The second edition of the large-scale research and exhibition project “Montenegro Today 2026”, organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro (MCAM), opened last night at Petrović Castle, the House of the King’s Guard, the MCAM Gallery, and the ULUCG Art Pavilion. Bringing together 94 artists, this year’s project represents one of the most comprehensive surveys of the contemporary Montenegrin art scene and will remain open to the public until 15 September 2026.

Conceived to mark the 20th anniversary of Montenegro’s restored independence, the project continues the long-term research initiative launched by MCAM in 2023 with the aim of systematically mapping, documenting, and presenting contemporary Montenegrin art. Through curatorial research, thematic exhibitions, publications, and educational programmes, Montenegro Today has evolved into a long-term platform that simultaneously follows current artistic production while contributing to its recognition within both regional and international contexts.

Reflecting on this year’s edition, project coordinator Maša Vlaović and museum advisor Marina Čelebić emphasize that Montenegro Today 2026 is far more than an exhibition project.

“The Montenegro Today project has been conceived as a multi-year initiative, with the 2026 edition continuing the research and exhibition process initiated in its previous phases. Building upon the practice established during the 2024 and 2025 editions, this year’s project once again confirms the Museum’s commitment to providing a comprehensive insight into the contemporary Montenegrin art scene through a thematic and curatorial approach. Although the project continues to face limitations in exhibition space, its long-term format enables the gradual and thoughtful presentation of artists and their distinctive artistic practices. This year’s edition is distinguished by its organization into four thematic sections presented across four exhibition venues, allowing visitors to experience a journey through diverse artistic languages, poetics, and contemporary interpretations of reality, while creating a dynamic dialogue between space, artworks, and audiences.”

The project is coordinated by Maša Vlaović and Maja Dedić, while the introductory text of the accompanying catalogue is authored by Maša Vlaović and Marina Čelebić. In addition to the introductory essay, the publication will include curatorial texts dedicated to all four thematic sections, as well as presentations of every participating artist. The catalogue will be available to the public in early September.

At Petrović Castle, the thematic exhibition “Identity”, curated by Natalija Đuranović, Milica Bezmarević, and Kristina Senić, brings together artists whose paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, drawings, and video works examine identity as a complex, fluid, and multilayered process. The exhibition departs from the idea that identity is not a fixed category but is continuously shaped through the relationship between the individual, memory, the body, and society, inviting visitors to become active participants in interpreting the artworks.

At the House of the King’s Guard, curators Vuk Vuković and Teodora Nikčević present “Living Images”, an exhibition exploring artistic practices that critically engage with contemporary society. Through diverse media and interdisciplinary approaches, participating artists address issues of power, social inequality, technology, the body, and communication, affirming art as a space for critical thinking and social reflection. The exhibition extends beyond the gallery itself through artistic interventions in Kruševac Park.

At the MCAM Gallery, the exhibition “Dynamic Points and Invisible Lines”, curated by Nikolina Zuber and Biljana Keković, gathers artists who construct their own cosmologies through various artistic media—dynamic systems of meaning shaped by memory, social relationships, and inner processes. The exhibition explores the ways personal universes emerge from fragments of experience, symbols, and imagination, opening new perspectives on reality through process, freedom of thought, and multiple parallel viewpoints.

A special segment of the project is presented at the ULUCG Art Pavilion, where curators Maja Dedić, Anita Ćulafić, and Natalija Vujošević present the exhibition “Open Field / Artistic Practices and Ideas of Nature”, offering a different perspective on the contemporary Montenegrin artistic landscape. Rather than reproducing established hierarchies and historical narratives, the exhibition focuses on both the visible and hidden layers of the art scene, opening space for new narratives and collective imaginaries in which nature becomes both a subject and a method for interpreting the contemporary world. The opening also featured the performance “Wolf on the Grass” by the artistic duo Azra and Vuk (Azra Mehonjić and Vuk Peković), whose satirical intervention examines historical and local artistic mythologies, as well as the mechanisms through which figures of “great” artists and cultural authorities continue to be reproduced.

As in its previous editions, Montenegro Today reaffirms the commitment of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro (MCAM) to advancing contemporary Montenegrin art through long-term research, innovative curatorial practices, and an interdisciplinary approach. At the same time, the project serves as a platform for dialogue between artists, curators, and audiences, creating space for new interpretations of both art and society.

The exhibitions at Petrović Castle, the House of the King’s Guard, the MCAM Gallery, and the ULUCG Art Pavilion will remain open to visitors until 15 September 2026.