PANCEVO (SEEcult.org) - The 13th Biennial of Art "Pure Expression" in Pancevo, started on September 13 at the Gallery of Contemporary Art, presents works of 50 Serbian and international artists, as well as theatre and film program, focused on theme “Pure Expression”. The Biennial is opened with the proclamation of the “Pancevo Republic!”, by public reading of independence declaration, playing of the anthem and displaying of the emblems of republic.

Related link: www.bijenaleumetnosti.rs

“Pancevo Republic!”, proclaimed by Fantomat, is a temporal material territory whose borders are fluid and do not correspond to the borders of the city whose name it has assumed. It also advocates the right on self-determination, on the secession from the global imperial sovereignty, as well as local nationalisms. “Pancevo Republic”! is also an aesthetic excess of constituting  an existential territory as a response to the local and global economic, cultural, social and ecological crisis witch requires rethinking of every concept and category.

The theme of this year's Biennial of Art in Pancevo is corresponding with the theme of previous Biennial in 2006 - "Protection of Nature", which was determined by the work and importance of Joseph Beuys, one of the 20th century's greatest artists.

The theme of this year's Biennial, Pure expression, is in a slight agreement with Protection of Nature, the theme of the 12th Biennial of Art, which is at the same time the beginning of the reflection about pure, simple and above all clear artistic expression, language, work, engagement... It is also opposite to the given theme: unclear, complicated, impure, complex also represents the possibility to determine not only artistic but also abstract activities related to pure artistic expression.

Among the participants of this year’s Biennial at the Gallery of Contemporary Art are Art-Act, John Baca, Zanny Begg i Oliver Ressler, David Ferrando Giraut, Jacob Goble, Dejan Cancarevic i Mileta Mijatovic, Bojan Djordjev and Sinisa Ilic, Ana Husman, Nikoleta Markovic, Metahaven - Vinca Kruk, Daniel van Der Velden i Gon Zifroni, Mark Napier, Dusan Radovanovic, Dragan Rajsic, Christopher Robbins, Societe Realiste…

In Gallery Dvoriste are presented Nikoleta Markovic and Darinka Pop Mitic, H.arta - Maria Crista, Anca Gyemant i Rodica Tache, Mladen Hrvanovic, Jovana Komnenic, Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova, Danilo Prnjat, Christopher Robbins, Marija Suica, Matthias Verroen and Extrastruggle, which video on Iraq and the consequences of mass media attracted much attention.

At the cake shop “Popovic” are presented drawings of Marina Markovic, and in gallery Electrica is organised a tribute exhibition of GRRR! Program, dedicated to late Inuit (Eskimo) artist  Alootook Ipellie, whose work and personality left a deep impact both on visitors and participants of the International Festival of Authorial comic strip GRRR!, held in Pancevo in 2005. Ipellie died in September 2007 in Ottawa, where he had lived.

Aleksandar Zograf (Sasa Rakezic), well known comic drawer and illustrator from Pancevo, dedicated the exhibition in Electrica to Ipellie, showing his works and artefacts that remind of his stay in Pancevo.

The Biennial also presents the exhibition Chto delat? (Olga Egorova, Nikolai Oleinikov, Dmitry Vilensky, Alexandra Croitoru and Stefan Tiron, Goran Dragas, Oleg Mavromatti i Boryana Rossa, Christopher Robbins, Hito Steyerl, Natasa Teofilovic i Ranko Travanj).

It was planed that the Biennial opens with the concert of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra in the industrial complex of HIP Petrohemija, but it is canceled due to bad weather, and organizers said that new date will be announced soon.

The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra should perform under the baton of Stephen Gunzenhauser and Marcelo Nisinman as a soloist (bandoneon), at the place which was hit during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.

On the same place in Petrohemija it was planed to be performed on September 15 the awarded play “Circus History”, directed by Sonja Vukicevic, but it will took place in Cultural Center Pancevo, also due bad weather.

Based on the fragments from Shakespeare's tragedies and the study of Jan Kott “Shakespeare Our Contemporary”, “Circus History” points out the current craving for (ab)use of political and historical events by the media, the voyeur enjoyment with popcorn and ice cream over historical cataclysms which happen calmly in front of our eyes thanks to television.

It was premiered at the 40th Belgrade International Theatre festival (BITEF) in 2006, and participated later at large number of festivals, including 14th International Festival in Rijeka, Wiener Festwochen in Vienna, 52nd Sterijino pozorje in Novi Sad, PIH in Pula, Mittelfest in Cividale in Italia, MESS in Sarajevo, “City Theatre” in Budva…

Beside visual and theatre program, the Biennial will present also the film program, curated by awarded Belgrade film director Stefan Arsenijevic.

Four European short film directors have been invited to make short films during their eight-day stay in Pancevo. They will perceive this town in their own ways and react to the ecological catastrophe in this town near Belgrade.

Films will be shown on October 7, straight from the editing, and they are: “Save the Children” (Terje Rangnes), “Kong at the Seaside” (Fedrik De Beul), “Sophie” (Birgitte Starmose) and “The Ritual" (Nadejda Koseva).

The Biennial is open until October 20.