Public Discussion: “Between Nature and Culture”

Public discussion!

Between Nature and Culture: Nature to the Creek, Culture Across the Creek

Friday, 10 April, at 5pm

Participants: Nika Batista (artist), Goran Milovanović (director of GBJ), Danica Sretenović (Association Krater), Lara Gligić (landscape architect). Moderator: Miha Colner (curator of GBJ).

The theme of the public discussion stems from the specific locality of Galerija Božidar Jakac, which is housed in a former Cistercian monastery in Kostanjevica na Krki. The museum is situated within a cultural landscape between the Krka river, the Gorjanci mountains, and swamp forest Krakovski gozd, which have shaped the identity of this area for centuries. Here, landscape, heritage, and contemporary art intertwine in a unique way.

International Symposium of Sculptors Forma viva holds a special place in the dialogue between nature and culture; since 1961, it has been developing the concept of art in open space. Sculptures made from local oak wood are placed within the natural surroundings and, over the decades, they have become part of the landscape itself. In recent years, the museum’s exhibition programme has increasingly addressed current social issues related to sustainability, relationship between humankind and nature, and climate change. This opens up a discussion on how art interprets the environment, and how cultural institutions can contribute to an understanding of contemporary environmental challenges.

This dialogue will be further enriched by the future establishment of the Natura 2000 interpretation centre within the museum, which will showcase the area’s natural features and the impact of human activities on the landscape.

Therefore, public discussion shall raise some fundamental questions:

– How can we even draw a line between nature and culture in an open space?

– Can art serve as a bridge between the two?

– Is it even possible to understand the cultural landscape outside the context of sustainability and a responsible approach to environment?

The public discussion aims to bring together diverse perspectives—artistic, curatorial, environmental, and spatial—and to foster a dialogue on how art, nature conservation, and landscape planning can collectively contribute to our understanding and the future development of the environment.

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The public discussion is as part of the project (S)ustainability in the Gallery, which is co-funded by the Ministry of Culture of RS through the Climate Change Fund.