.3 billion Euros was but a portion of external debt, and most of it was aimed at reconstructing the large infrastructural systems – the country’s decrepit railroad, for which it wasn’t possible to borrow from other sources, or the procedures were deemed complicated, because of the lack of prepared technical documentation from Serbia’s part and the restrictions regarding the direct bargaining [22] . China’s investments in the Western Balkans region, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/srbija-kina-rudnik-bor/30266925.html , accessed 20.03.2021. However, the situation with the neighboring Montenegro could shed some light onto the narratives regarding the situation: the construction of the highway Bar – Boljare, worth 809 million EUR was funded by 688,2 million EUR loan from Exim bank. The road ‘from nowhere to nowhere’ matures mid-2021, and the government seeks assistance from EU in breaking the debt trap of China by helping finance the return of the loan [23] . Similar narrative is present around Serbia’s situation, but rather amplified, as Serbia took several loans during 2020 and early 2021, and the total public debt of the country amounted to 28,161,393,966.75 EUR by 15th of March 2021, while the government continues to issue Euro bonds. The loans have been aimed mostly at traffic systems’ construction and waste management, while very little has been put towards investment into productional cappacities of the country. Meanwhile, the question of how any of the loans will be returned, as the economic basis of the country has been riuned during the wars and the exhausting transition, while the government is almost exclusively relying on direct foreign investments stimulated from the state budget – either from East or West, is put aside. The state of the public debt of Serbia on 30th of November 2019 was 24.521.726.735 EUR, while the unsecured debt of the local governments is 401.508.234 EUR, http://www.javnidug.gov.rs/lat/default.asp?P=46 , accessed 31.03.2021. Preliminary balance of the public debt of the Republic of Serbia on March 15, 2021. amounted to 3,308,448,330,691 RSD (28,161,393,966.75 EUR), Public Debt Administration of Serbia, http://www.javnidug.gov.rs , accessed 24.03.2021. Share of investments by sectors by number of projects (%), Source: RAS, 2021, https://ras.gov.rs/uspesne-price , 21.10.2021. The industries that are being revived by loans from China, however, are almost all considered to be so called ‘dirty technologies’ – either investments into mining, both the existing capacities and creation of new ones, or revival and expansion of fossil fuel industrial capacities, either in field of production (rubber, tires, plastics) or energy (thermal power stations). Many experts agree, Serbia has electrical energy mostly owing to its capacities that are depending on coal, and needs to act very soon, if it were to achieve the goals of decarbonization and transition to renewables and needs to do it now in order to avoid paying penalties for the stalling and disruption of the process, as well as the pollution created in the production and consumption process [24] . However, the patience among the citizens seems to have been exhausted, as the rising number of ecological initiatives and associations are demanding action. Furthermore, the problems with mining companies in Serbia, Zijin and Rio Tinto being the most prominent and most visible publicly, are raising questions regarding Serbia’s role in the global tech lust, as well as the global displacement of dirty technologies [25] . Serbia seems to be in the center of these tendencies, as in the recent farewell visit Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, bluntly explained: to reduce Germany’s industry’s dependence from lithium mined in China, Germany and EU are very much interested in Serbia’s allegedly high reserves of borate and lithium ores [26] . Meanwhile, to offset the negative marketing of these projects and reduce the potential for insurgence in the places where these mines were planned to open, the government is shyly announcing subsidies for individual households for the upgrades of fenestration, thermal insulation, and purchase of efficient boilers, even new regulation of prosumers’ role in energy production, which has been problematic over the course of last several years [27] . The politicians are also stating as a subtext that Serbia would have to import photovoltaic technology (as well as other ‘green technologies’), which is strange having in mind that opening of the factories for producing batteries – presumably out of locally mined lithium – was promised [28] . SOURCES 8th Summit of Central and Eastern European Countries & China, https://www.ceec-china-croatia.org/en/about-cooperation/ , accessed 31.01.2021. https://china-cee.eu , accessed 20.10.2021. https://www.mfa.gov.rs/lat/spoljna-politika/bilateralna-saradnja/kina , accessed 20.10.2021. Конференција „Појас и пут: балканска перспектива“, https://fb.bg.ac.rs/2018/08/03/konferencija-pojas-i-put-balkanska-perspektiva/ , accessed 20.10.2021. II Међународна конференција БАЛКАН НА НОВОМ ПУТУ СВИЛЕ, https://fb.bg.ac.rs/2017/11/23/ii-medjunarodna-konferencija-balkan-na-novom-putu-svile/ , accessed 20.10.2021. ПОЈАС И ПУТ: Србија и Иницијатива 16+1 (искуства, достигнућа и перспективе), https://fb.bg.ac.rs/2019/04/10/11108/ , accessed 20.10.2021. Научна конференција „Кинески социјализам и модерни светски поредак (Сто година од оснивања Комунистичке партије Кине)“, https://fb.bg.ac.rs/2021/08/20/naucna-konferencija-kineski-socijalizam-i-moderni-svetski-poredak-sto-godina-od-osnivanja-komunisticke-partije-kine/ , accessed 20.10.2021. Jelica Jovanović is an architect and PhD student at the University of Technology in Vienna, working as an independent researcher. [1] Poverenje u vlast i vakcine – kako su tri države EU ukinule sve mere, https://www.dw.com/sr/poverenje-u-vlast-i-vakcine-kako-su-tri-države-eu-ukinule-sve-mere/a-59229591 , accessed 20.10.2021. [2] Šta se zna o Sinofarmovoj vakcini koja je u milion doza stigla u Srbiju, https://www.danas.rs/drustvo/sta-se-zna-o-sinofarmovoj-vakcini-koja-je-u-milion-doza-stigla-u-srbiju/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [3] Dok Agencija za lekove ćuti, antivakcinaši urlaju, https://www.istinomer.rs/analize/dok-agencija-za-lekove-cuti-antivakcinasi-urlaju/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [4] Serbia to participate in the third phase of testing Chinese vaccine, https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2020/09/08/serbia-to-participate-in-the-third-phase-of-testing-chinese-vaccine/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [5] EMA starts rolling review of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) Inactivated, https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/ema-starts-rolling-review-covid-19-vaccine-vero-cell-inactivated [6] Korona virus: U Srbiji se epidemijska situacija ne smiruje, iz SZO kažu da će pandemije biti i sledeće godine, https://www.bbc.com/serbian/lat/srbija-56839529 ; https://covid19.rs , 21.10.2021. [7] Za Orbana Srbija „predsoblje“ za kinesku vakcinu, sad i Mađari najavili kupovinu, https://rs.n1info.com/vesti/za-orbana-srbija-predsoblje-za-kinesku-vakcinu-i-madjari-najavili-kupovinu/ , Commission: Hungary free to buy Chinese vaccine, https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/commission-hungary-free-to-buy-chinese-vaccine/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [8] Frankfurter algemajne cajtung: „Zdravstveni put