43^rd SALON OF ARCHITECTURE

Organised by: Museum of Applied Art

The Anchor Point is the selected motto of the 43^rd Salon of Architecture, organised by the Museum of Applied Art. This year’s Salon exhibition, like the previous 2020 one, will be held under special conditions caused by the persistent Covid-19 pandemic. These are the conditions that make all forms of normalcy (as we know it in terms of work, movement, meeting and gathering) difficult. In such a context, the Museum was unable to organise the usual opening ceremony in the presence of a large number of visitors. Therefore, the award ceremony was held on Wednesday, 12^th May, at 19.00, in the presence of the Jury’s representatives and the representatives of the awarded candidates. On that occasion, the Jury of the 43^rd Salon of Architecture, composed of prominent architects –Vladimir Anđelković, Ognjen Đurović, Nada Jelić, Dejan Miljković and Dejan Todorović, awarded the Grand Prix of the Salon, prizes, acknowledgements and honours in the following categories: architecture, interior design, experiment and research, publications, theory and review of architecture.

Thinking about the year behind us as well as the one we are currently living in, and constantly fighting the global pandemic, we come to the conclusion that we can call these years the years of trauma and uncertainty. However, we may also interpret them as signposts that lead us towards new motivation and help us realize the need to envision both the new general and the new architectural and urban future. The selected Salon’s motto The Anchor Point points to the importance of architecture in the formation of the living and spatial environment of urban units, cities, places, and the space in general. And thus, it emphasizes the importance of achieving balance in the relationship between the newly built and the existing public space, although these two are not in conflict with the needs of the majority of citizens, i.e. ordinary residents. Every exhibition of architecture, including the Salon, can be seen as a kind of anchor point, a truly fragile one, between the ideals of the architectural profession and the real (current) state of architecture and urbanism. It seems that the old call for the city’s recapture is more relevant today than ever before.

The Salon of Architecture is an exhibition of architecture that traditionally, every year, for more than four decades, recognizes and values architectural creativity and represents the most comprehensive overview of the Serbian architectural activity. In addition, it is also open to foreign participants. Out of the total number of 232 works that had been nominated in all categories, the selection Jury decided that 129 works deserved to be included in the official selection, out of which 74 works, classified in 6 categories, were eligible for awards (there were no works received from the field of urbanism and architectural photography, whereas competition and students’ works were exhibited outside the category for awards). About three hundred authors, divided in 100 teams, will display their works that belong to various fields of architecture – public buildings, residential and industrial buildings, interior designs, experimental and research projects, and writings on architecture.

Unfortunately, the Salon’s accompanying programme, which always brings a series of interesting events, topics, programmes and exhibitions, will not be held in its full scale this year due to the restrictive gathering measures conditioned by the Covid-19 pandemic. Only the faculty programme has been planned – the Pre-Salon event along with an array of workshops created in cooperation among the following institutions: the Faculty of Applied Arts from Belgrade, the Faculty of Architecture from Belgrade, the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture from Niš and the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad. The exhibition of the mentioned programme will open on 18^th May, 2021.

The Salon exhibition will be open to visitors under specific conditions, with the implementation of all safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Expert guidance is planned for a wider audience. During the 43^rd Salon of Architecture, the Museum publications dealing with the topic of contemporary architecture and design will be sold at significantly lower rates.

The Salon curator and catalogue editor: Ljiljana Miletić Abramović, Director of the Museum of Applied Art. Associate curator: Mioljub Kušić, curator at the MAA Department of Architecture. Catalogue, poster and invitation visual identity design: Borut Vild, designer. Exhibition poster and catalogue artwork: Dušan Tkačenko, designer.

Detailed information regarding the 43^rd Salon of Architecture will be available in good time via the website of the Museum of Applied Art, www.mpu.rs.