{"id":13120,"date":"2025-04-15T19:28:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T19:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vagon.gallery\/?p=13120"},"modified":"2025-05-21T16:12:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T16:12:09","slug":"to-je-samo-jedan-vagon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vagon.gallery\/en\/to-je-samo-jedan-vagon\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s just one Vagon"},"content":{"rendered":"
Three years ago, on a June morning, while sitting in the editorial office and browsing through websites and daily newspapers from the region with my first coffee, looking for interesting topics, reading the daily news, I came across an intriguing story. It said: \"The 'Vagon' Gallery opened in Banja Luka with the performance 'Sometimes They Call Me a Chick' by artist Isidora Brankovi\u0107.\"\u00a0<\/p>
Yes, it said: the performance \"Sometimes They Call Me a Chick\" at Branka \u0106opi\u0107a Street 13, Lamela I. Ah, that\u2019s Borik, I thought, near Vespa. I started to research what it was about, and that\u2019s how I got in touch. Along with the performance, her exhibition \"Cry of the Day-Players\" was also open. It didn\u2019t take long, and with my colleague Velja, a photographer, I arrived at \"Vagon\", where the young artist Isidora greeted us, telling us about her dreams, the creation of the gallery, the idea, and the performance itself. She exuded a vibrant energy. It all sounded very interesting to me, as something completely new in our city, something that would open doors for young artists, something that would spark a conversation about the alternative scene, and the idea that artists can live off their art. Isidora left a strong impression on both me and my colleague. We commented that it was a good story, I wrote the article, and it was published on June 24, 2022, in the oldest daily newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/p>
That\u2019s how the story with \"Vagon\" began. Following the events, I saw the announcement for the next exhibition that took place at the beginning of July that year, and it was \"Long Live the Booze\" by artist Danija Mihi\u0107. Veljo and I, once again, found ourselves in the \"Vagon\" space, and over a pleasant conversation with Danijela and Isidora, we talked about this exhibition while having coffee.<\/p>
At that time, I couldn\u2019t have imagined that I would be writing this text that would appear on the gallery's page. I couldn\u2019t have envisioned anything like that at that moment, nor could I have thought that soon Isidora and I would be traveling for her exhibitions across Serbia to Slovenia. I hadn\u2019t thought about it, but since that June of 2022, I, with my notebook and recorder, and Veljo with his camera, became regular guests at the gallery.<\/p>
Waiting for the next event, I also followed the exhibition \"F603, maybe, kanske, maybe\" by Irma Be\u0161irevi\u0107, and then \"Mamasitu\" by Tajana Dedi\u0107 Starovi\u0107. We published all of it in the traditional \"Glas\" newspaper. It was strange to many, but there weren\u2019t many comments. Just astonishment. Of course, we knew how to replace photos that were too revealing with ones that were more acceptable. But it worked out. Writing about it was truly a pleasure. Finally, something was happening. Then followed the exhibition \"Simulation of Ease\" by Ognjen Milo\u0161evi\u0107, and then the performance \"Everybody out there all free\" by Isidora Brankovi\u0107. Meanwhile, at the gallery, there were ongoing conversations between artist Isidora Brankovi\u0107 and curator Jovana Trifuljesko, discussing the interesting relationship between curators and artists. The first year of work ended with the exhibition \"On the Target\" by Nikola Tomi\u0107.<\/p> In the following year, 2023, the gallery opened its doors in March with ARTIST TALK discussions, where Professor Borjana Mr\u0111a, artists Irma Be\u0161irevi\u0107, Ognjen Milo\u0161evi\u0107, Tajana Dedi\u0107 Starovi\u0107, Aleksandra Kuzmanovi\u0107, Nikola Tomi\u0107, Milena Ivi\u0107, and curator Isidora Banjac spoke. The topics ranged from the position of young artists, the challenges they face, contemporary painting, the importance of photography as a medium, the status of artists in Sweden, the importance of promoting art pieces, to collectors' awareness and the challenges curators encounter.