svile“, https://www.dw.com/sr/frankfurter-algemajne-cajtung-zdravstveni-put-svile/a-56499471?fbclid=IwAR3lMALuFDKafr9KOQnQD1Fp4ToUj9IgwV4LocR8drucBEX4HTFfs8uNJ34 , accessed 9.2.2021. [9] EU open to Chinese, Russian COVID-19 vaccines: media, https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-02-04/EU-open-to-Chinese-Russian-COVID-19-vaccines-media–XBBI8P1phm/index.html , It’s Time to Trust China’s and Russia’s Vaccines, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/opinion/covid-vaccines-china-russia.html?fbclid=IwAR3Ky2b0h5VW7bOos2lQDgi5-H7wtkKjsTX9i-FnYGIgg_2uUT1Q1vbAONE , Zarobljeni u geopolitici, zagledani u Srbiju, https://www.dw.com/sr/zarobljeni-u-geopolitici-zagledani-u-srbiju/a-56530912?fbclid=IwAR0jsc_c-6hbxt3pllxcksiqhmjI9_li4NsGNTOzh0MY—ZqxijLVddyL0 , accessed 11.2.2021. [10] Serbia to start producing Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, https://www.euractiv.com/section/china/news/serbia-to-start-producing-chinese-sinopharm-vaccine/ ; Počela proizvodnja vakcine ‘Sputnjik V’ u Srbiji, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/sputnjik-v-torlak-srbija/31291004.html ; Lončar: Od oktobra proizvodnja kineske vakcine u Srbiji, do kraja godine oko šest miliona doza, https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/loncar-od-oktobra-proizvodnja-kineske-vakcine-u-srbiji-do-kraja-godine-oko-sest-miliona-doza/ , accessed 21.10.2021. [11] In Dubrovnik (2019), Sofia (2018), Budapest (2017), Riga (2016), Suzhou (2015), Belgrade (2014), Bucharest (2013) and Warsaw (2012). [12] POWER PLAY: RACE FOR CZECH NUCLEAR PLANT STIRS GEOPOLITICAL STEW, https://balkaninsight.com/2020/06/26/power-play-race-for-czech-nuclear-plant-stirs-geopolitical-stew/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [13] “NAJBOLJA PONUDA NA TENDERU” Mediji: Kinezi NE ULAZE u riječku luku zbog PRITISKA Evrope i Amerike, https://www.blic.rs/vesti/svet/najbolja-ponuda-na-tenderu-mediji-kinezi-ne-ulaze-u-rijecku-luku-zbog-pritiska-evrope/seyy0tn , accessed 9.2.2021. [14] Romania moves to bar Chinese firms from public infrastructure projects, https://www.neweurope.eu/article/romania-moves-to-bar-chinese-firms-from-public-infrastructure-projects/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [15] Srbija i Kosovo potpisali sporazum o normalizaciji ekonomskih odnosa, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/kosovo-srbija-hoti-vucic-sjedinjene-drzave-tramp-potpisivanje-bela-kuca/30820416.html , Ko je u Evropi podržao inicijativu za čistu 5g mrežu?, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/čista-mreža-5g-evropa/30913291.html , accessed 9.2.2021. [16] Srbija i Huawei: Intenziviranje saradnje uprkos sporazumu iz Vašingtona, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/srbija-i-huawei-intenziviranje-saradnje-uprkos-sporazumu-iz-vašingtona/30840366.html , accessed 9.2.2021. [17] Poslovi kompanije Huawei u Srbiji, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/30825582.html , accessed 9.2.2021. [18] China and France agree $5bn plan to build Belgrade metro, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u24Py5JKO0&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR31KHyDxDbPhJwjAT3T-rDJ2ObJZwl0P8u0h0hNY757K5x3OiS6_-GQnhQ ; Kineski CRBC dobio posao od 3,2 milijarde evra za otpadne vode, deponije, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/kineski-crbc-dobio-posao-od-32-milijarde-evra-za-otpadne-vode-deponije/#comments , Coal in the Balkans, https://bankwatch.org/project/coal-in-the-balkans#1503303885469-aa188fed-71ee accessed 9.2.2021. [19] https://www.putevi-srbije.rs/index.php/sr/ ; Počev od 2007. godine, Srbija je privukla preko 34 milijarde evra stranih direktnih investicija, https://ras.gov.rs/uspesne-price , accessed 20.10.2021. [20] The first project of the 16+1 inititive in Serbia was the Pupin Bridge in Belgrade, followed by the contract for railroad reconstruction on the Corridor 10. Within the last 3 years Chinese companies have also proceeded to take over the core heavy industries in Serbia, such as steel mill in Smederevo with a branch in Šabac and two ports in Smederevo and copper and gold mines in Bor and Majdanpek, as well as construct a tire factory in Zrenjanin (which is connected to the recent revitalization of the nearby synthetic rubber factory in Elemir, https://ilovezrenjanin.com/vesti-zrenjanin/ponovo-radi-elemirska-kaucukara/ , https://www.hip-petrohemija.com/press/vesti/uspesno-pokrenuta-proizvodnja-u-hip-petrohemiji.n-623.45.html , accessed 9.2.2021.). [21] https://www.bankofchina.com/rs/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [22] https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/podrška-eu-modernizaciji-pruga-u-srbiji/30801551.html , accessed 9.2.2021. [23] EU “čula” Dritana: Nudi pomoć Crnoj Gori oko duga Kini, https://www.bizlife.rs/eu-cula-dritana-nudi-pomoc-crnoj-gori-oko-duga-kini/ ; Crna Gora: Autoputem u dužničku klopku Kine, https://www.dw.com/sr/crna-gora-autoputem-u-dužničku-klopku-kine/a-55936310 ; Srbijablizu dogovora sa Kinom da otkupi crnogorski dug za auto-put?, https://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/srbija.php?yyyy=2020&mm=09&dd=21&nav_id=1736205 ; Raste kineski uticaj u Crnoj Gori: Ogrlica od bisera i omča od dugova, https://www.vijesti.me/vijesti/ekonomija/524949/raste-kineski-uticaj-u-crnoj-gori-ogrlica-od-bisera-i-omca-od-dugova , accessed31.3.2021. [24] EPS: Elektrane konzervirati i držati u rezervi, https://novaekonomija.rs/vesti-iz-zemlje/eps-elektrane-konzervirati-i-držati-u-rezervi , 21.10.2021. [25] Eco-imperialism: the global relocation of pollution, https://amplitudemagazin.com/eko-imperijalizam-globalno-izmestanje-zagadjenja/ , accessed 9.2.2021. [26] Merkel: i Nemačka zainteresovana za litijum u Srbiji, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/merkel-i-nemacka-zainteresovana-za-litijum-u-srbiji/ , Akademik Stevanović, SANU: nepovratne posledice u slučaju izgradnje rudnika litijuma, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/akademik-stevanovic-sanu-nepovratne-posledice-u-slucaju-izgradnje-rudnika-litijuma/ , accessed 21.10.2021. [27] Iz ličnog iskustva – Šta vas sve čeka ako u Srbiji želite da postanete prozjumer?, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/iz-licnog-iskustva-sta-vas-sve-ceka-ako-u-srbiji-zelite-da-postanete-prozjumer/ ; U Srbiji sve lakše korišćenje solarne energije – šta treba daznate ukoliko želite da sami proizvodite struju?, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/u-srbiji-sve-lakse-koriscenje-solarne-energije-sta-treba-da-znate-ukoliko-zelite-da-sami-proizvodite-struju/ , Srbija usvojila uredbu o prozjumerima: u tri koraka do struje iz solarnihpanela, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/rs/srbija-usvojila-uredbu-o-prozjumerima-u-tri-koraka-do-struje-iz-solarnih-panela/ , accessed 21.10.2021. [28] Vučić: Pravićemo najuspešniju fabriku za litijum baterije, https://biznis.telegraf.rs/info-biz/3274005-vucic-pravicemo-najuspesniju-fabriku-za-litijum-baterije ; Vučić Rio Tintu: Pazićemo na ekologiju, uz rudnik da bude i fabrika za baterije, https://biznis.telegraf.rs/info-biz/3345675-vucic-rio-tintu-pazicemo-na-ekologiju-uz-rudnik-da-bude-i-fabrika-za-baterije , “NEMAMO MORE, ALI IMAMO JADARIT” Vučić: Imaćemo najveću fabriku baterija za električna vozila, https://www.blic.rs/biznis/nemamo-more-ali-imamo-jadarit-vucic-imacemo-najvecu-fabriku-baterija-za-elektricna/bwvjh4q , Vučićeve fabrike baterija i automobila – velelepne i neostvarive, https://www.danas.rs/vesti/ekonomija/vuciceve-fabrike-baterija-i-automobila-velelepne-i-neostvarive/ , accessed 19.10.2021. Previous Next

