Alison Moris, Jakub Ochnio and Teodora Ivkov

Opening: Friday, April 1st 2016 7PM
Galerija Eurocentar, Makedonska 30
From April 1st till 14th

Belgrade Photo Month was born in October 2014. The idea was to make a connexion between different exhibition spaces in Belgrade, New Belgrade & Zemun; to create an explosion of creativity through the light ─ exhibitions, workshops, lectures, movies, presentations and analogue photography equipment market; to show the world what is going on in Serbia and to show people in Serbia what photographers from abroad are doing; to try to put Photography, like Art, at the right place where it deserves to be.

While we were developing the idea, we realized that an event like this deserves something more that will give it an international vocation that it is supposed to have. We decided to create a Photo Concurs for photographers under the age of 25 ─ New Talents 2016. International Photo Competition. We shared the information online and sent it to Photography or Art Schools all around the world.

We have chosen a jury composed of 5 members: Slobodan Sarić, photographer, Ivana Tomanović from Serbia, Sali Sallini from Turkey, Laure Maugeais from France and Carlota Loveart+ from Spain.

We have received 161 proposals, out of which 119 were complete and in accordance with the Open Call rules. We got 44%of proposals from male candidates and 46% from the female ones. The proposals came from 25 different countries and 4 continents. 44% of proposals were from Serbia.

The youngest one to send in an application was a 12 year old Serbian girl Isidora Dincic. Thanks!!!

Probably just that justifies all the work that the organizers have done.

Finally, the jury selected the best 10 projects and in the end the best 3… and so, here we have the exhibition. In alphabetic order: Allison Morris, Jakub Ochnio and Teodora Ivkov.

Next year, we will have some more surprises.

Translation by Ana Stijelja

Opening: Thursday, March 31 at 7 PM
Paviljon Cvijeta Zuzorić
From March 31st to April 23rd

By the mid-fifties of the 20th century, social realism had slowly begun to disappear from the social and cultural scene. A new, young generation of photographers appeared, formed under the influence of the famous Henry Cartier-Bresson, his agency “Magnum”, and the “Family of Man” exhibition curated by Edward Steichen, which was exhibited in the “Cvijeta Zuzorić Art Pavillion” in 1957. They focused their small-format cameras on people, everyday things and situations. Simultaneously, but each in his own way, they reshaped the identity of photojournalism. Following their emergence, photography ceased to be a simple illustration of a text, or an image of the most important personages of the political and cultural scene, and elevated itself into gallery-worthy artwork.

Among them, the foremost place belongs to Tomislav Peternek, one of the first photographers to bring artistic value to photojournalism. He is also the first photographer to turn his camera on both the important political events, and the far more important everyday life with its ups and downs, annonymous heroes, virtues and flaws. All of his photographs and reportage series are candid and depict the most important events and personages that have defined the history of the former Yugoslavia: the student protests of 1968, the earthquake in Skopje, flooding in Zagreb, the fashion creations of the legendary Aleksandar Joksimović, wars and destruction, but also children, individuals, fans at a basketball game, exhibition visitors, circus performers.

Tomislav Peternek is stil active, creating images that celebrate life, while at the same time allowing new technologies and some different themes and genres, such as nudes, to become a part of his immense body of work. The majority of the photographs shown in this exhibition constitute both historical and subjective documents. His direct approach, his specific feeling for the rhetoric of life, for fleeting moments and situations, with a dose of humor and symbolism, has given these images a timeless, iconic status in the history of photography, art and culture of this country.

Jelena Matić
Curator Jelena Matic
Translation by Tamara Markovic

Although Belgrade Photo Month has not officially started, the first exhibition that is part of our festival is opened tonight at the Institute “Cervantes” in Belgrade: “Revertimini (Volveos)” by Jordi Plana Pey inspired by the work of Ramón Lull.

The exhibition will be open to visitors until the end of April.

For more information, follow this link