<\/p> Opening step by step the story about important topics, it was time for the story about stepping out of the comfort zone. I read the announcement for the exhibition, and it said: On May 12th at 7 PM, the true story of the discovery of Sonja Savi\u0107 begins at \"Vagon.\" Of course, I couldn't wait to go there and talk to Sonja. It was the exhibition \"The True Story of the Discovery,\" through which the artist spoke about psychotherapy in a unique way.<\/p> June started, and the topic for writing in the daily newspaper was running out. I was flipping through social media, looking for events when I came across a post that read: \"Exclusive surprise coming directly from one of the most famous artistic families, the \u017deljko Mitrovi\u0107 family.\" Of course, this surprise is happening in \"Vagon.\" I was thrilled and called Isidora to arrange an interview with the artist Galina Mitrovi\u0107 so we could write a piece about the \"Exhibition of \u017deljko Mitrovi\u0107's daughter.\" Isidora was excited and quickly connected me with her, and the lines started to be written. The editors of \"Glas\" were reading it, commenting that it was interesting, \u017deljko Mitrovi\u0107's daughter. A good twist, and so on...<\/p> After that, in 2023, the exhibitions \"Ringe ringe raja\" by Dajana \u0106uk and \"Make Bosnia Sexy Again\" by Maja Simi\u0161i\u0107 marked the year. Well, Miss Diaspora came to Banja Luka from the Netherlands, but before that, she passed through Drvar. Maja is amazing, full of ideas, bursting with energy. Now, the colleagues in the editorial office can't stop commenting. They say, \"What\u2019s that page with the woman in boots and a dress, holding a rake near a haystack?\" Some ask how such a thing makes it into the daily newspaper, while others mumble, \"What\u2019s that again in culture, always these topics, God help us.\" I see the articles are being read, the comments don't stop, the story is being told... Nothing strange, it\u2019s \"Vagon,\" the culture section in the newspaper, nothing special, nothing serious...<\/p> Then, in September 2023, Isidora opened her exhibition \"Lizard's Tail,\" questioning what a lizard might think about all the important identity issues we carry and which ones we are willing to discard by accepting another.<\/p> By the end of 2023, exhibitions \"Aljeks II\" by Aleksa Jovanovi\u0107, \"Woman with Coffee-Colored Hair\" by Aleksandar Rakezi\u0107, both from Belgrade, were also opened. The year closed with the exhibition \"Face\" by Denis Hara\u010di\u0107 from Sarajevo.<\/p>
<\/a>In July 2022, the \"Performance Days\" followed at the gallery, bringing together four performances. These were the performances \"I'm Just Getting Ready\" by Galina Mitrovi\u0107, \"A Little Bit of Green\" by Nikola Tomi\u0107, \"Card Is Missing 05\/24 Mov\", and \"Can You See Yourself Between the Lips\" by Isidora Brankovi\u0107. All of this was something entirely new in our cultural scene, something quite interesting, intriguing, and provocative. A single vagon (wagon) flashed, shaking the city like an earthquake. But it was just one vagon, occupying a place on a track that was pretty long. At that time, I couldn\u2019t have imagined that I would enter that vagon myself. Listening to Isidora and the artists talk about the performances, I couldn\u2019t have imagined that, three years later, I would find myself in one. I didn\u2019t know that I would sit in the vagon. I really couldn\u2019t have imagined that. However, the gallery somehow quietly became part of all of us who moved around it. It became an exciting anticipation for each upcoming event in the \"Vagon\", a new inspiring conversation with some of these young people hungry for opportunities. Different ones, eager to create. Every encounter with Isidora sparked that driving energy, the kind that can move mountains. And so, the gallery became part of all of us, part of the track. Nestled in Branka \u0106opi\u0107a Street, in Lamela I, beside the Russian temple under construction, it became a gathering place for all of us. Even though Isidora had concerns about the neighbor who wanted to open a caf\u00e9 called \"Russian Train\" next to the Vagon, that Russian train didn\u2019t disrupt our track.\u00a0
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