Students of the University of Arts in Belgrade called on the artists and cultural employees of Serbia to suspend work in the "fight for justice, security and freedom". Today, Monday, they were joined by the Association of Fine Artists and the Association of the Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia.
ULUS
The Association of Fine Artists of Serbia (ULUS) announced that it is suspending its programs as a sign of support for students and called on artists to stop their activities.
"We are opening the Art Pavilion of Cvijeta Zuzorić and the ULUS Gallery to students in the blockade, and we offer a technique for organizing activities in the fight for a fairer society," the announcement reads.
They use this opportunity to remind about the "perennial destruction of the conditions for engaging in art and cultural work" and other well-known problems of local culture, and to demand, first of all, the separation of at least 1% from the public budget for culture; transparent competition procedures and nomination of independent members from the profession to bodies that make cultural and political decisions, manage public cultural institutions; regulation of the status of an independent artist and immediate write-off of debts caused by an administrative error.
Independent scene
And the Association of the Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia, which gathers over 100 artistic organizations and collectives from Serbia, suspends "all public programs in the coming period and we invite artists to active struggle and protest actions that can contribute to the realization of student demands and general changes in society."
They emphasize that they put all "program resources, activities, knowledge and experience" at the disposal of students and their current needs.
"Student protests, their strength and way of fighting, kindness in addressing, precision and creativity in performances, self-organization, democratic practice, restored hope in society that changes are possible, that we can imagine a better and fairer society and that an alternative to the corrupt system and institutions there is. Now it is up to all of us, the citizens of this country, to start our struggle, each in our own domain, to support the struggle of students but also the struggle of all our fellow citizens, educators, farmers, professors, doctors, lawyers, workers in all sectors, to motivate and empower each other and to jointly create a country that we will all be proud of", is the conclusion of the ANKSS announcement.