Artist Association Ars Aevi

Artist Association Ars Aevi
Name	Ars Aevi
Formation	1992
Founders	Gojko Berkuljan; Jeanne-Claude; Christo; Mladen Stilinović
Type	Artist association; cultural project
Headquarters	Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Region served	Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia

Artist Association Ars Aevi

Ars Aevi is a Sarajevo-based artist association and cultural initiative founded during the siege of Sarajevo that mobilized international contemporary artists and institutions to support cultural resilience in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to create a permanent contemporary art collection and museum in the city. The initiative engaged figures from the international art world, municipal authorities in Sarajevo Canton, and cultural organizations across Europe, mounting exhibitions, fundraising campaigns, and a prolonged museum project that intersected with post-war reconstruction, heritage debates, and international museum discourses.

History

Ars Aevi emerged in 1992 amid the Siege of Sarajevo when local curators and artists sought solidarity from global figures such as Joseph Beuys, Marina Abramović, Anish Kapoor, Olafur Eliasson, and Jannis Kounellis, while contacting institutions including the Tate Modern, Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, Fondation Cartier', and Museum Ludwig. Early activities combined wartime exhibitions with appeal letters to collectors like Yves Saint Laurent and patrons such as Simone de Beauvoir and Gianni Agnelli, aligning with initiatives by cultural figures including Mstislav Rostropovich, Seamus Heaney, and Wole Soyinka. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s the association negotiated with municipal bodies including City of Sarajevo and national agencies such as the Ministry of Culture of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while engaging curators from Documenta, Venice Biennale, and the Biennale di Venezia. The project’s timeline includes international support events in New York City, Paris, Berlin, Rome, and Vienna, and intersected with post-conflict reconstruction programs by UNESCO and debates involving heritage institutions like National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mission and Activities

Ars Aevi’s mission combined collection-building, exhibition-making, and advocacy: soliciting donations from artists such as Christo, Jasper Johns, Nam June Paik, Gerhard Richter, and Georg Baselitz, while organizing exhibitions with curators linked to Harald Szeemann, Nancy Spero, and Hans Ulrich Obrist. Activities included public programming in Sarajevo with artist talks by figures like Anselm Kiefer, Bill Viola, Shirin Neshat, Cildo Meireles, and workshops involving institutions such as the British Council, Goethe-Institut, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, and Cultural Institute of the Netherlands. The association initiated education projects referencing collaborations with academies like Academy of Fine Arts, University of Sarajevo, artist residencies connected to Villa Medici, Cité internationale des arts, and exchanges with museums including Stedelijk Museum, Kunsthalle Basel, and Hamburger Bahnhof.

Collection and Museum Project

The association assembled a collection of contemporary works by internationally renowned artists—donations from Marcel Duchamp-influenced legacies, works by Yves Klein pupils, and pieces by Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Louise Bourgeois, Pablo Picasso-archive gifts, and contemporary commissions by Ai Weiwei and Tracey Emin. The long-term museum project envisioned a purpose-built museum in Sarajevo, attracting architectural proposals from firms associated with Renzo Piano, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Santiago Calatrava, and Norman Foster, and involving heritage review by ICOMOS and funding discussions with European Investment Bank and Council of Europe. The museum plans navigated legal frameworks overseen by courts and ministries in Bosnia and Herzegovina and municipal planning authorities, while conservation input referenced specialists from Getty Conservation Institute and collections management protocols from the International Council of Museums.

Notable Exhibitions and Events

Notable events included wartime exhibitions and benefit shows in London, Paris, Milan, Madrid, and Brussels featuring artists such as Eduardo Paolozzi, Lucio Fontana, Joseph Kosuth, Robert Rauschenberg, Kiki Smith, and Carmen Herrera. The association curated projects intersecting with major art events including the Venice Biennale, Documenta 11, Manifesta, and offsite programs linked to Frieze Art Fair and Art Basel. High-profile fundraising concerts and readings involved performers and intellectuals like Goran Bregović, Emir Kusturica, Ivo Andrić Prize laureates, and collaborations with orchestras such as the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra and soloists connected to La Scala and Sydney Opera House engagements.

Membership and Governance

Ars Aevi’s membership combined Sarajevo-based artists, international donors, and advisory board members drawn from curators and directors of institutions such as Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, Fondazione Prada, Guggenheim Museum, Louvre, and National Gallery (London). Governance involved coordination with mayors of Sarajevo, ministers from Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and legal counsel interacting with courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Advisory councils featured cultural figures linked to European Cultural Foundation, Prince Claus Fund, Open Society Foundations, and patrons from corporate arts philanthropy including collectors associated with Saatchi Gallery and legacy trusts like Kunstmuseum Basel endowments.

Collaborations and Cultural Impact

Ars Aevi collaborated with international networks including UNESCO, European Cultural Foundation, Council of Europe, European Union Cultural Programme, and biennials such as Skulptur Projekte Münster and Istanbul Biennial. Its cultural impact is evident in Sarajevo’s post-war cultural infrastructure alongside institutions such as the National Theatre Sarajevo, City Gallery Sarajevo, Bosnian Cultural Centre, and educational links to University of Sarajevo. The association’s legacy influenced debates in contemporary museum practice involving restitution, cultural diplomacy with states like Italy, France, Germany, and collaborations with major collectors and museums including Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Neue Nationalgalerie in broader European art circuits.

Category:Arts organizations based in Bosnia and Herzegovina Category:Culture in Sarajevo