July 15 – August 5, 2021
On Thursday, July 15, the exhibition That Didn’t Happen by the expanded media section of ULUS (The Association of Fine Artists of Serbia) opened at the “Balkan” cinema. The concept of the exhibition was shaped around the idea of marking the centenary of the first issue of Zenit, an international avant-garde magazine for art and culture, and as a tribute to Ljubomir Micić, the founder and editor, whose mission and vision remain relevant today.
At the opening, performances were given by Nenad Jeremić, Višnja Janošević, Aleks Zain, Markiza De Sada and Dekadenca, Joana Knežević, Marko Nektan, and Nataša Milojević, along with a screening of a segment featuring Kralj Čačka from the SKC in Kragujevac.
In a joint statement, the exhibition coordinators expressed hope that the audience would be able to identify works that expand horizons and connect the early 20th century with the present moment, in light of economic, cultural, and broader social observations of the world around us. The selection of works displayed in the exhibition reflects the same desire to venture into the uncertain freedom of searching for the meaning of artistic work, as well as playing with language and codes, which is the legacy of the Zenitist movement.
The collaboration between ULUS and the Saša Marčeta Foundation is an example of the necessary solidarity and high-quality cooperation among key cultural actors in Belgrade, opening new perspectives for the affirmation of the city’s art and culture, stated ULUS representatives, the selectors, and organizers of this exhibition.
Ksenija Samardžija, director of the Saša Marčeta Foundation, reflected on the collaboration with ULUS: “We understand that the damaged space and conditions resulting from the fire at the Cvijeta Zuzorić Pavilion create a need to find solutions for the continuous realization of ULUS’s programs. After a long pause and uncertainty due to the Covid pandemic, I believe this kind of support is important for all of us. We are delighted by the significant number of artists participating in this exhibition and the attention being directed toward Zenit and Ljubomir Micić. Personally, I find it important to draw a parallel between the 1920s, when the magazine was published, and when the pavilion was erected in Kalemegdan, as well as when the ‘Balkan’ cinema building was part of the capital’s cultural life.”
The selection featured around seventy works by fifty artists, including: Massimo Avantigiatto (Italy), Anka Arsenić, Arion Asllani, Boško Atanacković, Marijan Andrejević, Toni Aničin, Veselin Banjević, Maja Beganović and Zoran L. Pantelić, Danica Bićanić, Jelena Bokić, Jovana Braletić, Dajana Damjanović, Mirjana Đorđević-Thaler, Aleksandra Đukić, FAMA (Italy), Sana Garić, Milana Gavrilov, Aleksandar Gligorijević, Mladen Hrvanović, Ivana Ivković, Nenad Jeremić, Petar Jončić, Jovan Jović, Tanja Juričan, Gordana Kaljalović, Branka Kuzmanović, Tanja Ličina, Božidar Mandić, Nenad Marić (Kralj Čačka), Vlada Milinković, Mina Milosavljević, Gertrude Moser-Wagner (Austria), Ivica Nikolac (Croatia), Maria Nova (Poland), Đorđe Odanović, Allan Parker (United Kingdom), Zvonko Petrović, Saša Petrović, Ana Piljić-Mitrović, Darinka Pop-Mitić, Marija Popović, Jasmina Prodanović, Darija S. Radaković, Ivana Ranisavljević, Mihailo Ristić, Đorđe Stanojević, Jana Stojaković, Nina Šumarac, Igor Toholj, Filip Trnavac, Eva Ursprung – Doris Jauk-Hinz (Austria), Gabriela Vasić, Mihailo Vasiljević, Vladimir Veljašević, Snežana Vujović Nikolić, Elena Strok (Croatia), Josipa Škrapić (Croatia), and Darko Vukić.
The exhibition coordinators from ULUS are: Dušan Radovanović, Milica Lapčević, Neda Kovinić, and Miloš Peškir, with guest selector Ivana Markez-Filipović.