DISCONTINUOUS REPRESENTATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AT THE VENICE BIENNALE

Abstract

Those better acquainted with the social and political reality of Bosnia and Herzegovina will see the official participation of its national pavilion in the Venice Biennale as a kind of oddity. Ten-year gaps between the country’s previous participation in the event (1993 – 2003 – 2013) and the new initiative and project implemented in 2017 have made room perfect for debates, discussions and differing opinions about the possible models of how and in what way to present a country structured, in line with its Constitution, as decentralized, with two entities, ten cantons and one district. Unfortunately, the meantime, spanning 25 years, has not provided a solution that would guarantee Bosnia and Herzegovina’s contemporary art can be regularly presented in this prestigious event. That is why the proposed model and the third official participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 57^th Venice Biennale is an opportune moment for a critical retrospective, as well as a visionary look into the future, with the aim of presenting the local contemporary art scene in the global environment.