The accession negotiations between Montenegro and the European Union may seem too complicated and difficult for people to understand. Plenty of chapters, mandatory benchmarks, the acquis, negotiating groups and numerous reports are just a fraction of this important but often confusing process.
For this reason, in collaboration with the Centre for Visual Culture and the European Integration Office, we have decided to present the negotiations in a completely different and unusual way – through an exhibition named ‘European Inspirations – the Negotiation Process in the Eyes of Artists’, prepared by former and current students of the Faculty of Design and Multimedia at the University of Donja Gorica (UDG).
The exhibition is on display at the Centar Gallery in Podgorica between 28 October and 2 November. The exhibition was officially opened by Oana Kristina Popa, the Ambassador of the European Union to Montenegro.
“Today’s event is a perfect combination of celebrating young creative artists, while promoting the EU accession process in a slightly different, fun way. Understanding the process of joining the European Union is really a challenge! I know it might seem too technical and a bit boring to some, and I can’t really blame them for that! This exhibition offers a visual overview of the negotiating chapters we hear about so often. We hope it will contribute to making this process more interesting in a novel and creative way,” said Popa.
The collection came about a result of visual facilitation – translating words into pictures. The students first attended lectures on the negotiating process delivered by the representatives of the European Integration Office in the Government of Montenegro. After visiting the exhibition, Zorka Kordić, Montenegro’s chief negotiator with the EU, said the students had managed to grasp the essence of the negotiations and turn them into visual symbols.
“For this reason, I want to tell these young people that their works inspire and motivate us and that our teams in the European Integration Office, the negotiating structure and the Government of Montenegro will work even more efficiently, so that Montenegro could take an equal place in the European family as soon as possible and so that they could enjoy the same rights and make use of opportunities just like their peers throughout the European Union,” said Kordić.
The exhibition features works by 22 former and current graphic design students at UDG. Ksenija Borozan spoke at the exhibition on their behalf.
“This collection is made up of stylistically different yet complementary works, which communicate with each other like the stars arranged in a circle on the EU flag. We, young people, are quite aware of the importance of the negotiation processes, as well as of Montenegro’s future in various aspects of life. We do see much room for progress in this respect, which will eventually lead to new jobs and provide many new and significant life opportunities for development, among other things,” said the young graphic designer.
The students’ creative work took place under supervision of professors Milica Šaranović and Svetlana Dragojević. They stressed how important it is to involve young people in such projects.
“This is a crucial moment for their future careers. Thank you for this opportunity and for giving the students the support to express themselves,” said Dragojević.
The ‘European Inspirations – the Negotiation Process in the Eyes of Artists’ exhibition will be on display at the Centar Gallery until 2 November. After that, it will continue its ‘journey’ to other Montenegrin towns and cities.
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