About educational program Introduction of program 2018-2022 Program Participant Activities Tonight we invite you to encounter a collective archive of the 2022 What could/should curating do educational programme, which took place in Belgrade and other locations around the Post-Yugoslav region, between September and December this year. The departure point for this archive is a proposal by Biljana Ćirić, program curator and facilitator, to consider the means by which the discussions, events, inquiries and relationships developed during this time might be recorded or documented. Archiving is never neutral. Determinations are always made—by individuals, by collectives, by collecting institutions—about what knowledge is worth saving, the means by which knowledge is indexed, housed and cared for, who has access and on what terms. Within the framework of an alternative educational platform—with a loose and evolving curriculum, and no formalised method of assessment or grading—this exercise presents an opportunity to consider what alternative measures we might allow ourselves for the production of knowledge when freed from institutional modes of transmission and circulation. As such, these archives—both individually and collectively—do not simply record a series of shared (and at times differing) experiences. They include questions around how the embodied, linguistic, political, intimate, relational nature of experience and remembering, ranging in scope from the personal, to the national. Each contribution is informed by the “baggage” we carried with us, as a group of individuals from many different geographic and cultural contexts, many of whom had little relationship with Belgrade, Serbia or the Balkan region prior to this course. This “baggage” includes our different relationships to contemporary art’s infrastructures; our different fields of knowledge and networks of relationships; cultural and linguistic differences; differing relations to histories of colonialism, resource extraction and capitalist exploitation; and varying habits of thought, modes of making, inhabiting and formulating questions about the world. Through differing strategies of presentation and circulation, we hope to open up questions about what we have in common, as well as what separates us; what of ourselves is dispersed, and what is withheld. But the physical “archive” we share with you tonight is only a part of a wider set of relationships, experiences, idea exchanges, occasional encounters, gossip and experimenting. Tonight we celebrate the beauty and fragility of these moments. Be our guests at the two tables. Read silently. Read aloud. Whisper. Describe what you see. Share what you feel. Eat. Drink. Embrace. This archive is staged as something living, developing and transformational, ever evolving as our moments with you. Thank you for sharing this journey with us. We hope it’s not the end, but only a stop on the way. WC/SCD 2022 Adelina, Anastasia, Ginevra, Giuglia, Jelena, Karly, Lera, Sabine, Simon < Educational Program Participants >

< Back Announcement: Ash Moniz’s Research on Cartographies of Solidarity is selected for Maritime Portal Residency in 2021 24 Mar 2021 Announcement: Ash Moniz’s Research on Cartographies of Solidarity is selected for Maritime Portal Residency in 2021 All the Way South x As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future Before the navigational expansion of European pilgrims and commerce in 16th century, maritime exchange of labor, goods and finances, movement of peoples and cultures had flourished along ancient port regions of the south, and have continued to shape contemporary agendas ranging from geopolitical relations, environment and climate change, international trade, to migration policies and forced displacement, food security, and global co-immunity. Yet models, cartographies and vocabularies available for reading these intersectional trajectories are largely oriented around the metropole-periphery coordinates and economic criteria. Indigenous relations of subjects, objects and places, and local schemes of cultural cosmopolitanism, are either erased or written into top-down registrations of colonial mindset, imperial struggles and competitiveness of nation states. In order to foster a knowledge field that intervenes within the conundrum of globalization, and to pursue connectivity across oceans and borders, we are pleased to announce that Ash Moniz, a Cairo based multi-disciplinary artist, and his research proposal on logistics workers’ transnational solidarity networks have been selected for the Maritime Portal Residency in 2021 . The MPR is a collaborative initiative of All the Way South x As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future . It bridges many understandings of the south that only overlap partially with the geographical South and engages the histories and realities emerged from long lines of maritime mapping and entanglement. The selection is collectively made by the partner cells of As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future . We have received over 40 applications from artists and researchers working in diverse contexts. Please be noted that we won’t be able to notify every applicant by email, and we hope to continue our conversations with those who share our commitment to facilitating undisciplined practice and decentralized network in relation to the epistemologies of south. Research Statement by Ash Moniz “As the extraterritoriality of logistics carves out geographies of supply chain infrastructure, it also molds the spatial constellations of logistics workers’ solidarity networks. In my research, I have found that workers at many ports each have their own unique port allies who organize in correspondence with their struggles (eg. between Sokhna and Mumbai, or Istanbul and Rio De Janeiro). The nuances of historical reasoning behind these nodes often show cartographies of solidarity that expand beyond geographical or corporate proximity. I would like to contribute to the Maritime Portal residency by experimenting with different cartographical possibilities for representing geographies of solidarity, and how directionalities of social relations interweave with those of cargo. I am building off of an ongoing independent archive that compiles materials from dockers’ strikes internationally, that I have collected over the years. This also includes materials from research on container ships and in ports (Singapore, Sokhna, Port Said, Beirut, Tripoli, Athens, Istanbul, etc.), and shared video-archives from transport workers unions, etc. I am interested in the modes of literacy that dictate inventories of supply, and the forms of representational leverage that shape logistical negotiations. In investigating how tacticality takes form, my work situates the temporal loss of supply-chain interruption within both logistical time and historical time, mapping the lost possibilities of past struggles.” Hijacking Hindsight (2020) [Still] In the Anticipation of a Future Need to Know (2017) [still] Silent Glass (2020) [still] Ash Moniz Ash Moniz is a Cairo based multi-disciplinary artist whose practice spans performance, installation, video and film. Along with a BA from OCAD University (Toronto), Moniz has participated in independent study programs such as Raw Academy (Dakar, Senegal), the Harun Farocki Institute (Berlin, Germany) and Mass Alexandria (Alexandria, Egypt). Moniz’s exhibitions include solo shows at Townhouse Gallery (Cairo), Sishang Museum (Beijing), and HMFF (Nanjing); and group shows at Forum Expanded | Berlinale (Berlin), the Dakar Biennale (Dakar), and