GALLERY OF THE SQUARE

In the year of the 90th anniversary of the Opera of the National Theatre, the National Theatre stages in the Museum of Applied Art from 9th to 25th September 2010 an exhibition of opera premieres’ posters, programmes and banners (Photos by Srđan Mihić) which the Theatre Publishing Department realised in cooperation with eminent visual artists and illustrators.

The posters will represent works of Olja Ivanjicki («Fledermaus/The Bat», «Aida»), Vladimir Dunjić (“Don Giovanni”), Aleksa Gajić («Carmen»), Aleksandar Luković («Pagliacci»), Branislav Mojsilović («Italian in Algiers»), Ana Ristić Dragović («Nabucco», «Hasanaginica»), Milka Vujović («Don Pasquale»), Slavko Krunić («Werther»), Katarina Zarić («La forza del destino»), Silva Vujović («The Barber from Seville»). Banners each sized 12 x 4 m were placed on the façade of the National Theatre as specific exhibition space to announce the opera opening nights. They were photographed and these photographs will be displayed at the exhibition. This project was conceived and realised by Vanja Kosanić, collaborator to the Publishing Department of the National Theatre. The design of the posters, programmes and banners was executed by Jelena Ratković, graphic designer. The exhibition will include the mentioned opera performance clips as a video presentation (by Petar Antonović).

Gordan Dragović wrote in the exhibition catalogue: «What strikes you most is the autochthonous character of the visual inspiration of the artists whose works are displayed here. The visual approach is guided by personal experience which is sometimes only remotely linked to the opera it represents. Does this make the visions less true or less valuable? No, on the contrary. This pure artistic sensation significantly broadens the scope of thematic meanings of the represented works in which we find a deeper sense».

The banners / posters are works of meta-artists who speak in an artistic language about another art and which we observe as essence of individual experience related to another work of art. It is possible to pertain authenthic experience only when the fundamental topic is considered. If it is so then the works displayed at this exhibition are integral part of a cultural event, testimony about a work of art as well as about the author, about itself, square, the street and about the time of its creation.