Articoli taggati con ‘western balkans’
Art Market in Western Balkan
Western Balkan as the art market space presents an abstract construction in the cultural policy discourses of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia and Croatia, approaching this concept in a relativistic way and changing the relationship between arts and economy depending on the socio-historical context. Thus, during the 1990s in the countries of the region prevailed cultural policies fostering the idea of national identity and based on the instruments mainly focused on local artists and their position on the national art scene. Beginning of the 21st century brought a shift: opening of national cultures to the world of art trends and building cultural policy between the need to support universal art projects and those shaping an environment of national cultural existence. Balance between the hidden nationalism and openness, primarily towards the European Union marked the first decade of this century. The Western Balkan’s art market has not experienced major transformations, remaining marginalized in the public policies’ discource. The period from the late 1980s and early 1990s was characterized by a significant share of state firms, co-financing the most important events in visual arts, and creating large state-owned collections of exceptional artistic and historical value too (JAT, Invest Bank, Jugobanka, Beobanka, Dunav Insurance Company, INA, etc.). Art market was encouraged with purchases made by the state, and significant demand was created by representatives of the higher middle class who have followed exhibition policies of major galleries in Yugoslavia and had a decent knowledge about the art tendencies.
Is culture “the new black” or the “last ideology”?
Europe is, nowadays a little weird concept, that assumes, day after day, everchanging Non-Euclidean shapes: Brexit, NGOs, boundaries and immigration are at the top of the Agendas of a Union that would have preferred pursuing objectives such as the “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”. In this widespread confusion it seems that Culture should be the new philosopher’s stone or, adopting a more common language it seems that Culture should be the new black. There are no serious public interventions that do not underline, at least once, the role of culture for the development of a town, of a country or of the European Union in its whole. Indeed, according to our policymakers, culture is: a) The key for a new “multicultural” Europe; b) An important economic sector that could prompt the development of backbones territories; c) The next new-thing of financial market and, finally, d) The real answer to both the immigration challenge and the brain drain phenomenon. There are no doubts that culture could play an important role in all these processes but a more realistic framework is needed.
Art Market in Western Balkan
Western Balkan as the art market space presents an abstract construction in the cultural policy discourses of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia and Croatia, approaching this concept in a relativistic way and changing the relationship between arts and economy depending on the socio-historical context. Thus, during the 1990s in the countries of the region prevailed cultural policies fostering the idea of national identity and based on the instruments mainly focused on local artists and their position on the national art scene. Beginning of the 21st century brought a shift: opening of national cultures to the world of art trends and building cultural policy between the need to support universal art projects and those shaping an environment of national cultural existence. Balance between the hidden nationalism and openness, primarily towards the European Union marked the first decade of this century. The Western Balkan’s art market has not experienced major transformations, remaining marginalized in the public policies’ discource. The period from the late 1980s and early 1990s was characterized by a significant share of state firms, co-financing the most important events in visual arts, and creating large state-owned collections of exceptional artistic and historical value too (JAT, Invest Bank, Jugobanka, Beobanka, Dunav Insurance Company, INA, etc.). Art market was encouraged with purchases made by the state, and significant demand was created by representatives of the higher middle class who have followed exhibition policies of major galleries in Yugoslavia and had a decent knowledge about the art tendencies.
