The exhibition was divided into four major thematic areas. Using a series of slides, the curator expertly guided the Belgrade audience through the complex structure of the exhibition itself, as well as the topics the author considered most important. These topics, such as the relationship between Yugoslavia’s architecture and its society, artistic freedom and accomplishments, the culture of remembrance, and the fight to preserve the heritage of local communities and their way of life, were elaborated upon in the subsequent days.Īt the CZKD pavillion, which was literally filled to the brim, Vladimir Kulić then took the curious audience through the New York exhibition. The introductory discussion between the author and editor of the international forum, Ljubica Slavković and Maroje Mrduljaš, the author of the documentary TV series Betonski spavači (Concrete Slumbers), opened up many relevant topics through a conversation on Betonski spavači and Maroje’s extensive work. The first day of the international forum was named Creating a Concrete Utopia: New York, and was dedicated to the MoMA exhibition in New York, the increasing interest in post-war Yugoslav architecture, and the many topics brought up by the exhibition. The gathering itself, an international forum, was conceived accordingly, through four thematic days. Creating a Concrete Utopia refers on one hand to the processes that went into creating the New York exhibition, and on the other hand, to the creation of that concrete utopia referenced by the exhibition. The name of the Belgrade gathering is also a play on words. That is why A Concrete Utopia was presented in Belgrade. For the authors, this is precisely a metaphor for one of the main characteristics of Yugoslavia itself, whose architecture is the subject of the exhibition. This blochian utopia doesn’t follow a fixed blueprint, doesn’t rely on any unchangeable ideal model, but gains a dynamic dimension of constant creation and pursuit. On the other hand, by naming it a concrete utopia, the authors are also referring to an important philosophical term coined by Ernst Bloch. On one hand, a large portion of the exhibition displays architecture made out of reinforced concrete. The English title of the exhibition is a deliberate play on words. The name itself was a matter of some dispute in the public: is the utopia concrete, or made out of concrete? That was also one of the topics discussed at the four-day international forum. The name for the Belgrade gathering held at CZKD was Creating a Concrete Utopia: The Architecture of Yugoslavia, 1948-1980. The protagonists and artists from the period covered by the exhibition also joined us at CZKD’s Belgrade review of the exhibition and the various topics it has brought up. The members of the curatorial team, along with Vladimir Kulić, the curator, took part in an international forum held between November 12th and 15th at the Center for Cultural Decontamination (CZKD) in Belgrade. However, the exhibition is the fruit of several years’ labor by a team of experts from our region. The initiative for dealing with the topic of socialist Yugoslav architecture came directly from MoMA itself. Spread across 1000 m², spanning several thematic areas and monograph rooms, the complexity of Yugoslav architecture and society is on display in the heart of Manhattan.
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