Through Art Toward Freedom

The story of women’s position in artistic landscape of Montenegro is intricately interwoven with the social, political and cultural circumstances that have shaped and developed both society and art. In a deeply patriarchal environment, the presence of female artists was for a long time almost completely invisible, pushed to the margins, and far from official recognition. However, this phenomenon is not unique to Montenegro; it reflects a broader historical pattern in which the realm of art was often shaped by ideological constructs that systematically marginalized women. This is not merely a simplified interpretation of gender binary, but rather the institutional, social, and cultural factors that create discrimination with respect to participation in art and as well as recognition in the art canon .


This dynamic becomes even more complicated when we consider the contemporary moment, where patriarchy intertwines with neoliberal capitalism, operating through its interconnected structures at various levels of society. The professional segregation of women, unpaid domestic labor, culture, sexuality, violence, and legislative frameworks—all these factors together create a complex system that continues to influence the position of female artists, presenting them with challenges, while simultaneously provoking a need for resistance and a reexamination of established norms.


Culture plays a key role in the reproduction and legitimization of patriarchy, through norms, values, media representation, education, religion, and other spheres. This often occurs through the mythologization, politics of exclusion, and shaping of the dominant narrative about heroes. However, it is important to ask—what about those alternative lines, the “secondary” ones in relation to the officially recognized, main, primary story? It is in the “hidden,” unspoken legacy that women and their achievements are found, and it is precisely in this space where the energy of mutual connection, solidarity, courage, and shared knowledge is generated.


This will be confirmed by one of the greatest emancipatory endeavors in the history of this region, such as the Antifascist Front of Women. Although it was quickly and prematurely disbanded, through its activities, an important message was sent to women—that they have rights and a reason to fight for them.


After World War II, with the proclamation of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia in 1945, Montenegro regained its integrity and became equal to the other republics. Within the framework of the one-party system under the leadership of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ), reforms were implemented in education, culture, and infrastructure, while the break with the USSR in 1948 directed the country’s development toward a specific form of socialism. During this period, key cultural and scientific institutions were established, such as the Historical Institute, the Central Library, and the State Archives, including museums and galleries, with a focus on the affirmation of art, international cooperation, and the improvement of cultural infrastructure.


In this wave of institutionalization of art and culture in the early post-war period, the opening of the Secondary Art School in 1946 in Cetinje was significant for visual education. Throughout its existence in Herceg Novi until its closure in 1966, it played an exceptional role in the development of multiple generations of female and male artists.


The art of this period, following socialist realism as the state’s artistic imperative, will develop in the direction of socialist modernism, with a prevailing aestheticism based on stylistically diverse, politically correct, and ideologically neutral artistic concerns, characteristic of interwar intimism. This direction in art will be more or less dominant until the 1980s, when a pluralization of artistic expressions and diversification of the art scene will occur, which will be discussed further in the text.


The older generation of women artists, such as Danica Danja Đurović, Ksenija Vujović-Tošić, and Nada Marović-Stanić, mostly worked within the framework of poetic intimism, expressive painting, and intimate small-scale sculpture. During the 1950s and 1960s, artists Danja Đurović and Ksenija Vujović-Tošić, together with Stanka Kranjec Lainović, occasionally exhibited together, aiming to affirm the presence of women in the visual arts scene through their own practice. Although they were not formally organized into a separate group nor did they work within a clearly defined conceptual framework, their collaboration pointed to the need for greater visibility of women artists in the public space. Their exhibition practice indirectly drew attention to the existing inequality in access to exhibition and professional opportunities, reflecting the broader social context in which they created. Despite the undeniable artistic quality of their work, their contribution to Montenegrin modern art remains poorly documented and rarely acknowledged in historical and artistic overviews. Nonetheless, their significance as pioneers of Montenegrin visual arts, their contribution to pedagogy, to which they were largely dedicated, and their engagement within the Association of Visual Artists of Montenegro, represent an inseparable part of the country’s cultural and artistic heritage.


