At the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro (MCAM), in the MCAM Gallery, the exhibition of Slovenian artist Maja Smrekar was officially opened. Smrekar’s work is internationally recognized and significantly contributes to connecting art with pressing contemporary issues such as the future of life in technological acceleration, questions of ecology, and the “Other” from a posthumanist perspective.
At the opening, speeches were given by the museum’s director, Dr. Vladislav Šćepanović, the exhibition curator Natalija Vujošević, and the artist Maja Smrekar.
The director of MCAM, Dr. Vladislav Šćepanović, emphasized that Maja Smrekar’s work is an example of brave and necessary artistic practice in contemporary society.
“The artist explores certain boundary phenomena that often serve as critiques of modern society and life. Maja Smrekar is, I would say, a necessary artist in this time — one who challenges mainstream tendencies concerning technology, life, gender, and bioethics, fields toward which we are heading but about which ordinary individuals know very little. Her feminist worldview, as well as her position inspired by Donna Haraway, represent an important resistance to the contemporary revival of patriarchy,” said Šćepanović.
Curator Natalija Vujošević highlighted that Smrekar, through this exhibition, connects the local context with global themes.
“For the exhibition’s theme, Maja chose a local case — the postindustrial landscape of the Solana saltworks — which she researched during her residency last year. From this research, she developed a speculative narrative focused on the great pink flamingo, the symbol of Solana, through which the artist contemplates possible futures of interspecies coexistence, sustainability, and life after ecological catastrophe,” stated Vujošević.
The artist Maja Smrekar reflected on the process of creating the exhibition and the symbolism of the flamingo as its central motif.
“During my stay in Montenegro, I began researching flamingos — their taxonomy, ecology, and behavior. It’s fascinating that they can live up to seventy years, always within the same flock, where togetherness, rather than reproduction, plays a central role. There are also many flamingos that never reproduce but live as lifelong friends, building a community that endures together. This idea of solidarity and coexistence within a species became the foundation of this exhibition,” explained Smrekar.
Maja Smrekar (born in 1978 in Slovenia) is one of the most prominent contemporary artists in Southeastern Europe. Her work focuses on the interweaving of biology, technology, social structures, and ethics. She graduated in Visual Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, where she also obtained her master’s degree in Video and New Media.
Smrekar is internationally recognized for her research connecting biotechnology and performance, particularly through projects such as K-9_topology, Ecce Canis, Hybrid Family, and !BRUTE_FORCE, which critically examine the boundaries between humans and other species. She is the recipient of numerous international awards, most notably the Golden Nica at Ars Electronica (2017) for her work in hybrid art.
Her works have been presented in leading museums, galleries, and contemporary art festivals across Europe and worldwide. At the core of her artistic practice lies an exploration of the relationship between technology, empathy, and collective survival.
The exhibition will remain open to visitors until January 10, 2026.