FROM A WAR BASTION TO A CENTRE OF CULTURE

A fortification since the time immemorial, dominant and unconquerable for ages, prestigious in this part of the world, shaped – over the last three hundred years – so as to follow the pattern launched by the French architect Vauban, Petrovaradin Fortress endures, unparalleled, as an ornament in the physiognomy of Novi Sad which spreads a wing of beauty above it!
In 1951, this fortress was registered as a monument of extraordinary historical significance, and Archt Andrija Sečujski was appointed its first director, whose duty was to maintain it – with rather small staff: Eng Sveto Vojvodić, blacksmith Gernač in a workshop, several builders and manual workers.

Fifty years ago, in 1952, a group of artists – Boško Petrović, Stevan Maksimović, Dušan Milovanović, Aleksandar Lakić, Nikola Graovac, Rada Graovac and Jovan Soldatović – having successfully completed their studies at the Belgrade Art Academy, came back to Novi Sad and nested their studios inside the facilities of the Fortress, already deserted by the military and partly derelict. Their intention was to turn the former war bastion into a centre of culture and of peaceful and humane efforts.

Since 1952, there has existed a lasting and fruitful professional cooperation between these artists and the managements of the Fortress, as well as the authorities in charge of the place. The ambience of the Fortress was worked on: approaches, stairways and roads were laid down, walking routes were paved by bricks, art studios (doors, fenestration) were embellished; the 'fortress style' characterized the studios rich with the output of the artists.
As soon as in 1953, the above-mentioned artists founded the Art Department of the Advanced School of Pedagogy in Novi Sad (later growing into the Academy of Arts), established the associations of fine arts and applied arts artists; they actively participated in the launching and work of the Youth Forum (Tribina mladih), in the decision-making concerning the erection of a new building for the Serbian National Theatre, in the work of cultural institutions such as Sterijino pozorje, Brankovo kolo, in the entertainment life at the Fortress, in building Novi Sad's squares, boulevards and bridges, etc.

Beginning in 1955, the artists have enriched the open-air spaces of the Fortress with sculptures (the exhibition Prostor 8/Space 8) and monuments to the National Liberation Struggle and victims of the occupiers, contributing their compositions across the country wherever art was expected to ennoble life. The artists also took part in the interior design and decoration on the Fortress (salons, the restaurant etc.), as well as the plastic and painting works on the façades of the Suburbium. They contributed to the landscaping of the Fortress and the city of Novi Sad (linden trees on the Boulevard, Danube Park with its pond). During and after the construction works on the Institute of Lung Diseases in the nearby town of Sremska Kamenica, the artists from the Fortress contributed greatly to the interior architecture and decoration, as well as the surrounding parkland where they proved to be creative and generous, donating sculptures and in other ways.

Ever since their presence began, the art studios and their tenants grew in number, and the studios have been an inexhaustible source of paintings, mosaics, ceramics, design works, sculptures, as well as musical, literary and architectural works. Of particular importance is Atelje 61 as an all-Yugoslav centre of tapestry  with an output of over 800 works authored by the most prominent artists from Belgrade, Ljubljana and other centres of [the former] Yugoslavia. This studio also boasts of an exquisite and prestigious exhibitions in Lausanne and other hubs of culture in Europe and worldwide; a great accomplishment is the gallery which bears the name of Boško Petrović.
Over the past fifty years, more than 80 art studios have been working on the Fortress, and it is – in terms of number – the largest colony of artists on such a singular culture-ground, one which contributes riches to the country and builds her prestigious rank in the world's centres of culture.
The artists of this fortress have represented their country at the Mediterranean Biennials in Alexandria, the World Exhibition in Brussels, in Paris (Rodin Museum) and many other events one can find reading the catalogues and biographies of more than a hundred artists whose life and oeuvre have been tied to the Fortress.

The exceptional potential and suitability of the Fortress as a venue for exhibitions and cultural events have been demonstrated on many occasions. An example is the 1968 large exhibition under the auspices of U Tant, UN Secretary General (it dealt with a support to the United Nations Charter, the condemnation of the Red Army interventions in Czechoslovakia and Hungary, and the atom bomb dropped onto Hiroshima). There followed numerous art shows championing peace, accompanied by the hope that the Fortress could be taken under the protection of UNESCO.
There is an idea to exploit the excellent potential of the Cannon Hall and have, as part of international cooperation and on annual basis, each of the neghbouring countries mount her own exhibition. Moreover, the surrounding countries involved in the tragic events of the last decade in any way are imagined to pledge one sculpture each (as a mark of peace) to a permanent international exhibition to speak for peace and cultural cooperation in this part of the world.
As to the next 50-year period, we expect – considering the fruitful experience of the massive event EXIT Festival in relying on young artists – that the future activities on the Fortress will surpass whatever has been achieved until today.
[2003] Jovan Soldatović