SUMMER AT THE GALLERY SQUARE 2024

From June 27th to August 29th, 2024, the “Summer at the Gallery Square” event will offer a diverse programme organized at the Gallery Square by The Gallery of Matica Srpska, The Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection, and The Gallery of Fine Arts Gift Collection of Rajko Mamuzić. The programme, combining art and sports, includes visual, musical, theatrical, and cinematic arts, offering culture enthusiasts unique and engaging, all within the delightful summer atmosphere of the gallery gardens. Admission for all events is free.

27 June at 09:00 PM
Opening ceremony
Concert of the “Museum Olympic Team”
At this year’s opening event, the audience will enjoy hits from past Olympic Games performed by the acoustic ensemble “Klo-Klo”, who will also play their regular repertoire. Together with the hosts, they form this year’s museum-music Olympic Team. Leading the group is vocalist Vanja Manić Matić, joined by Lazar Novkov on accordion, Ervin Malina on double bass, Predrag Đurić on guitar, Milan Jančurić on clarinet and saxophone, and Ištvan Čik on percussion.

4 July at 09:00 PM
A lecture titled What We Talk About When We Talk About Sports
Prof. Dr Vladimir Gvozden, literary historian
The word sport originally meant recreation and leisure, but over time, it increasingly implied competition in physical activities. But in recent decades, unique forms of culture and economy have emerged around these competitions, so the boundaries of the noun sport have expanded more than ever. This lecture, inspired by Murakami’s book “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”, explores the role of sports in culture and the arts, especially in literature. It aims to shape our understanding of important contemporary concepts like body culture, competition, recreation, and fitness.

11 July at 09:00 PM
A lecture titled Competing for the Davis Cup: Tennis and Visual Culture in the Interwar Period
Prof. Dr Simona Čupić, art historian
During the lecture about tennis, a sport with a rich history, and the visual culture of the interwar period, Prof. Dr. Simona Čupić will remind the audience of Henri Cochet’s visit to Belgrade in 1929, when he was the world’s top tennis player. This event coincides with the anticipation of Novak Djokovic’s journey to Paris. The talk will explore the Kingdom of Yugoslavia’s pursuit of the Davis Cup, painters who excelled at tennis and the sport in general during the interwar era.

18 July at 09:00 PM
Concert of the “Sana Garić” band
Sana Garić writes poetry and performs rock music. With her band, she wins over the region and makes her mark on the European stage. After playing at several festivals like Femix Fest, Nišville Jazz Festival, Exit, the Dutch Eurosonic Noordeslag, Zagreb’s INmusic, and more, she is now headed to the Summer at Gallery Square. As a solo performer of original and ambient electronic music, Sana Garić collaborates with many bands and artists, including some pioneers of the electronic Yugoslav scene like “Svemirci”, “Lira Vega”, “Beograd”, and more. The first album, “Svet za nas”, and the second, “Naočare za srce”, feature original compositions with vibrant electro sounds, enhanced by the contributions of new band members: Milorad Ristić Miki, on bass guitar (former “Darkwood Dub”), Feđa Tom Franklin, on drums (“Fish in Oil”) and Dušan Ristić, on electric guitar (“Veliki prezir”). Sana Garić’s music and captivating vocals bring a unique charm to the concerts, adding freshness to this Olympic summer at Gallery Square.

25 July at 09:00 PM
A quiz titled The Olympic A-Z
Branimir Arsić, Serbian Quiz Association
A team quiz on the history of the Summer Olympic Games where participants and the audience can test their knowledge not only about the famous athletes but also recall other “supporting” and historical figures who popularized this sporting phenomenon.
Teams of four members interested in competing need to register by calling +381 21 4899000 or emailing [email protected] by
July 22, 2024.

1 August at 09:00 PM
A lecture titled Olympic Games in Tokyo as the Peak of a Sporting Career
Ružica Karajović Ibročić
The accomplished rower, coach, experienced international rowing judge, professor of world literature, and lecturer, Ružica Karajović Ibročić, was one of the twenty judges selected to participate in the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games. This Novi Sad native started rowing in 1988 and won a silver medal at the World Championships in Spain in 1991 in the double sculls discipline. Three decades later, she became a recognized rowing judge. At this year’s Summer at Gallery Square, Ružica Karajović Ibročić will share her experiences and interesting moments as one of the few women among the judges at the Olympic Games. Her sportsmanship played an important role in implementing special measures against COVID-19.

8 August at 09:00 PM
A theatre play titled An Employee of the Month’s Job
Authors: Milena Minja Bogavac, Frosina Dimovska, Ista Stepanov, Dunja Crnjanski
The play “An Employee of the Month’s Job” will remind us of how boundaries were overcome in 2020, a year when the world stood still and when, for the first time in modern history, the Olympic Games were not held. The play humorously brings together four women with backgrounds in arts and culture for a support group meeting, blending elements of cabaret, lectures, and panel discussions. Exploring issues of online education, new labour models, social realities, and education, the artists question the role of education and its impact on youth in our society, their mental health, as well as prospects for modernizing schools.

Authors: Milena Minja Bogavac, Frosina Dimovska, Ista Stepanov, Dunja Crnjanski;
Dramaturgy: Minja Bogavac; Music: Dunja Crnjanski, 2020

15 August at 09:00 PM
A lecture titled Olympic Games and Film – Parallel Development and Intersections
Ljiljana Kostić and Marko Ušćebrka, historians
Curators and historians from the Museum of Vojvodina, Ljiljana Kostić and Marko Ušćebrka, along with Branko Janković from the Gallery of Fine Arts the Gift Collections of Rajko Mamuzić, will explore key moments and figures from the history of our sport linked to the Olympic Games. They will also discuss how the Olympics and film have evolved together, often intersecting and enriching each other over time. Several short films and documentaries on this topic will be screened during the lecture.

This year’s event features an exhibition of original posters and photo albums from past Olympic Games, courtesy of the Museum of Vojvodina. The exhibition will take place in the second half of August at The Gallery of Fine Arts Gift Collection of Rajko Mamuzić.

Thursday, 22 August at 09:00 PM
Movie night
Growing up – an Olympic Discipline
An evening dedicated to children and young people featuring the screening of the 1984 film The Runner by Iranian director Amir Naderi. The film follows the coming-of-age story of a boy named Amir in an Iranian port city. Every task he undertakes to survive and every game he plays with his peers reminds him of a sports discipline they all approach with dedication, sacrifice, and a deep sense of fairness. Throughout the film, Amir observes ships, trains, airplanes… They symbolize travel and instil hope in the boy for a better life, one he is determined to fight for.

Thursday, 29 August at 09:00 PM
Concert of the “Deep Steady” band
The final evening of the 2024 Summer at the Gallery Square event will feature a performance by the band “Deep Steady” from Novi Sad. Audiences can enjoy the ska-jazz melodies of the band that was established in 2015. They have released two albums and performed across the country and region. As the 2024 Olympics will have been completed by then, this concert will be an ideal opportunity to celebrate the medals won by Serbian athletes.