Novi Sad has parted with the title of European Capital of Culture, and now, also coming to an end is the exhibition that marked the entire historical year and attracted a lot of attention not only from citizens of Novi Sad, but also tourists from Serbia, the region, and even Europe, inspired by the achievements of the great world scientist Milutin Milanković – ‘Time and Universe’ by the authors Dušan Jovović, PhD and Professor Aleksandar Petrović, PhD.
It was ‘Time and Universe’ that set new standards of visual art and pushed the boundaries of new media expression in this area, through the project of the European Capital of Culture, from the official opening on 13 January 2022 and for the following year. Although the exhibition is closing, the idea that bloomed continues to live on through the exhibition ‘Mileva: We Are One Rock’, in the reconstructed part of the City Museum of Novi Sad, which also closed the year of the European Capital of Culture title.
Jovović said that the exhibition ‘Time and Universe’ had been set up as an artistic and philosophical experiment, which, according to the reactions of the audience and the professionals, had been a complete success.
‘For me, as an artist, the dialogue between the visitors and what I created in the space was the most important, along with all kinds of emotions that changed and developed on these three levels inside Studio M. I am proud of the fact that we set up a special artistic concept that the audience recognised and awarded with the title of the most visited exhibition in Serbia last year,’ said Dušan Jovović, PhD.
Through a hologram, Novi Sad actor Aleksandar Gajin brought the character of Milutin Milanković to life, greeting visitors every day until 31 December 2022, when Gajin found himself in the role of a real curator through the exhibition and took all those present on a unique journey. As Gajin points out, by entering the world of this exhibition, one seems to be entering timelessness and a special illusion.
‘It is definitely a work that affects all our senses, multimedia, interesting and intelligently composed. One could almost say that one is entering a meta-theatre space in which the visitor of the exhibition is the actor. As I myself, in a small way, was part of this act, I spent some time in that space isolated. I could also experience the exhibition’s emotional dimension, through apprehension, fear, wonder, and relief. One feels small in that space, small as in the universe. The exhibition encouraged me to research, what more could you ask from a work of art?’, wonders Aleksandar Gajin.
The regular curators at Studio M, Anđelko Đukić and Darko Stantić, say that the exhibition has come full circle and that in that circle of time, thousands of visitors have passed with them.
‘We went through the exhibition with numerous visitors multiple times and while we introduced them to the exhibition, we also got to know them, their lives and experiences. After a year, we are closing the doors of the exhibition where people laughed, cried, admired and returned to. In their time gaps, people found themselves in projections, texts, mirrors, while looking for light,’ said Đukić and Stantić.
The exhibition will remain open until 31 January 2023.
Everyone interested can view the exhibition until 31 January 2023, from Tuesday to Saturday, from 12 to 8 p.m. at Studio M. Tickets can be purchased at the Studio M ticket office, at a price of RSD 300 for individual visits, RSD 200 for group visits (more than five people), or RSD 1,000 for family tickets. Children under the age of seven do not pay admission.
Photos: Vladimir Veličković, Marko Pudić
