The exhibition “Between Two Breaths: from the Avant-Garde to the Digital” has opened at the Salon of the Museum of the City of Belgrade, presenting a selection of 200 artworks by 68 artists from the Wiener Art Collection of contemporary Serbian art. Spanning all three levels of the Salon and covering approximately 1,000 square meters, the exhibition explores the changes and development of contemporary Serbian art through a range of artistic media, from avant-garde and experimental practices to contemporary digital forms.
After nine years, the Belgrade audience once again has the opportunity to explore key segments of the Wiener Art Collection. The exhibition is organised into three generational sections – from artists whose work was ahead of or developed in parallel with European and global artistic movements, through a generation that developed engaged artistic practices and introduced new media, to artists who came of age at the turn of the century and whose work connects digital forms with the experiences and legacy of previous generations. Among the artists represented are figures from different generations and artistic practices, including Vladan Radovanović, Ana Bešlić, Mira Brtka, Milena Čubraković, Dragoljub Raša Todosijević and Nedeljko Neša Paripović, followed by Mrđan Bajić, Mileta Prodanović and Milica Tomić, as well as Mihael Milunović, Zoran Naskovski, Ana Knežević and Olivera Parlić, among many others.
The exhibition includes painting, drawing, sculpture, objects, photography, video, installations and contemporary digital forms, presenting different ways in which artists have explored new possibilities of artistic expression and responded to the changes of their time.
The title “Between Two Breaths: from the Avant-Garde to the Digital” suggests a transition between two periods, two states and two ways of seeing the world. This transition is one of the key ideas of the exhibition: art constantly changes its forms, media and ways of communicating, while retaining its need to explore, question and create new meanings.
“From the very beginning, the Wiener Art Collection was conceived as a dynamic platform supporting artistic production and following developments on the contemporary art scene. This exhibition connects the legacy of the avant-garde with contemporary artistic and digital practices and shows how the collection has evolved and expanded over the past 15 years. As someone who has been involved in its creation from the very beginning, it is particularly meaningful to me that the collection has grown into a space where different generations, media and artistic perspectives meet, thereby contributing to the visibility of contemporary Serbian art,” said Svetlana Smiljanić, Member of the Executive Board of Wiener Städtische osiguranje.
A special segment of the exhibition opening was the performance “Thanks for Visiting” by artist Aleksandar Dimitrijević, who painted a mural in front of the audience and then scraped it off and packed it into glass jars. Through this symbolic act, the performance raised questions about the value of artwork and how that value is created.
“The title of the exhibition, “Between Two Breaths: from the Avant-Garde to the Digital”, evokes a space of transition, a moment between two periods and two ways of seeing the world. This space of transition becomes a metaphor for art, which constantly changes its forms, media and ways of communicating, while at the same time retaining its need to explore, question and create new meanings. From avant-garde and experimental practices to contemporary digital forms, the works selected for this exhibition demonstrate the different ways in which art responds to social, technological and political changes,” said Saša Janjić, curator of the exhibition.
The Wiener Art Collection of contemporary Serbian art was established in 2011 in line with the strategy of Vienna Insurance Group (VIG), to which Wiener Städtische osiguranje in Serbia belongs. The initiative is part of the Group’s broader commitment to supporting culture and the arts and contributing to the development of the communities in which its companies operate. In addition to actively supporting the promotion of local artists, the Wiener Art Collection has for 15 years contributed to the development of local artistic production and the promotion of new artistic directions and practices.
The collection has been continuously expanded through carefully selected acquisitions and today represents one of the most significant corporate collections of contemporary art in Serbia, comprising more than 600 artworks by over 100 renowned Serbian artists. The collection encompasses traditional and expanded media, including paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings and photographs, as well as site-specific and light installations, performance art and digital art. Through their themes and artistic expression, the works in the collection transcend the time in which they were created, offering fresh and authentic perspectives on reality and contemporary artistic expression.
The Wiener Art Collection was first publicly presented in 2012 through the exhibition “O’zvučenje” as part of the Art Salon in Belgrade. Its first independent presentation in Belgrade followed in 2017 with the exhibition “Collecting is Connecting” at the House of Legacies. Over the course of its development, the collection has also been presented internationally, including through the exhibition “Unknown Familiars” at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, where 80 works by 15 artists were presented in 2024. A particular value of the collection lies in its mission to make art more accessible to a wider audience. Through exhibitions across Serbia, including those held last year in Pirot, Kruševac and Vršac, Wiener Städtische osiguranje seeks to bring contemporary Serbian art closer to wider audiences, contributing to a more balanced cultural life and greater access to artistic content in local communities.
The exhibition “Between Two Breaths: from the Avant-Garde to the Digital” is open to the public from 11 September to 16 October 2026 at the Salon of the Museum of the City of Belgrade, 30 King Alexander Boulevard.
Artists represented in the exhibition:
Aleksić Milan, Apostolović Srđan, Bajić Mrđan, Basta Danica, Bešlić Ana, Božović Nikola Kolja, Bračić Nenad, Brtka Mira, Černik Atila, Čubraković Milena, Ćalić Marija, Damnjanović Radomir Damnjan, Dei Leči (Vitorac Bora, Pavlov Dragoljub), Dimitrijević Aleksandar, Dimitrijević Danka, Dimitrijević Slobodan Braco, diSTRUKTURA (Bosnić Milan i Milićević Milica), Donkov Perica, Dragaš Goran, Džafo Nikola, Đurđević Biljana, Glid Gabriel, Grebenarović Zoran, Grozdanić Živko Gera, Grupa A3 – Jugoslav Vlahović, Ivković Ivana, Joksimović Zdravko, Jozić Milan, Karanović Branimir, Kirćanski Nadežda, Knežević Ana, Kovač Žolt, Krkobabić Miodrag, Marković Srđan Đile, Mašić Radomir, Matković Slavko, Milivojević Slobodan Era, Milunović Mihael, Mirković Petar, Naskovski Zoran, Nešović Nevena, Nikolić Branislav, Nikolić Nemanja, Pančić Saša, Paripović Nedeljko Neša, Parlić Olivera, Peternek Tomislav, Petrović Dragan, Plazinić Božidar, Popović Zoran, Prodanović Mileta, Racković Nenad, Radovanović Vladan, Rafajlović Aleksandar, Ranisavljević Ivana, Santrač Zvonimir, Savić Miroslav, Supek Jaroslav, ŠKART (Protić Dragan, Balzamović Đorđe), Šuletić Ivan, Šuvaković Miško, Todosijević Dragoljub Raša, Tomić Milica, Trajković Jelena, Újhazi Adrienn, Urkom Gergelj, Vasić Čedomir, Vranešević Zoran.