Vanja will say about herself:
I reside in Smederevo and have dedicated over 30 years to artistic photography. My work has been featured in several hundred collective exhibitions across the former Yugoslavia. In recent years, I’ve shifted to solo exhibitions, having organized and showcased 17 so far.
With the cultural landscape significantly affected by COVID-19, I believe sustaining it in this era requires innovative approaches. Currently, I have two photo exhibitions that were initially planned to tour Serbia this and the following year, but everything is currently on hold. Recognizing that exhibition activity may not return to its previous state, I propose exploring new avenues. An effective solution, in my opinion, is to organize online presentations on social networks and the websites of cultural institutions.
In 2018, I successfully adapted an exhibition about the people of Smederevo for a digital presentation. Soon, the exhibition “Sunny Side of the Street (People from Smederevo)” will be simultaneously published on my personal Facebook profile, various large Facebook groups, newspapers, and the websites of cultural institutions.
Considered a pilot project, this initiative aims to reach a wider audience. Even if traditional exhibition activities resume, this digital approach ensures accessibility to those who may not habitually attend gallery openings or visit art spaces. To quote radio presenter Marko Jankovic, “If the citizens of Belgrade do not go to the river, the river will come to them” (during the flood). This kind of online exhibition is, in my view, inevitable, as traditional gallery attendance remains limited. While a genuine experience of an exhibition occurs in person, online presentations have the potential to attract new audiences, inspiring future visits to galleries.