the Minsheng Museum (Shanghai) [among others]. They currently write art criticism for the Egyptian online-magazine Mada Masr, and have taught at the Cairo Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences. Their written works have also been published in peer review journals, such as Thresholds at MIT. Moniz was a member of the artist collective ADL from 2014-2018, and were the assistant curator of the AMNUA Museum in Nanjing, China, in 2014/15. They are currently a part of the artist collective Utterance Lab, in Cairo. All the Way South x As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future All the Way South is an exchange network of research, residency and commission initiated by Times Museum. It is a relational response to the diverse processes of southernization and to the historical resonances between southern China and the Souths of the world. We collaborate with cultural makers and institutions to create new geographical trajectories around diasporic memories and experiences, and bridge artist observations of our transregional society with archival and academic practice. We prioritize initiatives that unfold overtime and cross disciplines, and provide funding and resources for the ones that are marginalized by the market. As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future is a long-term project and research inquiry that reflects on the Belt and Road Initiative and how it will alter the aesthetics and practices of everyday life in different local contexts. The project was conceived and initiated by Biljana Ciric in 2019 after conducting curatorial research in East Africa, Central Asia, and several Balkan countries. The inquiry is structured as a long-term research project over a period of three years through research cells of organizations, institutions and individuals: What Could Should Curating Do (Belgrade), Moderna Galerija (Ljubljana), Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai), Guangdong Times Museum (Guangzhou), ArtCom (Astana), Robel Temesgen and Sinkneh Eshetu (Addis Ababa), and The Public Library (Bor). Please refer to http://old.wcscd.com/index.php/2020/01/07/as-you-go-the-roads-under-your-feet-towards-a-new-future/ Previous Next

< Back Stories from the Room in Addis Ababa 28 June 2021 As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future together with Curtain project by Rockbund Art Museum and Contemporary nights Addis Ababa presents Stories from the Room in Addis Ababa June 2021 - ongoing As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future in collaboration with Rockbund Art Museum Curtain project and Addis Ababa based collective, Contemporary Nights presents you a call for participation of Stories from the Room , a public project by artist Jasphy Zheng. Stories from the Room is a participatory long-term project that collects personal writings about the shared experience of living through this “new normal” and builds a growing archive that could be reproduced in different localities. Unconstrained in terms of its language, form or geographic location, submissions are welcomed from all across the world. Contributing to the construction of a collective “sculptural monument”, every submission we receive will be periodically organized into a living archive and find ways of going public with it. Stories from the Room was first realized as a response to the isolation felt during the outbreak of the pandemic. Presented at the institution CCA Kitakyushu, Japan, as a solo exhibition of Zheng that closed and reopened repeatedly due to the lockdown, this gesture to create a sculptural monumental within this period was envisaged as a bridge to go beyond the concepts of closure and exclusion, exploring the capacities of participants to transcend these barriers through the imagination. Invited by curator and founder of WCSCD Biljana Ciric and Larys Frogier, the director of Rockbund Art Museum in participating in the long-term research project As you go… roads under your feet towards the new future and as part of the CURTAIN project, Stories from the Room can be considered by participants as a conduit for different voices to convene anonymously, to share, transcend, vent, extend, activate, emphasize, release, express, disrupt, contemplate, and reflect on changes and new processes that influence our collective life and experiences during this unpredictable period. In collaboration with As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future Stories from the Room are implemented across different local contexts that project is situated working with local institutional partners and peers Kashakstan in collaboration with Artcom platform, in Ethiopia is collaboration with Contemporary Nights and Public Library Bor in Serbia. Special presentation has been developed in collaboration with TarraWarra Museum of Art in Melbourne during strictest lockdown imposed ever in the city’s history. Zheng states: “Through this long-term project, I am rethinking the gap between on and offline worlds as a new territory that defines, questions, and challenges the distance between sociality and solidarity at a time like this. Through a collective act, this project simulates a physical gathering of text by collecting paralleled realities from participants and displaying them in a public space. We nourish outpouring to oneself in the form of a community regardless of distance.” Addis Ababa version of the project has been developed in close collaboration with Jasphy Zheng，Biljana Ciric，Sarah Bushra and Contemporary Nights developing set of strategies that could relate within local context. To encourage people from all walks of life to participate in this project, we’re setting up writing stations in 6 selected locations across Addis Abeba. Considering the long-standing culture of coffee drinking in the city, we’re thinking of Cafes and street coffee vendors as depository of physical letters from people who go there to drink coffee and spend some time. We invite people to submit their stories using the language of their heart. The station includes a poster with details about the project, paper cut-outs with prompts for writing a letter, two volunteers who encourage people to participate as well as record voice submissions when writing is not accessible, and a box at location to collect the submitted letters. The selected locations are: Burtukan’s Coffee (ኑ ቡና ጠጡ), Alem Buna, Lime Tree (Kazanches), Entewawek Coffee, Qawa Coffee, and Tomoca Coffee (Piassa Haron Building). These location is indicated in this map Submissions are also open through email. Send your writing to jasphy.opencall@gmail.com . Ensure your submission includes a name, location, and date. You can write about your days, thoughts or feelings, at any length and in any language you prefer. Together we are inviting you to visit these spaces and participate in creating a monument to our time with your stories. About the Artist Living between the US and China, Jasphy Zheng is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice most recently explores the inevitable failure of communication, both on an interpersonal and collective level. Using social installations, unannounced performances, sculptural objects, and artist’s books, Zheng constructs situations as public interventions that aim to raise awareness of our social and cultural environment, both in and out of the context of contemporary art. Zheng graduated with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. About As You Go… the roads under your feet, towards the new future As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future