Contemporary Art and Nationalism – Critical Reader’ and talk with the guests and the editors of the publications: Sezgin Boynik

Debate room of Cultural Center DOB
Presentation of publication 'Contemporary Art and Nationalism – Critical Reader'
and talk with the guests and the editors of the publications: Sezgin Boynik and Minna L. Henriksson

"....Even if nationalism is an abstract notion of modern life, its consequences are very effective and powerful. The reason for this is that the materialization of nationalism in everyday life and in actual politics is rooted in many practices and rituals in both the private space and in official institutions.

The idea of nationalism can be materialized also by practices of 'alternative' institutions and movements. Our aim in editing book 'Contemporary Art and Nationalism – Critical Reader' was to collect texts, which would critically discuss the relation of nationalism and contemporary art. In other words, we wanted to analyze the situations, and economical and political moments, in which contemporary art serves as a mechanism of materialization of nationalist ideas.
Because of the non-reflectivity and non-criticality of the artist's practice towards the representing institutions, connection between contemporary art and nationalism can be very latent. In countries, where the national representational contemporary art institutions are lacking, and where also the nationalist problems are visible, this connection is more direct and vulgar than in countries with established cultural institutions.
Our aim was to draw attention to a problem, which is not very much discussed, but which has crucial importance in understanding current political and aesthetical connections. In this case, contemporary art, which is always perceived as critical and anti-traditional, is viewed in relation to regressive movements of authenticity and originality of nationalism...."

Contemporary Art and Nationalism – Critical Reader was published by MM publications and Missing Identites project, Pristina Kosovo in August 2007. The book includes previously unpublished articles by Boris Buden, Suzana Milevska, Misko Suvakovic, Ivor Stodolsky, Marita Muukkonen, Mika Hannula, Nebojsa Jovanovic, Rastko Mocnik, Marina Griznic, Margaret Tali, Sarat Maharaj, Branimir Dimitrijevic and Sezgin Boynik, as well as previously published articles by Kobena Mercer, Simon Sheik, Erden Kosova and Paul Wilson.

"Informal Networks Belgrade" is the project of  Cultural Center Dom omladine from Belgrade, in collaboration with self-organized network slobodnakultura.org. The project is examining the contemporary art production in the framework of digital and other cultural and social networks and the position of contemporary cultural production within the socio-political context, trough the series of meetings and discussions with international guests interested in the issues. The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Republic of Serbia.