Although during the 1960s and 1970s there was a lively exchange with the regional and international art scene, both on an individual and institutional level, Montenegrin art did not move in the direction of neo-avant-garde, conceptual art, feminist practices, performance art, and new media, as was the case in Belgrade, Zagreb, and later in Ljubljana, where these tendencies developed strongly. The reason for this can be found in the conservatism of the art and culture institutions, which did not reflect the roles and missions for which they were established and which maintained very problematic selection mechanisms. Additionally, there was a lack of institutions for artistic education and the development of theoretical and critical thinking, as well as an underdeveloped independent art scene. However, there are several key points around which the need for a different approach was generated, which would largely define the direction of development for the Montenegrin art scene.


One of the turning points in the shift towards contemporary art was the Cetinje Biennale, launched in 1989. This fact is important for several reasons. First and foremost, the Biennale took place in the context of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the violent, bloody dissolution of Yugoslavia, the political isolation of the country, hyperinflation, cultural inferiority, and the integration of post-socialist countries into global capitalism. Therefore, the Cetinje Biennale can, although perhaps not primarily intended as such, be seen as a sort of “microstrategy of resistance” because, in such a context, and based on the principles of pacifism, it initiated international dialogue and created a space for critical art, raising questions of identity, the politics of the body, gender relations, and social transformations.


As a space for experimental, performative, and multimedia practices, the Biennale created a space for artistic freedom and connections with feminist contexts and strategies, which influenced the formative development of many young female artists who recognized it as a platform for achieving visibility and asserting their own artistic autonomy. Artistic language, freed from nationalist connotations and mythic rhetoric, directed toward active social engagement, was, by the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s, was largely adopted by female artists. They did so from a “side” position, but directly and despite the dominant narratives about the art establishment, through subversive and critical artistic practices, such as those by Jelena Tomašević, Natalija Vujošević, and Irena Lagator Pejović.


In addition to artistic activism, the need for collaboration and the exchange of knowledge and experiences became crucial not only for articulating contemporary trends in the Montenegrin art scene but also as a corrective factor in relation to the shortcomings of formal artistic education and the existing critical-theoretical infrastructure. Their passivity, through inaction, legitimized the status quo in culture, leaving a space devoid of necessary dynamics and reflection.


In this context, new spaces for action were formed that stood in opposition to patriarchal values and structures. Primarily organized by female artists, these spaces were not just acts of resistance but also places for establishing autonomy within contemporary artistic practice. Their search for spaces of freedom resulted in a breakthrough into the official currents of contemporary art, enabling visibility and relevance on the international stage.


However, this does not mean that patriarchal patterns were eliminated from the art field. On the contrary, instead of their deconstruction, there was a division between two parallel lines. On one hand, there is a clearly articulated, multimedia contemporary practice that is gaining recognition in international artistic circles. On the other hand, a conservative current persists, rooted in the materiality and exclusivity of the art object, still relying on traditional hierarchies and value judgments.


Collaborative, participatory practices and actions that, in addition to artistic work, include non-institutional initiatives and networking have significantly influenced the change in the position and perception of contemporary art in Montenegro, while also creating opportunities for networking and alternative learning. One such example is the Institute for Contemporary Art, founded and led by artist Natalija Vujošević, together with artist Lenka Đorojević and collaborators.

There is also the association škART, founded in 2016, which focuses on encouraging social activism, knowledge exchange, and work in the fields of engaged, feminist, and queer culture. It also aims to empower the work and visibility of female artists and vulnerable social groups through art and creative practices. Support for the work of female artists is also provided by the Nova Gallery of Visual Arts (NGVU), which presents, promotes, and documents the work of female artists from the country and the region through exhibitions, lectures, and educational programs.


Networking, as an essential segment of the contemporary artistic context, along with the production and dissemination of knowledge about art and society through educational and exhibition activities and projects, are part of the primary activities of this association. Within it, the Milčik Award for young artists has been established, which, along with mentoring, provides support to young people in their artistic and professional development.


When it comes to the artists selected for the platform, it is important to highlight that their work intertwines and intersects in various aspects. Therefore, generational and chronological differences, although considered during the selection process as one of the established criteria, are more conditional, while the primary focus was placed on the thematic, ideological, and conceptual characteristics of their work.


