The Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro (MCAM) will open the second edition of its major research and exhibition project “Montenegro Today” on Thursday, 9 July, at 7:00 PM. Bringing together 94 artists, the project will unfold across four exhibition venues: Petrović Castle, The House of The King’s Guard, the MCAM Gallery and the ULUCG Art Pavilion.

This year’s edition marks the 20th anniversary of Montenegro’s restored independence and continues MCAM’s long-term research programme dedicated to mapping, documenting and presenting the contemporary Montenegrin art scene.

Launched in 2023, “Montenegro Today” has become one of MCAM’s most significant research and exhibition initiatives. Through curatorial research, thematic exhibitions, publications and educational programmes, the project continuously documents contemporary artistic production, encompassing artists working in Montenegro as well as artists of Montenegrin origin who live and work abroad. At the same time, it serves as a platform for documenting the country’s contemporary art scene and promoting it within regional and international contexts.

Rather than a traditional opening ceremony, this year’s edition invites visitors to explore all four exhibition venues from 7:00 PM, where MCAM curators will be present to introduce the concepts behind their exhibitions, discuss the selected artworks and engage the public in conversations about the themes shaping this year’s project.

Speaking about this year’s edition, project coordinator Maša Vlaović and Senior Museum Advisor Marina Čelebić emphasize that “Montenegro Today” has evolved into a long-term platform for researching and presenting contemporary Montenegrin art.

“The ‘Montenegro Today’ project has developed as a long-term initiative, and the 2026 edition represents a continuation of the research and exhibition process initiated in its previous phases. Building on the practice established throughout 2024 and 2025, the project once again confirms the Museum’s commitment to providing a comprehensive insight into the contemporary Montenegrin art scene through thematic and curatorial approaches. Although the project continues to face spatial limitations, its long-term concept enables the gradual and carefully considered presentation of artists and their individual artistic practices. The distinctive feature of this year’s edition lies in its organization into four thematic sections across four exhibition venues, allowing visitors to experience different artistic languages, artistic poetics and contemporary interpretations of reality while creating a dynamic dialogue between space, artworks and audiences.”

This year’s project is structured around four thematic exhibitions: “Identity” at Petrović Castle, “Living Images” at the  The House of The King’s Guard, “Dynamic Points and Invisible Lines” at the MCAM Gallery, and “Open Field / Artistic Practices and Ideas of Nature” at the ULUCG Art Pavilion. Each exhibition offers a distinctive curatorial perspective on contemporary Montenegrin art while together providing a comprehensive overview of current artistic developments.

As part of the thematic exhibition “Open Field / Artistic Practices and Ideas of Nature”, presented at the ULUCG Art Pavilion, visitors will have the opportunity to attend the performance “Vuk na travi” (“Wolf on the Grass”) at 8:00 PM, performed by the artistic duo Azra and Vuk (Azra Mehonjić and Vuk Peković). The performance forms an integral part of the exhibition concept, further expanding the dialogue between contemporary art, space and the audience.

The curatorial team for this year’s project includes Kristina Senić and Natalija Đuranović, curators of “Identity” at Petrović Castle; Vuk Vuković and Teodora Nikčević, curators of “Living Images” at The House of The King’s Guard; Nikolina Zuber and Biljana Keković, curators of “Dynamic Points and Invisible Lines” at the MCAM Gallery; and Maja Dedić, Anita Ćulafić and Natalija Vujošević, curators of “Open Field / Artistic Practices and Ideas of Nature” at the ULUCG Art Pavilion.

MCAM invites the public to visit all four exhibition venues on Thursday, 9 July, from 7:00 PM, and discover the second edition of “Montenegro Today”, one of the Museum’s most significant initiatives dedicated to researching and presenting contemporary Montenegrin art.

The exhibition “Montenegro Today 2026” reaffirms MCAM’s commitment to advancing Montenegrin contemporary art through long-term research, innovative curatorial practices and international collaboration, further strengthening its position within the regional and European cultural landscape.