May 5, 2019 - The Chedi Hotel in Lustica Bay is hosting a two-day antique and art fair, bringing together exhibitors from the Balkans. The exhibition presents valuable collections of collectors as well as handicrafts of high artistic value and works by renowned artisans of art and applied art, including the artist from Tivat, Ivica Aranđus.
The initiator of the first international fair of artwork and art in Lustica Bay is a well-known collector, owner of an art and antiquity gallery in the new village of Lustica, Dušan Stanković. Its idea is that Lustica Bay becomes a place to connect past and present, modern art and valuable artefacts from history.
"Here at Lustica Bay, it's all so new, so we wanted to breathe a little bit of starlight in this ambience. It is the idea to connect the old and new. Here are valuable collectors with their collections of antiquities. On the other hand, we have modern applied art, which is in second place to us concerning painting. So we organized a fantastic exhibition where the best Balkan-applied artists are presented to the audience. It is not often seen - they are fantastic works. We are new and old, hoping that our new fellow at Luštica will see, feel, and maybe even buy something at the Fair", explains the art dealer Dušan Stanković's antique collector and art collector.
"Collectibles ask a great deal of time, but you get a lot from it because you discover the history, you know the cultural layers that may have been forgotten, you find the artefacts and give them some of their importance and function," says this professional collector. In his words, antique collectables in the world have less and less popularity, partly because the people who live in smaller spaces and have no chance of exhibiting artworks and antiquities in some representative salons. "Due to the smaller flats, modernly decorated, these modern forms, which are made up of the 60s and 70s, prevail today. In today's art and antiquity market, people are prepared to put up a larger sum of some paintings or artefacts that originate from that period than for some of them, say, from the 18th century. Today's supply and demand principle degrades antiquities and promotes modern art. Of course, these are the circles, and that will be changed again. So now is the time to start collecting a collection because the antiquity prices are today lower than I can remember," Stankovic explained to the idea of joining the old and new, or the need to present, besides valuable collections, the Lustica Bay presenting the work top-notch and world-class slim applied artists from the Balkans.
Borivoje Gujanica from Belgrade has been collecting and selling antiques for 30 years now. In his words, it is hard to live from collections and artwork, because the internet has had a significant impact on this sphere. People today have the opportunity to be informed about the value of their things, which allows collectors to make substantial profits and to trade artefacts of exceptional value. Gujanica is at the hotel Chedi with a valuable collection, which includes, among other things, Venetian vases, Turkish sabres, Serbian ordnance, miniature from different periods, silver escapism from Russia.
Artist Ivan Šuković signs the art selection presented at the fair. The artist Sanja Gajić from Serbia at the Lustica Bay exhibition presents two works in ceramics. One is in Combined Technique, entitled Forbidden Fruit, and the other is called Bonbon and represents body parts, which are in symbiosis, attached to the erotic whole. According to her, art, as always, attracts the attention of the audience, as well as the desire to own particular works. But the fact that artists, especially working in a combined technique, invest in their work a lot of time, energy and creativity, seem to be the only art available today only to those of higher companion power.
Among other exhibitors, Blatobran was invited to the fair. Artist Tatjana Parađanin explains: "The Blatobran is an association of ten artists of contemporary ceramics. We were founded more than ten years ago, and we had a chance to make a small gallery in Belgrade, in Gospodar Jevremova Street. We recently marked its fourth birthday. All of our members are famous Serbian artisans in pottery. Some of them are the winners of the Belgrade Biennial and Triennial Awards. One of our members is currently in the second year of ceramics training in Japan. One of our members is a professor at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade. We are proud of the fact that we managed to retire a small association that works harmoniously and survives in difficult times."
Tatjana Parađanin is delighted with the presentation of her association at the Chedi Hotel Fair and grateful Dušan Stanković, who initiated this show of artists and collectors. In its words, Lustica Bay is a remarkable ambience, and the organizers and staff of the Chedi Hotel have ensured that the first edition of the fair leaves a fantastic impression not only for visitors but also for all students who will surely be interested here to come back.
Most of the exhibited artworks, which do not find their buyer in a running event today, the audience will be able to see in Dušan Stanković's gallery in Lustica Bay.
