A Meeting Point in Sarajevo

MEETING POINT, the first annual exhibition for the Soros Center for
Contemporary Arts Sarajevo convened on July 24, 1997, at the 16th
Century Turkish baths, now a summer garden known as Art Centar ljetna
basta CULHAN. A program of changing installations and performances, and
a nightly video program, attracted crowds of young and old, who gathered
to drink together and discuss the art on view. Each morning, a special
presentation of video, from historic to contemporary video work, takes
place in the COLLEGIUM ARTISTICUM, a side program presented by
international artists, curators and historians. The program continues
until September 12.

The energy and enthusiasm for learning about new media is just beginning
among the students and young artists in Sarajevo. Dunja Blazevic, the
Center's first director, has been in Sarajevo now for almost one year.
Her plans for the SCCA Sarajevo include the creation of a workspace for
the continuing production and education in media art. Internet is
available in Sarajevo, although it is unreliable. The young generation
often meets at the hot spot in town, the Internet Cafe (a local watering
hole, but without public terminals for connectivity). Their interest to
connect and communicate is keen, and the ideas demonstrated in their
video work set the stage for future online activity.

The first section of the exhibition, was the video program consisting of
'authors' works and independent documentaries. As a jury member, along
with Mike Stubbs (Hull, UK) and Sanja Ivekovic (Zagreb) we made
comments and awards on Sunday night, July 27.

The Jury Statement:

"The jury commends each of the participants for creating works on video
during such conditions, and with such little support or infrastructure.
We are aware of the courage it takes to document one's ideas and
surroundings during and after war. What was realized was a collective
voice, which we hope will have further exposure around the world. We
are deeply moved.

Special commendations for three new art videos:

Despite the painful nature of the content of your collective voice,
there is humor and a lucid pathos evident. We wish to give a special
mention to three artists works which exhibit a quality for blurred
vision and fragmented time. With basic production techniques, the
sublime nature of everyday life in Sarajevo during the war was revealed
to us in detail, in the works by:

Timur Makarevic & Amir Mzljac - MINDLES (9.30 min, 1997)
Nebojsa Seric - SOBA (devoted to my neighbors) (4 min, 1997)
Zlatan Filipovic - THE ROAD IN BETWEEN by (7 min, 1997)

Special jury award for documentary TV:

STREETS OF FIRE (60 min,1997) by Adnan Sarajlic and Sasa Kaljanac

We commend this chronicle, created for the local community, but which
has found recognition with the international audience. The persistence
and courage to show the ongoing human suffering and strength in the
series is remarkable. It is important for us to point out that the
technical quality of this work is exceptionally professional, and it is
stylistically appropriate for the content and its youth audience. This
program marks the future of contemporary television that represents
people's views in a hands-off way (from TV).

The prize for best video, with a $1,000. Cash prize from the SCCA Sarajevo,
is awarded to:

Jasmila Zbanic, for her works AUTOBIOGRAPHY (6 min, 1995) and AFTER,
AFTER (15 min, 1997)

The video work of Jasmila Zbanic demonstrates a personal reflection on
the war, and her strategy to process the highly emotional events that
have affected her life. Ritual and performance are healing processes,
and AUTOBIOGRAPHY is a performance work about survival.

In AFTER, AFTER, Jasmila demonstrates her ability to help others find
their voice, and reconstruct their future. The video creates a tension
between the gaze of the camera and the voice of the childrern, and
allows us to hear and see a light "from within that transcends the
typical interview situation."

+ + +

A selectionn of video works from Sarajevo will be screened at the
Ostranenie Festival, Dessau, in November. A screening is also being
arranged in Ljubljana, sometime in the Autumn. For further information
on the videos, and how to obtain them for programs, please contact Enes
Zlatar, program co-ordinator, SCCA Sarajevo. scca@soroos.org.ba