Artists from the middle and younger generations, who emerged from the 1980s through the early 21st century, respond to phenomena that transcend the local context and are part of a broader global framework, in the context of the aforementioned drastic global and regional changes. They address issues such as the ecological crisis, posthumanism, feminism, neoliberal exploitation, necrocolonial politics, and various regimes of power, opening up space for new interpretations and critical dialogue with contemporary social environments.
Performative, speculative, and critical practices, necropolitics, post-capitalist aesthetics, neoliberal regimes, and themes of exploitation are part of the research by Natalija Vujošević, Lenka Đorojević, and Irena Lagator-Pejović.


Life on the margins of global capitalism, neocolonial politics, and resource exploitation in shattered societies are central to the research of artist Natalija Vujošević. Her work overlaps artistic, curatorial, and research practices that activate, contextualize, and historicize the neglected legacy of socialism and the (post)Yugoslav period.


Lenka Đorojević explores speculative interpretations of the ambivalence of images, violence, loss, memory, and time. Her work focuses on the temporal, visual, and linguistic exploration of anomalies, pathologies, and traumas shaped by necrocolonial politics and capital-driven representational, ideological, and symbolic narratives.


Irena Lagator-Pejović develops a post-media practice focused on research and process, with particular emphasis on ethics and the responsibility of engaging with art. She addresses issues of the environment, biopolitics, system instability, memory, history, and post-capitalist aesthetics.


On a similar conceptual level, young artist Azra Omk develops her practice through participatory actions at the intersection of theatre and contemporary art, using the body and voice as artistic tools. Her works focus on political constructions and narratives, linguistic phenomena, memory politics, and issues of trauma.


The artists Gordana Kuč, Adrijana Gvozdenović, and Milica Živković address issues of identity, subjectivity, and memory politics in their work, each from a specific research perspective.


Gordana Kuč focuses on issues of freedom, collective emancipation, and the challenges that social norms impose on individuals. Through various media and techniques, she explores the relationships between identity, gender, and sex in specific contexts, with a particular emphasis on patriarchal structures and their mechanisms of maintenance.


Adrijana Gvozdenović develops relational approaches that question the complexity and contradictions of identity and subjectivity, exploring them through dynamic artistic processes and interaction with the audience.


Milica Živković examines the politics of memory, the concept of post-memory, and the specifics of women’s struggles in the Balkans. Her work particularly highlights vulnerability within the framework of complex and often contradictory narratives, investigating themes of space, spectacle, and female identity in toxic and confusing environments. Her practice also addresses the issue of transgenerational trauma transfer, opening space for dialogue about its long-term consequences.


The themes of transformation, space, boundaries, perception, virtuality, and post-digital discourses are part of the artistic research of Ana Aleksić, Brigita Antoni, and Milica Janković.


Ana Aleksić explores the phenomena of transformation, liminality, duality, and boundaries, examining the relationship between digital and physical space, as well as the value of images and their reproducibility.


Brigita Antoni inquire into modalities of perception of reality and the environment, creating installation forms at the intersection of the digital and the organic. Her research focuses on the relationship between science and global ecological transformations, relying on scientific discoveries as a starting point for artistic reflection.


Milica Janković combines different artistic disciplines with new technologies, revitalizing existing ones and creating alternative spaces beyond conventional frameworks of time and space. Her research connects neuroscience and art, exploring perception in relation to the experience and understanding of oneself and others.


Space, place, nature, memory, and introspective processes are themes explored by artists Anka Burić, Nataša Đurović, Jelena Pavićević-Marković, and Ivana Radovanović.


Anka Burić investigates nature, roots, heritage, and the connection with the environment, as well as the sedimentation of memory through an interdisciplinary approach. Viewing time and space as fluid categories, the artist focuses on the “vital materiality” of living and non-living beings and substances, exploring their mutual relationships and dynamics.


