Naslov
Museological Interpretations of Socialism in Croatia Today

Autori
DOŠEN, Antonia ; MILOVAC, Petra

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, pp prezentacija, znanstveni

Skup
Socialist Culture Recycled (Eastern Europe: from Disillusions to Nostalgia and Beyond)

Mjesto i datum
Sankt Peterburg, Ruska Federacija, 25.06.2021. - 27.06.2021

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Podatak o recenziji nije dostupan

Ključne riječi
socialism, museums, Croatia, recycling

Sažetak
Museums in Croatia, less than a decade after the national independence, stimulated not only by curiosity but also by the growing public interest for the past socialist times, also began to thematize the period from 1945 to 1991 within their exhibition programs. Including a brief historical context, our research covered influences that originated from socialism that are present today, and are manifested in various projects, books, and other media, pointing out the references of socialism in contemporary Croatian society to depict it more clearly. In order to look at the topic as comprehensively as possible, this research is limited to the last ten years and focused on three separate cultural and exhibition projects of the most prominent Croatian gallery and museum institutions in Zagreb (Museum of Contemporary Arts, Klovićevi dvori gallery and the Museum of Arts and Crafts). Technical specifications, differences, and special features of the exhibitions were compared, and it was visible that in some segments rewriting, repetition, and recycling of ideas took place. It was also understood that compromises were made, such as focusing on everyday life in socialism, objects and phenomena most easy to associate with, at the expense of tackling difficult political and social issues, balancing the question whether socialism was an ideal past or a traumatic period in the Croatian history. Expectations that some exhibits can speak for themselves indicated an absence of fresh readings of socialism, lack of criticism or an inability to cope with the amount of material. It turned out that due to competitiveness, the emphasis was placed more on quantity rather than quality. At certain places, overabundant collaging of exhibits to emphasize nostalgia did not assist in presenting the period more clearly. We can conclude that the museological interpretation of socialism on the contemporary Croatian cultural scene is largely provoked by a nostalgic moment, and less by revanchism. Pointing out the specifics of different setups, we wonder whether it is still too early for interpretations of the socialist period in museums. In order to look more clearly at the past, should more time be given to post- socialist reflections on what we have gone through as a society or is there a need for diverse cultural projects, from small scale case studies to large online initiatives, as catalysts for fresh reflections and constructive discussions on the historical experience of socialism? The fact that there has been a revaluation of society, art, life in general from the time of socialism indicates new trends and the development of us as a society ready to revise the past without retreat.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Povijest umjetnosti

POVEZANOST RADA