Today, a press conference was held at Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro in Petrović’s Castle to present the project through which Montenegro will be represented at the 60th La Biennale di Venezia.

Speakers at the conference included PhD Vladislav Šćepanović, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro and commissioner of the Montenegrin Pavilion at the 60th La Biennale di Venezia of Contemporary Art, Daniele Capra, curator from Italy and jury member, project curator Ana Simona Zelenović, and the project artist Darja Bajagić.

PhD Vladislav Šćepanović, the director of MCAM, stated that Montenegro will be presented in a new venue this time – Ospedaletto, located prominently in Venice.

Šćepanović emphasized that this innovation provides artists not only with space but also an opportunity to present their works in a much better way. “We are creating all the conditions for Montenegrin art to gain an internationally recognizable platform that will highlight the richness and diversity of our artistic scene.”

Additionally, Šćepanović announced negotiations for space in the Arsenal for the upcoming Biennale in 2026. “This is an exceptionally important step that will allow our artists to be featured on one of the most prestigious artistic platforms,” said the director of MCAM.

Regarding this year’s open call, Šćepanović highlighted that, in the interest of democratization and openness in the selection process, the call was open to artists/artistic groups and curators with curatorial projects.

“We broke with the traditional practice of appointing curators, giving artists the opportunity to present their concepts themselves, creating a more open and inclusive environment for artistic creativity. By forming an international jury, we ensured transparency in the decision-making process, providing fair assessment and support for author proposals. This is a step towards creating an environment that values quality, innovation, and diversity in artistic creation.”

Fifteen applications were received for this year’s open call, and the jury consisted of PhD Vladislav Šćepanović, Marina Čelebić, Daniele Capra, Jovanka Popova, and Gunnar B. Kvaran.

Daniele Capra, a jury member, explained that the jury selected the project “An Island Is Needed for Such a Good Feeling” by Darja Bajagić, proposed by Ana Simona Zelenović, to represent Montenegro at the 60th International La Biennale di Venezia.

“The jury chose ‘An Island Is Needed for Such a Good Feeling’ for the quality of the proposal, the ability to connect the present with the past in the context of the Venice Biennale, and the authenticity of each element of the project,” concluded Capra.

The project curator, Ana Simona Zelenović, stated that the project aims to critically examine the culture of collective memory and reflect on our relationship with shared historical heritage. “The artist will explore these themes through painting and sculpture, with a particular focus on the complex and layered history of the Montenegrin island of Mamula.”

“Bajagić, through her research and artistic practice, explores our reception and perception of images and other visual representations, despite the lack or precisely because of possessing knowledge of the relevant historical or social context. Experimenting with the construction of symbolic systems of meaning, the artist explores how it is generated through visuality and how ideas gain strength in a contemporary image-based society,” highlighted Zelenović.

Darja Bajagić, born in 1990 in Podgorica but raised in Egypt and the United States, currently lives and works between Montenegro and the United States.

She earned her education at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, graduating in 2012, and later obtained her master’s degree from Yale University School of Art in 2014.

During the period from 2008 to 2014, throughout her undergraduate and postgraduate studies, Darja was the recipient of the prestigious Lemelson Foundation scholarship, awarded annually to one student based on exceptional talent.

Her artistic work has been featured in several solo exhibitions, including “Goregeous” at Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers, France (2020), “Born Losers” at the Hessel Museum of Art, Annandale-On-Hudson, New York (2018), and “Unlimited Hate” at Künstlerhaus, Halle für Kunst & Medien, Graz, Austria (2016). The exhibition catalog for “Unlimited Hate” was published by Sternberg Press.

She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions at the National Gallery Prague, Czech Republic (2021), Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain, Luxembourg (2020), Contemporary Art Centre (CAC), Vilnius, Lithuania (2018), and Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden (2015).

Darja Bajagić’s work has been reviewed and featured in over 10 international publications, including Artforum International, Artnet, ARTNews, Dazed, Elephant, Flash Art, i-D (Vice), Interview, The New York Times, and is included in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro, Podgorica; Museu de l’Art Prohibit, Barcelona, Spain; Es Baluard Museu d’Art Contemporani de Palma, Spain; and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago, Illinois.

The Ministry of Culture and Media is the general sponsor of Montenegro’s participation in the 60th La Biennale di Venezia, while the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro serves as the organizer and executive producer.