The European Capital of Culture for 2022 will celebrate the Day of Novi Sad, 1 February, in a unique way – with two exhibitions, two museums will tell one story of the European Novi Sad.
‘Where Migrations End: From Roman Pannonia to Today’s Vojvodina’ at the Museum of Vojvodina and ‘Accents – Novi Sad’ at the Museum of the City of Novi Sad will mark the beginning of Migrations, the programme arch of the European Capital of Culture. Merging the programmes and uniting the capacities of two important cultural institutions, in cooperation with ‘Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture’ Foundation, will enable the implementation of the best practices of European cultural policy, and Novi Sad will confirm its role as the cultural centre in the region.
‘Another new bridge that we have built between two institutions is important for Novi Sad, but even more so, the visitors. For the first time, the visitors will be able to move from one exhibition to the other, as well as from one time to the other, and be able to experience Novi Sad’s past in a unique way, but also re-evaluate their attitude towards migrations. In Novi Sad, migrations have, no matter the circumstances, always brought forth new strengths as a consequence thanks to which, among other things, it became the European Capital of Culture,’ said the CEO of the ‘Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture’ Foundation Nemanja Milenković.
The exhibition ‘Where Migrations End: From Roman Pannonia to Today’s Vojvodina’ at the Museum of Vojvodina has been conceived in an innovative way, hitherto unseen in the museum practice in our country, with every part elaborated in detail and presented with the synergy of science, culture, and various forms of contemporary art, states the director of the Museum of Vojvodina, Tijana Stanković Pešterac, MA.
‘Museum of Vojvodina, the only one in the world to have the three gilded late antique helmets in its collection, will present this exhibition to the visitors in a different way. Another part of the exhibition will be the performance of the monodrama ‘Blood and Mud’ (Krv i blato), which is the director’s adaptation of the story ‘Dizon’s Way’ (Dizonov put) by Zoran Subotički, directed by Radoslav Milenković, as well as the film essay ‘Traces of Migration’. Moreover, harpist Sofija Sibinović has composed original music – Harp Lady. On top of that, the exhibition also includes the eIzložba (eExhibition) app, which allows visitors to ‘visit’ the exhibition from any location, which significantly increases its global visibility. Also, interactive digital content was created, dedicated to children, i.e., interactive comics through which the young ones can learn about the story of the famous invaluable helmets from the Roman era,’ said Pešterac.
In order for the citizens of Novi Sad and their guests to get to know their city in a different way, the transition from the period of long Roman rule, through the 18th century until the 20th century, will be crowned by a bridge in Žarka Vasiljevića Street which will lead to the exibition ‘Accents – Novi Sad’ at the Museum of the City of Novi Sad. This exhibition is conceived as a multimedia platform that will, symbolically, consist of 22 units – 22 accents.
‘The choice of accents was guided by the idea of presenting the city in the spirit of its historical values, such as Europeanism, multiculturalism, the struggle for freedom, education and emancipation, continuous development and readiness to adopt new trends. Chronological-thematic concept, selection and exhibition of representative objects from the Museum’s collection, as well as multimedia content based on original historical material, enable the visitor to acquire knowledge and to get a unique experience of various aspects of local history and cultural heritage,’ said the director of the Museum of the City of Novi Sad, Vesna Iković.
Admission to the exhibitions on 1 February will be free for all visitors, and from 2 February, tickets will be charged per regular museum prices.
Until 20 March, alongside these two major exhibitions, the Migrations programme arch will show the movement of people and migrations as an artistic inspiration which create the cultural image of one area, through more than 300 cultural events, with more than 130 artists, out of which 90 are European.
The organisers ask the visitors to adhere to all the epidemiological measures, for the sake of maintaining health and to better enjoy the cultural content. Visitors are obliged to wear face masks during all the events.
More details about the programme, the programme book, and all the other information about the events within the European Capital of Culture title year can be found on the website https://novisad2022.rs/en/home-3/.
Photo: NSEPK, Vladimir Veličković
