May 20 – June 3, 2022
Two exhibitions by photographer Dušan Đorđević form a unified whole in the exhibition space of the “Balkan” cinema, marking the opening of a gallery space within this historic building.
Exhibition I: Memento Mori presents a homage to the memento mori style in Renaissance painting. The Latin phrase that both reminds and warns us is explored through a series of photographs in light box format, where Đorđević delves into the intimate spaces of funeral homes he encountered in Eastern Serbia. Artificial flowers, tablecloths, and furniture become part of a ritual of burial, with little visible participation from the architecture of the places where the photos are taken. The photographs invite viewers to reflect on aesthetics, value, and the resistance to forgetting, through the idea of what we leave behind. “Death is in forgetting; a person is dead when no one remembers them anymore.” Alongside the photographs at the “Balkan” cinema, a special “dummy” edition of the book is also presented.
The photographs from the exhibition SIV I – Time Capsule explore the concept of time capsules, historical hideaways where objects or information of significance are stored with the intent of communicating with future generations. These are often small metal boxes buried or hidden to be opened or revealed many years later. Many capsules are buried to mark historical events, embedded in the foundations of significant buildings, or even sent into space. Time capsules are meant to be opened on a scheduled date in the distant future, with the purpose of offering insight into the world of a bygone era.
The photographs presented at the Balkan cinema are featured in an exclusive publication about the Federal Executive Council (SIV). The images exhibited represent a selection of works in which Dušan Đorđević reveals details of the interior: unique objects, tapestries, paintings, purposefully designed furniture—like gems of a representative and symbolic nature, showcasing the total design of the SIV building. These photographs offer an opportunity to observe the beauty found within the aesthetics of socialism, a system that often rejected traditional notions of beauty.
“The Palace of the Federal Executive Council (SIV), nestled in the greenery of New Belgrade, has, over its more than 60 years of existence, witnessed the transformation of multiple states, government systems, and names, but has always remained a powerful symbol and representation of the State, its authority, and prestige. Conceived through a competition for the building of the Presidency of the Government of the FNRJ in 1947, won by the team of Potočnjak-Urlich-Neumann-Perak, it was completed in 1958 under the skilled hand of Mihajlo Janković, after post-war shifts and on the eve of the first Non-Aligned Movement summit. SIV is not only a reference point for the new architecture and urbanism of post-war Yugoslavia but also its sole surviving monumental and representative building, carefully designed and maintained to this day as the seat of central authority.”
—from the book SIV – The Palace of the Federal Executive Council.
Dušan Đorđević was born in 1966. He studied at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, Department of Photography, Film, and TV Camera. He gained professional experience in Copenhagen and worked as a photo editor for numerous magazines both in Serbia and abroad. He has built his artistic career through exhibitions, photo monographs, books, and projects in the fields of film and photography.