25 Abandoned Yugoslavia Monuments that look like they’re from the Future
These structures were commissioned by former Yugoslavian president Josip Broz Tito in the 1960s and 70s to commemorate sites where WWII battles took place (like Tjentište, Kozara and Kadinja?a), or where concentration camps stood (like Jasenovac and Niš). They were designed by different sculptors (Dušan Džamonja, Vojin Baki?, Miodrag Živkovi?, Jordan and Iskra Grabul, to name a few) and architects (Bogdan Bogdanovi?, Gradimir Medakovi?…), conveying powerful visual impact to show the confidence and strength of the Socialist Republic. In the 1980s, these monuments attracted millions of visitors per year, especially young pioneers for their “patriotic education.” After the Republic dissolved in early 1990s, they were completely abandoned, and their symbolic meanings were forever lost.
From 2006 to 2009, Kempenaers toured around the ex-Yugoslavia region (now Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc.) with the help of a 1975 map of memorials, bringing before our eyes a series of melancholy yet striking images. His photos raise a question: can these former monuments continue to exist as pure sculptures? On one hand, their physical dilapidated condition and institutional neglect reflect a more general social historical fracturing. And on the other hand, they are still of stunning beauty without any symbolic significances.
2 comentários
Roberto Campana
abril 26th, 2011 at 8:02
Fernando:esta imagem me faz lembrar aquele antigo e comentado livro de Erick Von Daniken:-Eram os Deuses Astronautas?,o que nos faz acreditar mesmo,que tudo que existe hoje,já existiu no passado,de forma mais aprimorada até,e foi tudo destruído por sabe-se lá que causas
Abraço.
Roberto Campana
fernando stickel
abril 29th, 2011 at 18:17
Acho que lá atrás da cortina de ferro os ETs podiam incorporar mais fácil nos artistas/arquitetos…
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