Nataša Đurović examines the complexity of human nature through introspection and intuitive reactions to time and space, which are key segments of her work. The poetics of the spaces she intervenes in, along with spiritual and inner paths of discovery, are focal points in her art.


Through the materiality of both organic and inorganic things, as well as utilized and discarded objects, Ivana Radovanović’s sculptural work, which intertwines with performative elements, examines the phenomena of transience, emptiness, fluidity of identity and context, and the ephemerality of human existence.

The principle of feminine creative energy and the spirit of space are at the heart of Jelena Pavićević-Marković’s artistic work. Focusing on the materiality, origin, and vitality of organic forms, she uses her sculptures to explore the transition between the amorphousness of matter and the polymorphism of life, emphasizing the organic process of creation.


If we look back through all the changes in context, systems, and ideological frameworks up to the present day, we can see that the position of women—not just female artists—has always been a subject of scrutiny, social critique, demystification, and the activation of various practices aimed at continuing the process of emancipation, which has never been fully completed. The past few decades have brought certain improvements, primarily through the courageous and dedicated work of female artists who, through their own strength and commitment, have persistently driven progress in breaking free from the structures that create inequality. In this way, conditions are being created in which equality becomes an actual possibility rather than a distant ideal.

This text was written by Ana Ivanović (2025).

Ka slobodi kroz umjetnost

Priča o poziciji žena u umjetničkom pejzažu Crne Gore neodvojiva je od složenog spleta društvenih, političkih i kulturnih okolnosti koje su oblikovale i razvijale društvo i umjetnost. U duboko patrijarhalnom okruženju, prisustvo umjetnica bilo je u dugom vremenskom periodu gotovo potpuno nevidljivo, potisnuto na margine i daleko od zvaničnog priznanja. No, ovaj fenomen nije specifičan samo za Crnu Goru; on odražava širi istorijski obrazac u kojem je prostor umjetnosti često bio oblikovan ideološkim konstrukcijama koje su sistematski potiskivale žene. Ovdje se ne radi tek o pojednostavljenom tumačenju rodne binarnosti, već o institucionalnim, društvenim i kulturnim faktorima koji oblikuju razlike i stvaraju diskriminaciju u pogledu učešća u umjetnosti i priznavanju unutar umjetničkog kanona.
Ovakva dinamika postaje još zamršenija kada posmatramo savremeni trenutak u kojem se patrijarhat prepliće s neoliberalnim kapitalizmom, djelujući kroz svoje umrežene strukture na različitim nivoima društva. Profesionalna segregacija žena, neplaćeni kućni rad, kultura, seksualnost, nasilje i zakonodavni okviri – svi oni zajedno čine kompleksan sistem koji i dalje utiče na položaj umjetnica, postavljajući pred njih izazove, ali time i izazivajući potrebu za otporom i preispitivanjem ustaljenih normi.

Kultura igra jednu od ključnih uloga u reprodukciji i legitimizaciji patrijarhata, kroz norme, vrijednosti, medijsku reprezentaciju, obrazovanje, religiju i druge sfere. Često se to dešava putem mitologizacije, politike isključivanja i oblikovanja dominantnog narativa o herojima. Međutim, važno je zapitati se – šta je s onim alternativnim linijama, „sporednim“ u odnosu na službeno priznatu, glavnu, primarnu liniju priče? Tu, u „skrivenom“, prećutanom naslijeđu, nalaze se žene i njihova postignuća, i upravo je to mjesto u kome se generiše energija međusobne povezanosti, solidarnosti, hrabrosti, zajedničkog znanja.
Da je to zaista tako, potvrdiće jedan od najvećih emancipatorskih poduhvata u istoriji ovog prostora kao što je Antifašistički front žena. Iako brzo i prerano ukinut, kroz njegove aktivnosti ženama je poslata važna poruka – da imaju prava i da imaju osnov da se za njih bore.


