November 15, 2020 - Tivat's citizens and guests' attention has been captured this weekend by Tivat painters, who were hired by a local tourist organization for an exciting job - to use the metal electricity power boxes on the seafront promenade as canvases and give them visual value. Six electricity boxes along the city promenade from the Pine waterfront to the port of Kalimanj are becoming home to the sea creatures, selected and painted by prominent local artists.
The project, conceived by the Tourist Organization is called "TransformaTivat" and is part of the cultural program of the November Days. Tivat's cultural institutions and organizations mostly canceled this year's plans in honor of the Municipality Day due to the city's epidemiological situation, and this exciting initiative is one of the few events that, considering that it is planned in the open, will still take place. Therefore, the play of colors performed by our city's academic artists, besides the aesthetic, also gained an emotional dimension, especially for the participants.
"Boxes are being painted by five Tivat artists, who have the task of recognizing the electricity cabinets as places in public space that invite artistic intervention, bringing beauty that everyone will enjoy." The Director of the Tivat Tourist Organization, Danica Banjević, is very thankful for the response of Vladimir Jovicevic, Tanja Nikolic, Jana Farkas, and Iva Gopcevic Celanovic and Zoran Kruta.
"The project is also related to our process of accessing the Green Destinations program, particularly the aspect of opening up culture and involving the local community in the design and shaping of the cultural environment. This time, it is our artists who will help us raise the awareness of the city that the contribution of each of us individually is significant, "said the Director of the Tivat Tourist Organization, Danica Banjevic. The plan of TO Tivat is to continue this project, among other things, by defining locations for murals.
According to Jana Farkaš, the painters discussed the motifs by which they would enrich the entrusted "painting canvases," looking for those who would be neutral concerning the environment, "not to steal Pine from the sea and ships."
"That's why we compromised on deep blue and the sea as a mass uniting the whole world and all the beings in it. The motifs are creatures from the sea to remind ourselves that we are not alone. It's all our planetary family. We who live by the sea are not claustrophobic, which is a great privilege. It was an honor to paint that privilege," says Jana Farkaš, who was delighted by invitation to participate in the project.
"Everyone stops, looks, asks, something nice is happening. First of all, Tivat has fantastic artists and should be engaged in designing and participating in this and similar projects. There are so many unprinted boards in the city where a serious and good composition can be made, "said Jana, whom we recently met in an exciting job of painting an 18-meter high sail.
Emphasizing that she was privileged and honored to be in the company of academic painters, Iva Gopčević-Čelanović said that she reluctantly accepted the invitation full of inspiration and desire to leave her mark in this project.
"It is essential that our fellow citizens react positively to what we are doing because it is a beautiful idea, and I believe that the guests of Tivat will recognize and enjoy it. We are already enjoying it. I appreciate that our fellow citizens recognize the value of the present moment. Everything that happens to us alienates us a lot. Hence, such actions enrich our established, everyday rituals, something beautiful and new happens and gives us the opportunity for quality interactions," said civic activist, painter, and art pedagogue, Iva Gopcevic-Celanovic.
Vladimir Jovićević is also very satisfied with his participation in the project, pointing out to Boka News:
"The common decision was for the motives to be "creatures from the sea, and so we have stayed with a coastal, Mediterranean theme. I hope that we will awaken street art which can be very interesting as in some big cities like Rome or Florence.
Such content is fascinating and attracts the attention of visitors; they make the city more attractive. Tivat has several mural painting sites. We will see how our fellow citizens and visitors accept this, and based on that, we can plan some other similar actions, "Jovicevic said.
