Ksenija Marinković, art historian, independent curator and founder of the ‘X VITAMIN’ gallery in Belgrade, will implement study and research work within the trip to Japan as part of the ‘Kizuna’ exchange programme of the ‘Novi Sad 2021’ Foundation and ‘EU – Japan Fest’ organisation.

‘The purpose of my visit would be to assess the possibilities of exchange and cooperation between Japanese and Serbian visual artists, launching Serbian-Japanese dialogue in the field of visual arts, joint art initiatives for participation of Japanese artists in the ‘Danube Dialogues’ festival, along with presentation of Japanese contemporary art scenes in Novi Sad, the European Capital of Culture. The final result would be an inclusive exhibition featuring works by Japanese artists working on new technologies, from computer created art to achievements in the field of humanoid robotics and androids – such as robotic counterparts created by Hiroshi Ishiguro, professor at the University of Osaka,’ says Ksenija Marinković and adds that such an exhibition tries to point out the character of computer art, the connection between everyday life and electronics and the dominant influence of technology on human psychology.

This project is dedicated to mobility of members of Novi Sad cultural scene and establishing cooperation with Japanese cultural organisations and artists.

This is the 13th selection since the beginning of the ‘Kizuna’ project, the fourth and last this year. Next year, four more candidates are expected, thus all interested can send their suggestions and questions to international@ns2021.rs. The total amount of the financial grant for realisation of the study trip for applicants is JPY 100,000. We remind that Public call for the ‘Kizuna’ programme is continuously open, and that expert services of the ‘Novi Sad 2021’ Foundation will continue to work on development of suggested projects with all candidates in order to provide help with drafting successful applications.