26.04.- 26.10.2019

Curated by Basak Senova, Branko Franceschi, and Jonatan Habib Engqvist

Do secret services dream of a museum?

“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past”.
1984 by George Orwell

The Project Biennial Contemporary Art D-0 ARK Underground was initially programmed to be completed in 5 editions and designed to become an amalgamation of a military and contemporary art museum after completing its cycle. In this respect, the 5th edition is the “end” that is also the “new beginning”. “Do secret services dream of a museum?” underlines this transition that overlaps closures with the openings and transcends function with vision. The project is a unique example of how the contemporary art —whilst in a situation of insufficient financial resources, intermittent professional opportunities, and lack of political or social stability to maintain any of the art institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina— saved a military museum, thus preserving the archives from the past for the future. Furthermore, it suggests how different fields of knowledge and research can nurture one another other and create a common ground for social growth.

This edition will present works by Bella Rune, the Cuss Group, Jagoda Buic, Larissa Sansour, Mirko Maric, Momcilo Golub, Ramesch Daha, Renee Petropoulos, Vesna Pavlovic, Yoko Ono, and Zlatko Kopljar. Following the pattern of the previous editions, the participating artists demonstrate different artistic methodologies, approaches, disciplines, media and generations. Nevertheless, as a significant intersection point, criticality and research are inherent in all the featured works. One has to take into account that new works will merge and co-exist with the 148 works from the previous editions by addressing new perspectives, meanings, and viewing experiences to recognize the bunker as a single entity.