is a long-term project and research inquiry that reflects on the Belt and Road Initiative and how it will alter the aesthetics and practices of everyday life in different local contexts. The project was conceived and initiated by Biljana Ciric in 2019 after conducting curatorial research in East Africa, Central Asia, and several Balkan countries where project is situated. This long-term research project is structured through research cells of organizations, institutions and individuals that Rockbund Art Museum is part of. Other partner cells are What Could Should Curating Do (Belgrade), Moderna Galerija (Ljubljana), Times Museum (Guangzhou), Artcom (Astana), Robel Temesgen and Sinkneh Eshetu (Addis Ababa), and The Public Library (Bor). The first stage of the project has been supported by the Foundation for Arts Initiatives, CURTAIN (Rockbund Art Museum), Austrian Cultural Forum, Curatorial Practice (Monash University Art, Design and Architecture), and the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. As you go . . . the roads under your feet, towards a new future About Rockbund Art Museum and Curtain project Stories from the Room is developed in collaboration with Rockbund Art Museum Curtain project. Inaugurated in 2010, Rockbund Art Museum is a contemporary art museum located on the Bund in Shanghai. With a strong reputation for our innovative curatorial approach, we look to conceive different art projects from research to alternative learning programs, from exhibition-making to unexpected para-performative formats. By supporting bold contemporary art practices, we aim to continually remake local histories, whilst also responding to global art challenges and social mutations. We regard the role of exchange as an essential process required for a wider transformation to occur by building up a network of multi-regional, international and cross-disciplinary partnerships. Through this process, we aim to cultivate a diverse and deep-rooted connection to our audiences, communities, and also different social and cultural organizations. More on www.rockbundartmuseum.org As you go… the roads under your feet, towards a new future collaborates with Rockbund Art Museum through Curtain project initiated by museum director Larys Frogier and number of collaborators Mathieu Copeland, Biljana Ciric, Cosmin Costinas, Hsieh Feng-Rong, Billy Tang. Initiated in 2020, CURTAIN is a long term research project, which will be articulated through a series of exhibition formats, discursive platforms and cross-institutional collaborations spanning a three-year period. Seeking to go beyond the fixed definition of an exhibition, the project looks to expand the dialogue with artists through the gathering of critical thinkers and practitioners from other social and cultural fields. About Contemporary Nights Contemporary Nights is a curatorial forum directing, showcasing, and documenting post-disciplinary artistic productions. CN# mediates collaborations and collective processes to forge meaningful connections among art practitioners in Addis Ababa and beyond towards nurturing a sustainable ecosystem and reimagining a radical collective future. CN# generates spaces for experimentation and facilitates research based and process-driven praxis to redefine existing boundaries. Previous Next

Mentors Mentors Lecture Series Participant Activities Mentors Mentors of WCSCD program so far included: < Mentors Educational Program Menu >

< Back As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future publication 1/10 Edited by Biljana Ciric Sound by Ocean&Wavz Design by Toby Tam Contributors: Sinkneh Eshetu ( O’Tam Pulto), Nikita Yingqian Cai, Dragan Stojmenovic, Robel Temesgen, Robert Bobnic, Kaja Kraner, Zdenka Badovinac, Jelica Jovanovic, Larys Frogier, Aigerim Kapar, Ocean & Wavz, Chen Liang, Salem Mekuria Aziza Abdulfetah Busser, Manuel Borja-Villel, Mabel Tapia, Tara Mcdowell, Marija Glavas, Alexey Ulko, Fayen d’Evie, Jasphy Zheng, Enanye Kibret, Gebeyehu Desalew, Ash Moniz, Susie Quillinan and Biljana Ciric Published by Rockbund Art Museum and Mousse publishing As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future publication is not only a book as an object, but it is fundamentally an act of speaking out different forms of in/visibility in order to escape dominant geopolitical divisions, permanent surveillance, as well as an invincible desire to build up alternative social bonds with autonomous people who are able to protect their integrity as individuals and societies, to nurture the circulation of ideas and to value free and unexpected paths beyond frontiers and oppressions. Or how to stretch a book to moments of encounter, vibration, silence, connection, shout, question, resonance, doubt, research, echoing three challenging years of political violence, local and global lockdowns, mutation of private lives, expression of pain and anger, construction of hope? Larys Frogier As you go…roads under your feet towards the new future book is an archive of relationships, the lives of us partner cells in the past two years, the collective effort of the research undertaken, but also our process of learning with others about how to work more horizontally and on what terms within inquiry. Through this book we also offer modest tools, exercises and methodologies that we practiced trying to stay connected while isolated. The book opens with statements by all the partner cells on our collaboration and personal reflections. The statements are followed by a set of workshops that we undertook with the guidance of Fayen d’Evie, in which we mapped our time and struggles as well as collective writing exercises. Research case studies from local contexts conducted over the past two years are also presented in the book, including conversations with colleagues and peers with whom we learnt how to work together differently. With political changes accelerated by the pandemic in many local contexts where we work, our inquiry became even more relevant to think together about how to work, how to continue to be critical but also how to keep each other safe and create co-immunity. For us, opacity became a more important tool than visibility, as did its use as an active choice. As we shared more time together, we shared common struggles. Many of the encounters we held during these two years were opaque. This book serves as a visible archive of some of the moments. Within As you go…. inquiry, English is the language that we communicate with, although individually the cell members speak Serbian, Chinese-Mandarin, Russian, Kazakh, Amharic, French, Slovenian and Cantonese. Some of us struggle with jargon, some of us don’t understand others’ silences. Spending time together we understood importance of sounding that infiltrates throughout our English so the book also contains sound components of our voices as cell. Sound is further conceptualized and treated by Ocean and Wavz. As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future is initiated and conceived by Biljana Ciric. The inquiry and research cells include What Could Should Curating Do (Belgrade), Zdenka Badovinac (Ljubljana), Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai), Guangdong Times Museum (Guangzhou), ArtCom (Astana), Robel Temesgen and Sinkneh Eshetu (Addis Ababa), and The Bor Public Library. The inquiry gained support from Foundation for Arts Initiatives ( FFAI), CURTAIN (Rockbund Art Museum), Austrian Cultural Forum, Curatorial Practice (Monash University Art, Design and Architecture), and the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and Office for Contemporary Art, Norway. to order the book pls contact us via email or Mousse Publishing

