“Applied Nostalgia” exhibition dedicated to Belgrade and Paris

June 22 2022 | Belgrade

“Applied Nostalgia” exhibition dedicated to Belgrade and Paris

The “Applied Nostalgia Belgrade - Paris” exhibition, showing the capitals of Serbia and France, was opened today at the Youth Centre in Belgrade.

In the first half of this year, during the French EU Council presidency, the author from France Laure Maugeais photographed Belgrade, while Nemanja Maraš, an author from Serbia, photographed Paris.

The exhibition was opened by Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, who has pointed out that “Applied Nostalgia” is a kind of homage to everyday life and the European way of life which, as she has said, Belgrade shares with numerous capitals of EU member states.

Joksimović has recalled that last week an exhibition with an identical installation was opened at the Cultural Centre of Serbia in Paris, stating that a large number of Parisians already saw the series of photographs from the two cities at the opening.

“What we have all noticed is that the dynamics of spirit and people, city life, openness, multiculturalism, commitment, and cosmopolitanism are what the two cities share”, Joksimović has said.

She has emphasised that the exhibition is an opportunity to show the citizens the similarities between Paris and Belgrade, but also to mark the important French EU Council presidency in, as she has assessed, probably the most challenging moment for Europe in the last few decades.

According to her, it is an opportunity to also show that Serbia has correctly understood all the messages that came from France, starting with the idea of a new accession methodology, presented more than two years ago, which, Joksimović has pointed out, Serbia accepted readily and actively.

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret has said that the fantastic collection of photographs of Belgrade and Paris contributes not only to the relations between Serbia and France but also to the relations between the EU and Serbia.

“Belgrade and Paris have many common characteristics and provide numerous possibilities for the citizens of both Serbia and France. Furthermore, the photographs indicate that there were certain, missed possibilities, but also all those possibilities in front of us which we should not miss, but seize them”, Giaufret has said.

He has emphasised that Serbia should become a part of the EU and that France contributed to Serbia’s approach to the EU, stating that we share a common tradition and history.

We are proactively looking at Serbia’s EU accession and we hope that we will continue to be on that path together”, Giaufret has stated.

French Ambassador to Serbia Pierre Cochard has noted that the exhibition represents a kind of intersection of views between Serbia and France, adding that it is “an image of decisive cooperation” between the two countries.

Cochard has said that the photographs speak the truth about the closeness of Serbia and France, more precisely of Serbia and the EU, and that they depict the closeness and common history and values that the two countries share.

“The way of life, people, and respect for life are very important in the context of the terrorist attacks that took place in France in 2015, as well as in light of the events that are raging on the European continent”, Cochard has said.

Cochard has said that tomorrow’s conference in Brussels, at which the leaders of the EU and the Western Balkans are participating, will confirm common values, and that that is why Serbia’s presence is expected at that conference.

He has added that during the French presidency, it was concluded that the countries of the Western Balkans, Serbia especially, belong to the EU.

“That is why we are counting on Serbia’s presence at that conference, and we want it not to be a missed opportunity,” Cochard has said.

Former Deputy Mayor of Belgrade Goran Vesić has said that the exhibition is a true example of why Serbia needs the EU and why the EU needs Serbia.

“We are a European country, we are an old European people and we belong to a common European family”, Vesić has said.

He has stated that 60 percent of Serbia’s foreign trade is with the EU and that 68 percent of all investments in Serbia since 2000, more than 17 billion euros, came from the EU.

“About three billion euros of non-refundable aid was given to Serbia by EU taxpayers. No one has ever helped us as much as the EU, our place is in Europe and the EU, I do not see room for discussion about that”, Vesić has said.

The author from Serbia Nemanja Maraš has said that the photographs were not “agreed upon” and that he did not meet the author from France until the exhibition was over.

“I would like for this project to continue because it is a nice opportunity for photographers and a great connection between cities in Europe”, Maraš has said.

The exhibition lasts until 30 June, and it is the 21st exhibition within the project implemented by the Ministry of European Integration — conceived as a series of joint photo exhibitions by renowned artists from Serbia and the EU presiding country.

Source: Tanjug