Exhibition at the windows gallery of ERSTE Foundation

PLEASE NOTE:
Finissage of the MONUMENTAL exhibition will take place on Thursday, 12 September 2024 from 5-7 pm at ERSTE Foundation, Am Belvedere 1, 1100, Vienna

Monuments across ex-Yugoslavia, from stoic statues to abstract structures, stand as testaments to time, triumphs, and tribulations. They tell stories of valour and revolution, honour lives lost, and serve as guardians of memory against oblivion. These monuments, built during Tito’s era, aimed to unify the diverse Yugoslav population with a common narrative of nationhood.

The dissolution of Yugoslavia and the emergence of new republics have altered the significance of these monuments. Once symbols of unity, they now reflect a complex history of shifting identities and nationalism. Many lie neglected, their destruction mirroring the fractured past they represent.

The exhibition at the windows gallery of ERSTE Foundation at Erste Campus runs until 15 September 2024 and is on display 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Photographer Dejan Petrović‘s exhibition urges us to remember and cherish these monuments as part of our collective history, regardless of personal or political affiliations. They are not just relics of the past but are integral to understanding our present and shaping our future.

Cover picture: Tjentište, the Battle of Sutjeska Memorial complex in the Valley of Heroes. Photo: Dejan Petrović