Nakon Drugog svjetskog rata, proglašenjem Federativne Narodne Republike Jugoslavije 1945, Crna Gora je povratila integritet i postala ravnopravna s ostalim republikama. U okviru jednopartijskog sistema pod vođstvom KPJ, sprovedene su reforme u školstvu, kulturi i infrastrukturi, dok je raskid sa SSSR-om 1948. usmjerio razvoj zemlje ka specifičnom obliku socijalizma. U tom periodu osnovane su ključne kulturne i naučne institucije, poput Istorijskog instituta, Centralne biblioteke i Državnog arhiva, uključujući muzeje i galerije, uz fokus na afirmaciju umjetnosti, međunarodnu saradnju i unapređenje kulturne infrastrukture. U tom talasu institucionalizacije umjetnosti i kulture u ranom poslijeratnom periodu, za likovno obrazovanje važno je otvaranje Srednje umjetničke škole 1946. na Cetinju, koja će tokom svog trajanja u Herceg Novom, sve do ukidanja 1966, imati izuzetan značaj za razvoj više generacija umjetnica i umjetnika.


Umjetnost toga perioda, nakon socijalističkog realizma kao državnog umjetničkog imperativa, razviće se u pravcu socijalističkog modernizma, s preovlađujućim estetizmom, temeljenom na stilski raznolikim, politički korektnim i ideološki neutralnim likovnim preokupacijama, karakterističnim za međuratni intimizam. Ovakav smjer u umjetnosti će manje-više biti dominanatan sve do osamdesetih godina kada dolazi do pluralizacije umjetničkih izraza i diversifikacije umjetničke scene, o čemu će biti riječi dalje u tekstu.


Pripadnice starije generacije Danica Danja Đurović, Ksenija Vujović-Tošić, Nada Marović-Stanić, djelovale su pretežno u okvirima poetskog intimizma, ekspresivnog slikarstva, kamerne, intimne skulpture. Tokom pedesetih i šezdesetih godina, umjetnice Danja Đurović i Ksenja Vujović-Tošić, zajedno sa Stankom Kranjec Lainović, povremeno su izlagale zajedno, nastojeći da kroz sopstvenu praksu afirmišu prisustvo žena na likovnoj sceni. Iako nisu bile formalno organizovane u zasebnu grupu niti su djelovale unutar jasno definisanog konceptualnog okvira, njihova saradnja ukazivala je na potrebu za većom vidljivošću umjetnica u javnom prostoru. Njihova izložbena praksa indirektno je skretala pažnju na postojeću neravnopravnost u pristupu izlagačkim i profesionalnim mogućnostima, reflektujući širi društveni kontekst u kojem su stvarale. Uprkos nesumnjivom umjetničkom kvalitetu njihovog rada, njihov doprinos crnogorskoj modernoj umjetnosti ostao je slabo dokumentovan i rijetko valorizovan u istorijsko-umjetničkim pregledima. Ipak, njihov značaj kao pionirki crnogorske likovne umjetnosti, doprinos pedagoškom radu, kome su bile većinom posvećene, kao i angažmanu unutar Udruženja likovnih umjetnika Crne Gore, predstavlja neizostavan dio kulturnog i umjetničkog naslijeđa zemlje.


Iako je tokom 60-ih i 70-ih godina postojala živa razmjena sa regionalnom i međunarodnom umjetničkom scenom i na individualnom i na institucionalnom nivou, crnogorska umjetnost nije bila usmjerena u pravcu neoavangardne, konceptualne umjetnosti, feminističkih praksi, performansa i novih medija, kao što je to bio slučaj u Beogradu, Zagrebu, a potom i u Ljubljani, gdje su se ove tendencije snažno razvijale. Razlog za to se može tražiti u konzervativizmu institucija umjetnosti i kulture koje nisu odslikavale uloge i misije zbog kojih su osnovane i koje njeguju vrlo problematične selekcione mehanizme, zatim nedostatku ustanova za umjetničko obrazovanje i razvoj teorijskog i kritičkog mišljenja i nerazvijenosti nezavisne umjetničke scene. Međutim, postoji nekoliko punktova oko kojih se generisala potreba za drugačijim pristupom, što će u velikoj mjeri odrediti smjer razvoja crnogorske umjetničke scene.


