IMPOSSIBLE - THE ART OF SURREALISM 1926-1936

IMPOSSIBLE – THE ART OF SURREALISM 1926-1936 , by Milanka Todic, Ph.D., a representative study exhibition of The Museum of Applied Art, was opened on the Museum Day, on 6 November 2002, until 18 February 2003.
The exhibition was conceived as a systematic, interdisciplinary presentation of heterogeneous activities of Belgrade surrealists (Marko Ristic, Vane Bor, Nikola and Aleksandar Vuco, Dusan Matic), which was cultivated in 1930s, simultaneously with the activities of French surrealists.
The exhibition conformed with important surrealist exhibitions taking place in the world (New Tate Gallery, London, 2001; Bobur, Paris and Metropolitan Museum, New York, 2002). Apart from photographs, photo-collages, and photograms, the exhibition featured rare books and magazines, and surrealist artifacts and assemblies, some of them first reconstructed and exhibited.
The exhibition was followed by MS Todic’s catalogue study, which thoroughly analyzed experiences and specificities of surrealism in Serbia, featuring reprints of surrealist publications of the almanac Nemoguce – L’impossible from 1930 and magazine Nadrealizam danas i sada (Surrealism now and here) from 1931-1932.

he accompanying programme of the exhibition Impossible – the Art of Surrealismconsisted of lectures (organized in the City Library), a cycle of surrealist films (in Museum of Yugoslav Film Archives), and the programme presented in the The Museum of Applied Art.
The programme featured the following lectures:
Inventions of Serbian surrealists, by Branko Aleksic, Ph.D., Paris;
Surrealist artifact and fashion, by Maja Ciric;
Film and surrealism, by Professor Nevena Dakovic, Ph.D.;
Surrealist photography, by Professor Monika Faber, Ph.D. Vienna;
Performance:
Woman’s body in the works of Claude Cahun and Hans Belmer, by Marijana Milosavljevic, Đorđe Milosavljević;
Theatrical performance:
Frieda Kalo, Una pierna y tres corazones, by Bojan Djordjev, Sinisa Ilic, Sena Djorovic;
Children’s workshop:
“La cadavre exquis” (children from arts workshop of the Institute for studying cultural development, Belgrade, made 33 drawings, out of which 22 were added to the exhibition Impossible – the art of surrealism).
Promotion of the almanac
Around surrealism, by Marko Ristic, edited by Nikola Bertolino, published by Clio.

The Museum, as the organizer of the exhibition, wished to stir up interest of Belgrade audience, especially of the youth, in our avant-garde heritage and artistic practice of the Belgrade group of surrealists, but also to point to this artistic movement which was never sufficiently promoted in our country. The exhibition was positively estimated by literary critics and was exceptionally well covered by the media. The very opening of the exhibition, which was to take place at 13 minutes to midnight, presented a singular surrealist event. A girl sprawling on a sofa, with tattoos on her body, brought a surrealist photograph from 1925 into life. The spokeswoman of the exhibition, dressed in an original costume created by Zvonko Marovic, completed this visual experience. A large number of beautiful young people paid tribute to Belgrade surrealists.

NIN from 14 November 2002 published a statement of Gojko Tesic, one of the most prominent connoisseurs of Serbian avant-garde art between the two world wars: “The exhibition is an artistic miracle of miracles at the beginning of the new millenium in Belgrade… Surrealist art presented in an entirely different light and in a wonderful, magical manner it is a supreme, very European event of the last decade. Both Milanka Todic and The Museum of Applied Art deserve commendation, and more!”

Awards:

The exhibition Impossible – the Art of Surrealism got a prestigious award of Serbian Association of Art Historians and was proclaimed the best exhibition in 2002. The exhibition was also awarded the “Isidorine staze” award by publishing company Plavi Jahac, Belgrade, for its contribution to Serbian culture.

 

IF YOU BLEIEVE IN LOVE, BELIEVE IN SURREALISM