Abstract
This paper explores how contemporary art and culture can serve as tools of resilience in post-conflict and transitional societies, using the long-term evolution of Ars Aevi, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sarajevo, as a case study. Born during the siege of Sarajevo (1992–1995) as a collective, international act of cultural resistance, Ars Aevi brought together donated works from globally renowned artists in a gesture of solidarity and peace. Since its arrival in Sarajevo in 1999, the collection has remained without a permanent museum building, existing instead in a prolonged state of “limbo”—migrating between temporary spaces: from the ice rink of Skenderija’s cultural and sports center, to the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the Youth Center, and currently housed in Sarajevo City Hall. Despite this nomadic trajectory, Ars Aevi continues to carry symbolic and institutional weight. This paper proposes a vision for its next phase: activating Sarajevo’s public spaces through an open-air museum model. By placing selected artworks from the collection in key urban locations, the city itself becomes a living exhibition—embedding contemporary art into daily civic life before the museum’s final home, designed by Renzo Piano, is constructed. The research critically examines this Open-air Urban Museum model as a creative response to spatial and political uncertainty, grounded in theories of resilience, civic participation, and cultural democratization. Using spatial analysis, archives, and visual mapping, the study presents Ars Aevi as a prototype of resistance that continues to unfold in public space, while waiting the permanent home for collection.
Presenters
Senka IbrisimbegovicAssociate Professor, Architectural Design , University of Sarajevo - Faculty of Architecture, Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina Nermina Zagora
Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Resilience, Public space activation, Art as resistance, Open-air urban museum