Jedna od prelomnih tačaka u kojima se desio zaokret ka savremenoj umjetnosti jeste Cetinjsko bijenale, pokrenuto 1989. godine. Ta činjenica važna je iz nekoliko razloga. Prije svega, Bijenale se dešavalo u kontekstu pada Berlinskog zida, nasilne, krvave disolucije Jugoslavije, političke izolacije zemlje, hiperinflacije, kulturne inferiorizacije i integrisanja postsocijalističkih zemalja u globalni kapitalizam. Stoga se Cetinjsko bijenale može, iako možda nije primarno zamišljeno s tom namjerom, posmatrati kao svojevrsna „mikrostrategija otpora“ jer je u takvom kontekstu i osnovano na postulatima pacifizma iniciralo međunarodni dijalog i prostor za kritičku umjetnost, otvarajući pitanja identiteta, politike tijela, rodnih odnosa i društvenih transformacija. Kao prostor eksperimentalnih, performativnih, multimedijalnih praksi, Bijenale je stvorilo prostor umjetničke slobode i veze s feminističkim kontekstima i strategijama, što je uticalo na formativni razvoj mnogih mladih umjetnica koje su ga prepoznale kao prostor za postizanje vidljivosti i osvajanje sopstvenih umjetničkih autonomija. Umjetnički jezik oslobođen nacionalističkog predznaka i mitske retorike, usmjeren u pravcu aktivne društvenosti, krajem devedesetih i početkom dvehiljaditih, prihvatile su, u najvećoj mjeri, umjetnice, djelujući upravo iz „bočne“ pozicije, ali direktno i uprkos vladajućim narativima o umjetničkom establišmentu kroz subverzivne i kritičke umjetničke prakse, kao što su Jelena Tomašević, Natalija Vujošević, Irena Lagator Pejović.


Pored umjetničkog aktivizma, potreba za udruživanjem i razmjenom znanja i iskustava postala je ključna ne samo za artikulisanje savremenih tokova na crnogorskoj umjetničkoj sceni, već i kao korektivni faktor u odnosu na manjkavosti formalnog umjetničkog obrazovanja i postojeće postojeće kritičko-teorijske infrastrukture. Njihova pasivnost je, svojim nečinjenjem, legitimisala status quo u kulturi, ostavljajući prostor bez nužne dinamike i refleksije.


U tom kontekstu, formirani su novi prostori djelovanja koji stoje nasuprot patrijarhalnim vrijednostima i strukturama. Dominantno organizovani od strane umjetnica, oni nisu samo čin otpora već i mjesta uspostavljanja autonomije unutrar savremene umjetničke prakse. Njihova potraga za prostorima slobode rezultirala je probojem u zvanične tokove savremene umjetnosti, omogućavajući vidljivost i relevantnost na međunarodnoj sceni.


To, međutim, ne znači da su patrijarhalni obrasci eliminisani iz umjetničkog polja. Naprotiv, umjesto njihove dekonstrukcije, došlo je do razgraničenja između dvije paralelne linije. S jedne strane postoji jasno artikulisana, višemedijska savremena praksa koja se afirmiše u međunarodnim umjetničkim krugovima. S druge strane, opstaje konzervativna struja, ukorijenjena u materijalnosti i ekskluzivnosti umjetničkog objekta koja se i dalje oslanja na tradicionalne hijerarhije i vrednovanja.

Kolaborativne, participtivne prakse i djelovanja koje, pored umjetničkog rada obuhvataju i vaninstitucionalne inicijative i udruživanje u značajnoj mjeri su uticale na promjenu pozicije i percepcije savremene umjetnosti u Crnoj Gori, ali i stvarale mogućnosti za umrežavanja i alternativna učenja. Takav je Institut za savremenu umjetnost koji je 2015. osnovala i vodi umjetnica Natalija Vujošević zajedno sa umjetnicom Lenkom Đorojević i saradnicama i saradnicima. Udruživanje i umrežavanje, kao neophodan segment savremenog umjetničkog konteksta, i proizvodnja i širenje znanja o umjetnosti i društvu, kroz obrazovne i izložbene aktivnosti i projekte, dio su primarnih aktivnosti ovog udruženja. U okviru njega ustanovljena je nagrada za mlade umjetnice i umjetnike Milčik, koja uz mentorski rad pruža mladima podršku u umjetničkom i profesionalnom razvoju.