< Back Bishkek – Addis Ababa, notes from the journey through space and time Addis Ababa 28 May 2020 Gulnara Kasmalieva & Muratbek Djumaliev Our trip to Ethiopia for a partner institutions meeting happened at the beginning of February 2020, at the time when coronavirus began to spread globally. It added some extreme flavour to our trip, but we did not expect that a real extreme for us would begin upon arrival to Addis Ababa airport when the border guards refused to grant us a tourist visa. After a long negotiation with officers, we realized that it was our fault. We were not careful in our research of internet sources, which were pointing out that citizens of Post Soviet countries are granted tourist visas upon arrival at the airport. Actually, we’ve missed important information: only Russians are allowed to obtain a visa upon arrival, and the rest of all Post Soviet countries were excluded from this list, for unknown reasons. Finally, we were recommended to apply for an online visa despite official information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia that the visa takes three days to be made. But we were so exhausted by the 24 hours trip and endless negotiations that we were ready to be stuck in the airport to wait for our visas, just like Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), the protagonist in The Terminal movie. Having had a hard time finding Internet access in the lounge, we applied for an online visa at night, taking urgent photos of each other and passport copies on our smartphones and fell asleep immediately in the lounge… We were awakened by a crowd of tourists arriving with early morning flights. Hopeless, we decided to check the status of our online visa applications, and, thank God – found the visa approval notice! The operation took just several hours! We passed passport control in a half an hour without any problems and were at the hotel by 9 in the morning, where we happily met Biljana Ciric, curator of the project As you go… This case made us think about how despite globalization and multiple similarities of contexts, cultural ties between Africa and Central Asia are almost invisible today. Our knowledge about Ethiopia, fragmented and partly based on African diary written by Russian poet Nikolay Gumilev in 1913, and our memory of 1970-80s when African military pilots, and Ethiopians amongst them, walked down the streets of Frunze [1] . We knew they were from a pilot school in a suburb of the Capital of Kyrgyz Republic. News on Soviet TV usually began with a story about official delegations from different countries, and it was often about the visits of African leaders. The words “friendship and collaboration”, “countries of non- alignment movement” [2] , “dear comrade Mengistu Haile Mariam” [3] , “brotherly support”, were part of a routine discourse on the three Soviet TV channels. Later, during our study in Soviet art academies in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, we met African students and gained some knowledge about the real situation in Ethiopia at that time. The collapse of Socialist Bloc [4] dramatically affected our histories, breaking already thin connections between our realities. The term “The Third World” became our commonality in one day. This somehow explains the absence of visible connections between Africa and Central Asia today: South-South traces are no more relevant in capitalism. Limited intersections between these parts of the World raised a certain amount of ignorance and clichés. During our preliminary online research on Ethiopia in particular, there were many recommendations on the health situation there. These included the requirement of quite expensive yellow fever vaccination, strict hygiene on arrival and use of purchased drinking water only. The justification of this kind of “Western” attitude towards the local context is a common occurrence in our economics and culture. Our visit to the National Museum of Ethiopia raised controversial emotions of awareness of a unique place, and example of modernist architecture. At the same time, it made us dive into dark thoughts about the similarities of poor conditions of museums in both of our countries. Neither the famous Luci [5] , the proof of cradle of mankind in Africa in the collection of the museum in Addis Ababa, nor Golden Collection in State Historical Museum in Bishkek [6] , the former Museum of Lenin, recently renovated but constantly postponed to open due to corruption scandals, could not hide a real sad situation with the official cultural policy in Ethiopia and Kyrgyzstan. National Museum of Ethiopia “Luci” Mifte Zeleke, who is in charge, as a director and curator, of Guramayne Art Centre, became a guide during our four days in Addis. Guramayne is a typical space familiar to our art scene. There are several institutions of this type in Bishkek and one of them is our organization, ArtEast. It is grass rooted, low budget, co-working, exhibition space and art studios. Guramayne is located in a two-floor house made of volcanic stones and a mixture of mud and straw – our favourite ancient construction technology spread over huge territories of Africa and Asia. Our group, together with Biljana Ciric, initiator of the partner institution meeting in Addis Ababa, and Zdenka Badovinac, director of the Moderna galerija in Ljubljana, was introduced to artists in an art residency at Guramayne Art Centre. We were completely impressed by the art that we have seen there, especially by the work of Tamrat Gezahegne. Guramayne Art Centre Studio of Tamrat Gezahegne The Guramayne Centre became our space for discussions about visions of the project As you go… , about contexts of Balkans, Ethiopia, Central Asia and China. During the meeting, participants defined our main commonalities like the socialist legacy, non-alignment movement, new geopolitical settings, agents of our own culture. Days were busy with doing interviews, screenings of videos and partner’s presentations. As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future project and partner presentation, Guramayne Art Centre Performance by remarkable Ethiopian artist Robel Temesgen. There was some time to visit an exhibition of contemporary art in Modern Art Museum of Gebre Kristos Desta Center [7] named after Ethiopian modernist artist educated in Germany and University in the former Palace of Haile Selassie [8] . Top: Modern Art Museum Bottom: Guenete Leul Palace Visiting the Art Academy in Addis Ababa reminded us of official art education in Kyrgyzstan, based on a mixture of western modernist style and “socialist realism” remained since Soviet time. This kind of education is typical for most Post-Soviet territory, except Baltic countries. During the last 30 years, art education in Kyrgyzstan still does not accept contemporary art and western post-war version of art history. Addis Ababa Art Academy On the way to the next meeting, we managed to find a time to visit a local bazaar, taste the national dish “injera” [9] and, of course, famous Ethiopian coffee! Local Bazaar In the late evening, we visited Fendika Cultural Center [10] . It is a combination of a jazz club, exhibition space and a pub, with the high quality of music and visual art. We went there twice: the first time with our group, to listen to jazz, and the second time with Mifte Zeleke, just to look at the process of exhibition installation. We had a chance to be at the preview of Surafel Amare panting solo show. The entrance of Fendika Cultural Center