Project realized in collaboration with:
Photon – Centre for Contemporary Photography, Ljubljana
Comune di Pordenone Assessorato alla Cultura
Analogue photography, black and white hand made prints, 80x30cm
“The Aftermath / Changing Cultural Landscape international project is the first regional research and curatorial platform established in order to identify and articulate principal tendencies within the field of contemporary photography in relation to its immediate environment. With the participation of partner organisations from throughout the former Yugoslavia, the project represents an extensive investigation of the effect of large-scale social shifts on the image of the physical and mental environment, and thereby, also on the expression of a number of artists who work in the field of fine art photography.”
Duško Miljanić thematic focus is socially engaged thinking, specifically in relation to ecology/rapidly spreading pollution, but also marginal social groups. In dealing with important social themes, he employs a direct approach and a succinct and sometime hermetic language. The consequences of transitional processes in the Balkans are still visible in the social climate and cultural landscape of Montenegro. Transition has been present for so long in the area that it has almost became commonplace, it has never-theless had a strong effect on all spheres of life and has became the common destiny of all neighbouring countries for over two decades. The explicitly titled Transition series is part of a wider collection that deals with processes of transformation within our modern society, a society that strives towards the capitalist system but still carries the burden of past systems, and in some cases is not completely ready to carry out the process of change. The bleak, almost unreal atmosphere that dominates these images and motifs appear to be taken in the deep provinces but in reality they are not so difficult to locate, even on the outskirts of capital cities. They have become an almost legitimate part of “urban landscape” and are indirectly reflecting globalisation. Not only taken in Montenegro but in other Balkan countries such as Romania they can easily be perceived as a form of litmus paper for post-socialist societies which is in a permanent state of transition."
Mirjana Dabovic Pejovic