Tu je i udruženje škART, osnovano 2016, koje se bavi podsticanjem društvenog aktivizma, razmjenom znanja, radom u polju angažovane, feminističke i kvir kulture, kao i osnaživanjem rada i vidljivosti umjetnica, ranjivih društvenih grupa kroz umjetnost i kreativne prakse.
Podršku u radu umjetnica pruža i Nova galerija vizuelniih umjetnosti (NGVU) koja predstavlja, promoviše i dokumentuje rad umjetnica iz zemlje i regiona, kroz izložbe, predavanja i edukativne programe.
Kada je riječ o umjetnicama odabranim za platformu, važno je istaći da se njihov rad međusobno prepliće i prožima u različitim aspektima. Zbog toga su generacijske i hronološke razlike, iako uzete u obzir pri selekciji kao jedan od postavljenih kriterijuma, više uslovne, dok je primarno težište stavljeno na tematske, idejne i konceptualne karakteristike njihovog stvaralaštva.


Umjetnice srednje i mlađe generacije, koje su se formirale od osamdesetih godina 20. vijeka do početka 21. vijeka, u kontekstu već pomenutih drastičnih globalnih i regionalnih promjena, svojim stvaralaštvom reaguju na fenomene koji nadilaze lokalni okvir i dio su šireg globalnog konteksta. Bave se pitanjima ekološke krize, posthumanizma, feminizma, neoliberalne eksploatacije, nekrokolonijalnih politika, različitih režima moći, otvarajući prostor za nove interpretacije i kritički dijalog sa savremenim društvenim okruženjem.

Performativne, spekulativne i kritičke prakse, nekropolitika, estetika postkapitalizma, neoliberalni režimi i teme eksploatacije dio su istraživanja Natalije Vujošević, Lenke Đorojević, Irene Lagator-Pejović.
Život na marginama globalnog kapitalizma, neokolonijalne politike i eksploatacija resursa u razorenim društvima dio su istraživanja umjetnice Natalije Vujošević. U njenom radu preklapaju se umjetničke, kustoske i istraživačke prakse koje aktiviraju, kontekstualizuju i istorizuju zapostavljeno naslijeđe socijalizma i (post)jugoslovenskog perioda.


Lenka Đorojević istražuje spekulativne interpretacije ambivalentnosti slike, nasilja, gubitka, sjećanja i vremena. Njen rad se fokusira na vremensko, vizuelno i jezičko istraživanje anomalija, patologija i trauma oblikovanih nekrokolonijalnom politikom i kapitalom vođenim reprezentacijskim, ideološkim i simboličkim narativima.


Irena Lagator-Pejović razvija postmedijsku praksu usmjerenu na istraživanje i proces, s posebnim naglaskom na etiku i odgovornost bavljenja umjetnošću. Bavi se pitanjima okoline, biopolitike, nestabilnosti sistema, sjećanja, istorije i estetike postkapitalizma.


Na sličnoj koncepcijskoj ravni razvija se mlada umjetnica Azra Omk, koja kroz participativno djelovanje na presjeku teatra i savremene umjetnosti, koristi tijelo i glas kao umjetničke alate. Njeni radovi fokusiraju se na političke konstrukcije i narative, lingvističke fenomene, memorijske politike i pitanja trauma.

Pitanjima identiteta, subjektiviteta i politika sjećanja u svom radu bave se umjetnice Gordana Kuč, Adrijana Gvozdenović i Milica Živković, iz specifičnih istraživačkih uglova.


Gordana Kuč se fokusira na pitanja slobode, kolektivne emancipacije i izazove koje društvene norme postavljaju pojedincima. Kroz različite medije i tehnike, ona istražuje odnose identiteta, pola i roda u specifičnim kontekstima, s posebnim naglaskom na patrijarhalne strukture i njihove mehanizme održavanja. Adrijana Gvozdenović razvija relacione pristupe koji preispituju složenost i kontradiktornosti identiteta i subjektiviteta, istražujući ih kroz dinamične umjetničke procese i interakciju s publikom.


