Danube Dialogs
- Eva Petrič
- Dec 9
- 2 min read
at entering its second decade this year with the edition Between The Shores, opened yesterday at the Salon of the Belgrade City Museum, serving as the Homage to its long-time artistic director Sava Stepanov. It will run till Sept.14.
I am honored to have been invited to participate in the special exhibition “Between the Shores,” honoring the long-time work of visionary curator Sava Stepanov, who inspired and championed so many artists across media, countries, and generations. Along with Vesna Latinović, founder of the Danube Dialogues and director of BelArte gallery in Novi Sad, his vision was timeless, as was his dedication to the Danube Dialogues, where he served as artistic director from its inception in 2013 until his passing in 2024.
Vesna Latinović, the founder of Danube Dialogs, and Ksenija Marinković, curator of Beyond the Shores exhibition.
The catalogues of the previous editions of Danube Dialogs... Among some of the artists of this year's edition.
I had the joy and privilege of working with Sava on two editions of Danube Dialogues.
First in 2013, being in dialog with artist Nataša Teoflić from Serbia as well as in 2015.
From both I gained valuable insights into contemporary art and renewed my belief in art’s capacity to change minds, shape visions, and chart paths toward a better future and deeper understanding among people who may think differently.
Today, more than ever, it feels essential to revisit Sava Stepanov’s perspectives—first articulated at the inaugural 2013 exhibition—and to share them as widely as possible.
This year I am presenting my updated three-channel video installation On the Day of My Birth, first shown as a single-channel video alongside my performance in Dubai at the World Expo in 2022, on World Water Day. For this occasion, I’ve updated the work with current statistical data and translated the choreography into a dialogue between the three screens—statistics and water currents—that together form my contribution to this exhibition.
In the words of the curator, Ksenija Marinković:
“The exhibition Between the Shores brings together a selection of works by artists who have shaped the identity of Danube Dialogues. Reflecting on questions posed by the thematic frameworks of the past eleven editions—such as the (lack of) emotionality in contemporary humans, global insecurity, the position of the artist, the exploitation of the body, modern geopolitical trauma, and crises of identity—Between the Shores not only reconstructs the wealth of festival themes but also documents the transitions, crises, and forms of resistance expressed by artists through works created within this cultural current.”
Interview for the Serbian National TV.
In my words: On the Day of My Birth is dedicated to the planet’s most essential element—water—the force that sustains life for 8 billion 223 million people. When the video was first created in 2022, about one in ten people lacked access to safe drinking water—a reality that still persists in many communities today.
My thanks to Vesna Latinovic, Initiator and organizer of Danube Dialogs, and to Ksenija Marinkovic , curator of the exhibiiton, and to Sava Stepanov.
Copyright © Eva Petrič, 2025, Bildrecht Vienna, All rights reserved.