Exhibition settings During our conversation with Mifte, he mentioned that Guramayne Art Centre will most probably be demolished, due to its positioning on the riverside, one of the areas that are a part of the new controversial plan initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed [11] . Officially called Beautifying Sheger [12] , the project runs along the rivers Entoto and Akaki, developing 56km of green spaces. The project aims to clean up these rivers, make the city a model of green development in the process, construct concrete walls, bridges and plant regular parks with a new infrastructure. But it is still far from the real sustainable development of the city infrastructure, due to many reasons. One of them is a critical situation with the pollution of the river and seasonal difference of the flow. Another big concern is ignorance of the voice of inhabitants of the riverside. Riverside development area next to the Guramayne Art Centre Our group saw the construction of the riverside during the long walk from the National Museum with Helen Zeru, an impressive young performance artist. An endless green iron fence along the road interrupted by the standard white plate of China Aid [13] . 12km section of the 56km project, as the first phase of the project, will be built by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) [14] with a grant secured from the Chinese Government. Riverside construction area Other ambitious plans to erect the highest skyscraper in Africa, invested and developed by China Jiangxi Corporation [15] for International Economic and Technical Cooperation [16] . This situation is now typical for Kyrgyzstan too. The building of the roads in our country is also mainly invested in, and implemented by Chinese companies. This often does not follow basic ecological terms. For instance, Bishkek city administration has cut down thousands of trees just to enlarge city roads, without notification or discussion with the public. Ironically, by the warning of urban activists, it would not solve the problem of traffic jams. By statistics, enlarging roads would only increase the number of cars in the city. Besides, trees that have been planted in the city over the last century solved the problems of semi-desert climate and protected against city pollution. This movement of planting trees in Bishkek began at the end of the 19th century, during the colonization of Central Asia by the Russian empire. It was obligatory for every citizen of the town to plant and take care of 25 trees nearby its house. Regular planning of the county town, including parks and the irrigation system, was established in the late 19th and early 20th century. This process continued in Soviet time by building new parks and botanical gardens. The more careful and thoughtful case of development of the riverside is the project of Zoma museum. It is a private project and it looks like a very well organized oasis in a quite chaotic life and landscape of Addis Ababa. Zoma Museum The owners of the museum, curator Meskerem Asseguedand artist Elias Sime completely changed the landscape of polluted riverside: they took out tons of waste from the ground and brought new soil to plant a garden. They followed principles of permaculture [17] , our favourite philosophy of working with nature. Thoughtfully organized irrigation canals, planted bushes, herbs, vegetables and fruits trees, buildings including a gallery, café, library, museum shop, a school for children, amphitheatre and cowshed are parts of the ecosystem. The style of the buildings is based on vernacular architecture, the surface made of mud and straw in a very capricious manner. Together with landscape design, all have some special charm. Zoma Museum Partners meeting in Zoma Museum library with Sarah Bushra and Sinkneh Eshetu We had our last group meeting in a cosy library with Sinkneh Eshetu, the remarkable Ethiopian writer and Sarah Bushra, a multi-disciplinary artist and writer. Having had lunch in the Museum’s cafe, it was possible to order tee with fresh Lemon Verbena directly cut from the garden – a combination of tropical and mountainous climate in Addis Ababa allowed growing multip plants almost all year round. Our last days were surprisingly spiced up with Bekele Mekonnen and Eshetu Tiruneh Feleke, two Ethiopian peers from Surikov art academy [18] in the 1980s. Both of them succeeded in art but in different directions. One of them is a successful sculptor and performance artist; another one is a former employee of the Ministry of Culture and currently dedicated director of Enlightenment Art Academy. The meeting was emotional, nostalgic and thoughtful. It was like a real journey through space and time. Interviews with Bekele and Eshetu allowed us to learn more about the post-socialist history of Ethiopia, about their challenges and desires. In Bekele Mekonnen studio Visiting Eshetu Tiruneh Feleke Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev are artists and curators from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. [1] Frunze is a former name of Bishkek during the Soviet period and the capital of Kyrgyz Republic. [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Aligned_Movement [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengistu_Haile_Mariam [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bloc [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_(Australopithecus) [6] https://24.kg/english/80929_Opening_of_Historical_Museum_in_Bishkek_repeatedly_postponed_/ [7] http://www.gebrekristosdestacenter.org/ [8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Palace_(Ethiopia) [9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injera [10] https://fendika.org/about [11] https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/03/12/addis-ababa-riverside-project-gives-priority-development-resident [12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautifying_Sheger [13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Aid [14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Communications_Construction [15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiangxi_International [16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Shandong_International_Economic_%26_Technical_Cooperation_Group [17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture [18] http://www.china.org.cn/top10/2014-02/07/content_31394806_3.htm Previous Next

Events Lecture Series Participant Activities Lumbung | WCSCD 2020/21 Annual Lecture Series The curatorial program What Could/Should Curating Do is proud to be continued in 2021 with public program through lecture series The seventh talk in the 2020/21 series is titled: Lumbung by farid rakun Date: March 16, 2021 Time: 12:00 pm Belgrade / 10:00 pm Melbourne / 07:00 pm Shanghai / 6:00 am New York Venue: zoom link Meeting ID: 985 237 3109 Live stream/Facebook link ruangrupa, photo Gudskul/Jin Panji ruangrupa , a Jakarta-based artists’ collective, is in the middle of launching lumbung—a planetary network initiated to put particular values into practice, such as sharing, humour, generosity, independence and locally-anchored, to name a few. This process is also largely made possible by the collective’s mandate as the artistic directors of documenta fifteen (Kassel, DE, 2022), for which ruangrupa’s approach can be considered as finding ways to exercise our way of institutional practice—as opposed to mere critique. This session is a relaxed one (as much as a platform like Zoom would allow) where (at least) a member of ruangrupa, farid rakun , will be present and explain