Milica Janković ispituje politike sjećanja, koncept postmemorije i specifičnosti ženske borbe na Balkanu. U svom radu posebno naglašava ranjivost u okviru složenih i često kontradiktornih narativa, istražujući teme prostora, spektakla i ženskog identiteta u toksičnim i zbunjujućim okruženjima. Njena praksa takođe obuhvata pitanje transgeneracijskog prenosa traume, otvarajući prostor za dijalog o njenim dugoročnim posljedicama.

Teme transformacija, prostora, granica, percepcije, virtualnosti i postdigitalnih diskursa dio su umjetničkog istraživanja Ane Aleksić, Brigite Antoni, Milice Janković. Ana Aleksić se bavi fenomenima transformacije, liminalnosti, dualnosti i granica, posmatrajući odnos digitalnog i fizičkog prostora, kao i vrijednosti slike i njene reproduktivnosti. Brigita Antoni ispituje modalitete percepcije stvarnosti i okruženja, stvarajući instalacijske forme na presjeku digitalnog i organskog. Njeno istraživanje s bavi odnosom nauke i ekoloških globalnih transformacija, oslanjajući se na naučna otkrića kao polazište za umjetničku refleksiju. Milica Janković kombinuje različite umjetničke discipline s novim tehnologijama, revitalizujući postojeće i kreirajući alternativne prostore izvan konvencionalnih okvira vremena i prostora. Njeno istraživanje povezuje neuronauku i umjetnost, ispitujući percepciju u odnosu na iskustvo i razumijevanje sebe i drugih.


Prostor, mjesto, priroda, sjećanje, introspektivni procesi su teme kojima se bave umjetnice Anka Burić, Nataša Đurović, Jelena Pavićević-Marković, Ivana Radovanović.


Anka Burić istražuje prirodu, korjene, naslijeđe i vezu s podnebljem, kao i sedimentaciju memorije kroz interdisciplinarni pristup. Posmatrajući vrijeme i prostor kao fluidne kategorije, umjetnica se fokusira na „vitalnu materijalnost“ živih i neživih bića i tvari, istražujući njihov međusobni odnos i dinamiku.


Nataša Đurović ispituje slojevitost ljudske prirode kroz introspekciju i intuitivne reakcije na vrijeme i prostor, koji su jedni o ključnih segmenata njenog stvaralaštva. Poetika prostora u kojima interveniše svojim radovima, duhovni i unutranji putevi otkrivanja, čine fokusne tačke njene umjetnosti.


Kroz materijalnost organskih i neorganskih stvari, kao i iskorišćene i odbačene predmete, Ivana Radovanović u svom skulptorskom radu, koji se prepliće s performativnim, ispituje fenomene prolaznosti i praznine, fluidnosti identiteta i konteksta, kao i efemernosti ljudskog postojanja.


Princip ženske kreativne energije i duh prostora u fokusu su umjetničkog rada Jelena Pavićević-Marković. Baveći se materijalnošću, postankom i vitalnošću organskih formi, svojim skulpturama ispituje prelaz između amorfnosti materije i polimorfizma života, naglašavajući organski proces stvaranja.

Ako se osvrnemo unazad, kroz sve promjene konteksta, sistema i ideoloških matrica, sve do danas, vidjećemo da je položaj žena, ne samo umjetnica, uvijek bio predmet preispitivanja, društvene kritike, demistifikacije i aktiviranja različitih praksi za nastavljanje procesa emancipacije koji nikad nije završen. Posljednjih nekoliko decenija donijelo je određena poboljšanja, upravo kroz hrabar i posvećen rad umjetnica koje su na sopstvenu snagu i zalaganje uticale da se kontuirano prave pomaci u oslobađanju od svih okvira koji proizvode razlike. Na taj način stvaraju se uslovi u kojima se jednakost postaje stvarna mogućnost, a ne daleki ideal.