Artists Marija Marković and Marija Krstić will stay in Kaunas, within the reciprocal residential programme ‘DeMo’ (Decoding Modernity), which was intiated by the Kaunas Artists’ House (KAH, Lithuania) and LAB Cultural Centre (Novi Sad, Serbia). The aim of the programme is exploring relationships between different types of modernisms and explanation about modernism as a phenomenon in a broader sense of time and space, as well as through cultural, scientific, social and industrial improvement.

In order to broaden the notion of modernism, reciprocal residential programme ‘DeMo’ will be dedicated to the analysis of a modern architectural term EXISTENZMINIMUM and the intensity of its meaning during these unstable times. At the same time, the topic of the open call is conceptually determined by current inabilities and pandemic, which also determine the borders of our existence, as well the restrictions of West modernism.

Marija Marković and Marija Krstić will be doing the research and developing their projects under the mentorship of local experts, and after that, they will spend three weeks in Kaunas, where they will implement them. Within projects, these artists will depict historical, urban and social development regarding living conditions between needs and demands, by researching and in reference to the key term – EXISTENZMINIMUM, a space for survival.

In addition to the broad meaning of the term, EXISTENZMINIMUM is the architectural definition that refers to maintaining human needs for comfortable and accessible residence after World War I. The term was coined by German post-war architects ‘New Realities’. Their wish was to create as profitable places for living as possible, partially due to the post-war crisis in Germany, and partially in order to keep the promise of Weimar Constitution. What are our minimum existential requirements today? How has it changed during quarantine? What is our perception of the post-war architectural principles?

After finishing her Master Studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade, artist Marija Marković continued her education in the field of contemporary art at the Parsons School of Design in New York City. She is a winner of numerous prestigious awards and, although very young, she has three exhibitions held so far.

Her project deals with the air pollution in Serbia, while Marija Krstić is exploring the tendency of young people in Serbia to move from big cities to rural environment in order to provide better living conditions for themselves and their families.

Marija Krstić earned her master’s degree at the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. She is the author of numerous theatre plays, performances, documentary reports and radio dramas.

Partners in the projects are Kaunas Artists’ House, Kaunas 2022: Modernism for Future, LAB Cultural Centre, ‘Novi Sad 2021 – European Capital of Culture’ Foundation.

Photo: Stevan Marinović, Tanja Bjelić, Unsplash