Impact

Art in Times of Crisis – a Community-Led Event by Project Biennial D-0 ARK Underground

This deeply meaningful field trip united civil society actors through the power of arts and culture. “Tito’s bunker” a hidden historic treasure located in Konjic, Bosnia and Hercegovina, was the scene and starting point of a two-day experience, showcasing Bosnian history, cultural heritage and contemporary art. This event was organised by Project Biennial of Contemporary Art D-0 ARK Underground in cooperation with WHW from Zagreb, supported by NGO Academy.

The massive underground structure, the Atomic War Command (ARK), was built during the Cold War period (1953-1979) to shelter Yugoslavia’s state leadership, with president Tito on the top. This top secret was kept hidden until the Bosnian war (1992-1995) when ex-YU military units wanted to destroy it. It was opened to the public for the first time in its history in 2011 by the first Biennial of Contemporary Art. 

Up until today, the institution hosts 5 selections of Biennials and 159 artworks, from 119 artists, from 39 countries around the globe. This means this is one of the most important and the biggest contemporary art exhibitions in the world on the themes of the Cold War.

This remarkable site and historic place was the starting point for discussions on how to curate and produce art in times of crisis. In a two-day seminar this topic was discussed starting with the period during World War II and the one following it in the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. From that period we cast a light on the collection inside the Bunker, dedicated to the era of the Cold War.

As a sort of intermezzo of the event, we conducted a professional guided tour through the Bunker. During the tour the group could also see and try the “poem machine”, an artwork in itself inviting visitors to record their favourite poem, song or other artwork and the next visitor can actually listen to it. Thereby every visitor can leave a “trace” and share art with others.

The tour was followed by a panel discussion about creating art and curating during different societal crises from artists, curators and philosophical perspectives.

A third part was musical and dedicated to the music that has been created while the bunker has been ready for use but luckily not used for its purpose.

The next day was dedicated to the local environment, with a presentation of the “Neretva story” by Foundation Atelier for Community Transformation – a story of people fighting for its rivers in Bosnia and Hercegovina and the region, with a special focus on Neretva river and the fight against different destructive projects. After this presentation, the group embarked on a rafting adventure down the pristine waters of the Neretva River while it is still untouched.

More about this event and more about the Project D-0 ARK can be found on the website.

© Video and photos are from the archive of the “Project D-0 ARK Biennial”