more about the processes described above. Hopefully, you will not only be able and interested to attend, but also take something out of the session and realised the possibility of practicing those very values in your own ways under your particular conditions afterwards. farid rakun, photo Gudskul/Jin Panji About Speaker Trained as an architect (B.Arch from Universitas Indonesia and M.Arch from Cranbrook Academy of Art), farid rakun wears different hats, dependent on who is asking. A visiting lecturer in the Architecture Department of Universitas Indonesia, he is also a part of the artists’ collective ruangrupa, with whom he co-curated TRANSaction: Sonsbeek 2016 in Arnhem, NL. As an instigator, he has permeated various global institutions such as Centre Pompidou, La Biennale di Venezia, MMCA Seoul, Sharjah Biennial, Bienal de Sao Paulo, Harun Farocki Institut, Dutch Art Institute (DAI), Creative Time, Haute école d’art et de design (HEAD) Genève, and basis voor actuele kunst (BAK). He has worked for Jakarta Biennale in different capacities since 2013 and currently serves as its advisor. ruangrupa is a Jakarta-based collective established in 2000. It is a non-profit organization that strives to support the idea of art within urban and cultural context by involving artists and other disciplines such as social sciences, politics, technology, media, etc, to give critical observation and views towards Indonesian urban contemporary issues. ruangrupa also produce collaborative works in the form of art projects such as exhibition, festival, art lab, workshop, research, as well as book, magazine and online-journal publication. As an artists’ collective, ruangrupa has been involved in many collaborative and exchange projects, including participating in big exhibitions such as Gwangju Biennale (2002 & 2018), Istanbul Biennial (2005), Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (Brisbane, 2012), Singapore Biennale (2011), São Paulo Biennial (2014), Aichi Triennale (Nagoya, 2016) and Cosmopolis at Centre Pompidou (Paris, 2017). In 2016, ruangrupa curated TRANSaction: Sonsbeek 2016 in Arnhem, NL. From 2015-18, ruangrupa co-developed a cultural platform Gudang Sarinah Ekosistem together with several artists’ collectives in Jakarta, located at Gudang Sarinah warehouse, Pancoran, South Jakarta. It is a cross-disciplinary space that aims to maintain, cultivate and establish an integrated support system for creative talents, diverse communities, and various institutions. It also aspires to be able to make connections and collaborate, to share knowledge and ideas, as well as to encourage critical thinking, creativity, and innovations. The results of these joint collaborations are open for public access—and presented with various exhibitions, festivals, workshops, discussions, film screenings, music concerts, and publications of journals. In 2018, learning from their experience establishing Gudang Sarinah Ekosistem and together with Serrum and Grafis Huru Hara, ruangrupa co-initiated GUDSKUL: contemporary art collective and ecosystem studies (or Gudskul, in short, pronounced similarly like “good school” in English). It is a public learning space established to practice an expanded understanding of collective values, such as equality, sharing, solidarity, friendship and togetherness. WHAT COULD/SHOULD CURATING DO? (WCSCD) WHAT COULD/SHOULD CURATING DO? (WCSCD) was initiated and funded in 2018 in Belgrade as an educational platform around notions of curatorial. From 2020 WCSCD started to initiate its own curatorial inquiries and projects that should unpack above -mentioned complexities keeping educational component as a core to the WCSCD. The WCSCD curatorial program and series of public lectures have been initiated and organized by Biljana Ciric. WCSCD 2020/2021 public program series has been done in collaboration with Division of Arts and Humanities, Duke Kunshan University and they co-stream all public lectures. Strategic media collaboration is done with Seecult and they will co-host all public lecture series. Project Partners Media Partner For more information about the program, please refer to www.wcscd.com Project contacts: what.could.curating.do@gmail.com Follow us: FB: @whatcscdo Instagram: @whatcouldshouldcuratingdo < Mentors Educational Program How to Apply >

Bor Encounters As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future September 15th –September 19th 2022 Press statement from Dragan Stojmenovic, librarian, Bor Public Library, partner cell of the inquiry Sharing Session: As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future Speakers: Biljana Ciric (interdependent curate), Sinkneh Eshetu (writer), Yabebal Fantasy (astrophysicist and data scientist), Robel Temesgen (artist), Jasphy Zheng (artist). Moderator: Zheng Peihan (Interim Education Manager of Rockbund Art Museum) Stories from the Room in Addis Ababa As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future in collaboration with Rockbund Art Museum Curtain project and Addis Ababa based collective, Contemporary Nights presents you a call for participation of Stories from the Room, a public project by artist Jasphy Zheng. Astrobus Ethiopia 2021 | Omo Valley Southwest Ethiopia We invite you to join us on our journey of learning and unlearning that has already been underway for the past year with Astrobus-Ethiopia through the curatorial inquiry of As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future. A conversation between Yabebal Fantaye, founder of Astrobus, and Biljana Ciric on the initiative. Support mask making for Ethiopia Robel Temesgen one of the participants of the project with his friends initiated mask making for communities that can’t afford it. Open Call for Maritime Portal Residency A collaborative initiative of All the Way South x As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future. It bridges many understandings of the south that only overlap partially with the geographical South and engages the histories and realities emerged from long lines of maritime mapping and entanglement. Announcement: Ash Moniz's Research on Cartographies of Solidarity is Selected for Maritime Portal Residency in 2021 The MPR is a collaborative initiative of All the Way South x As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future. It bridges many understandings of the south that only overlap partially with the geographical South and engages the histories and realities emerged from long lines of maritime mapping and entanglement. As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future | Symposium Dates: March 22nd to 31st 2021 | Time: 11am Ljubljana time / 9pm Melbourne time / Addis Ababa 1pm / Shanghai, Guangzhou 6pm / Astana 4pm Livestream via WCSCD / Moderna Galerija / Artcom Platform / Rockbund Art Museum / Facebook / Youtube As you go… roads under your feet, towards the new future | Film Program Symposium presenters: What Could Should Curating Do and Moderna galerija , Ljubljana, Slovenia Duration: 22 – 31 March 2021 Приче између зидова у Народној библиотеци Бор Новембар 2020 – Шта би кустосирање могло/требало да буде (What Could/ Should Curating Do – WC/SCD), кроз пројекат Новим путевима у будућност (As you go…roads under your feet, towards the new future), у сарадњи са Народном библиотеком Бор, позива вас на учешће у јавном пројекту уметнице Џесфи Џенг (Jasphy Zheng) Приче између зидова (Stories from the Room). Preface February 4th 2020 2pm – 8pm Guramayne Art Center Addis Ababa. Organized in collaboration with Biljana Ciric & Guramayne Art Center < Cells Curatorial Inquiries Online Journal >