Serbian Sturgeon: Journal of a Visit to Belgrade

Author: Anthony Howell

Edition: illustrated

Publisher: Routledge, 2001

ISBN 9057551233, 9789057551239

137 pages

In the seventies the Yugoslav avant-garde contributed key players to the international arena of art. The work of Marina Abramovic and Ulay, Bratso Dimitrevic and and many important figures such as Joseph Beuys, Joseph Kossuth and Simone Forti made contact with the art scene in Belgrade or performed at its progressive Student Cultural Centre.

Since those heady days Belgrade has become an isolated city and Serbs are ostracised by the international community. What has happened to the art scene in Serbia? How do artists survive in an economy ruined by war and by sanctions?

In this free-wheeling journal, Anthony Howell, a frequent visitor to Serbia, describes the intellectual life which continued to flourish in Belgrade (at least until his last visit in the Spring of 1997), lectures by Victor Burgin and by the British Ambassador, exhibitions, theatre festivals and events by Serb artists, his own performances and how they were received, his excursions to historical sites and his intimate relationships.