ABOUT
ZMUC is inspired by the idea of spontaneous and organic organized community, which could resemble to left wing practices. It did not come out from a certain ideology but of a social necessity.
The idea of a community space, both physical and conceptual, is based upon real needs and possibilities. What was available as the space and the activity ZMUC made it a concept.
Because being consistent in inconsistency ZMUC managed to play the role of an unruly and often free spirit with all its` formal manifestations.
After ten odd years of screwing things up in a serious manner – which was manifested in happenings, experiences and processes, all can be read as marking of an alternative production of sociability.
Fact that most of the participants in ZMUC programs later became friends speaks best for the emotional economy that ZMUC advocates and promotes.
(Maja Ćirić, an independent curator, on marking of ZMUC 10 years, at Kolarac, 2016)
ZMUC is a small grass-root art organization with a large audience operating in the field of contemporary independent culture, driven by the idea of a spontaneous and organically organized community. The most significant output of our activities is the institutionalization of the process of democratic production of social interaction that appreciates humor.
ZMUC was founded in 2006 by journalist Vesna Tašić, artist Goran Denić and translator and publisher Goran Lakićević.
By gathering artists, artistic groups, cultural workers and interested audiences to design, perform and produce a wide variety of artworks we seek to develop an awareness of the need to support the arts, wider culture, strengthen the infrastructural and organizational capacities of cultural institutions through mutual collaboration and networking.
Aiming to blur boundaries between artists and audiences we mapped out our developmental pathway by events marked by mobility and irony: Consultations; Movable Residencies; The Chubby Cyclists; Festival of Useless and Pointless Skills; The Museum of Corruption, Annual Leave for Artists and Cultural Workers.
Vesna Tašić, executive director
Born 1967 in Belgrade; Majoring journalism from the 12th Belgrade High School in 1985 followed by apprenticeship in NON Gazette; 1992 Degree from the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Philology, Belgrade University; worked in the Radio-Yugoslavia Arabic newsroom, following the 90s war in the Balkans as an interpreter for Arab journalists in Belgrade. 1994 employed with the Tanjug news agency (fired after civil demonstrations 1996/97), 1997/99 journalist at the culture newsroom at Dnevni Telegraf (with assassinated Slavko Ćuruvija as an owner), journalist in the weekly Reporter, Blic news and senior editor Europe magazine. Collaborates with newsmagazine Status and Reč – magazines for culture and social issues. Since 2005 working on various ZMUC programs, to become an executive director in 2008 until today, managing production, organizational, promotional and other tasks. Since 2016 has been working on the Museum of Corruption in the capacity of project researcher.
Goran Denić, art director
Born in Belgrade (SFR Yugoslavia) in 1966. From 1985-1992 he studied at the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade. Perfected sculpture with master Alberto Chissano in Mozambique in 1989. 1994 Special DIP/FA with distinction in sculpture / Michaelis School of Fine Art, UCT, Republic of South Africa. 1996 UCT/part time lecturer until his return to Yugoslavia same year. Since then, collaborates with art collectives Led Art , Cultural Terrorists, in 1997 founded a Cultural Terrorists printmaking Workshop, in 2001 DžKC (Pocket Cultural Center) where he worked until 2004. 2006 with Vesna Tašić founded ZMUC (Zemun Small Art Center), where he is artistic director and 2016 Museum Corruption – a multimedia platform for the magical action of art against organized crime and corruption. He is a member of the artivist group Debeli biciklisti(Chubby Cyclists)and Bosch alumni Network. Exhibited in ex-Yugoslavia, Thailand, Israel, Albania, South Africa and Mozambique. He lives and works in Zemun, Serbia.
Goran Lakićević Kostrović, CEO
Born in Belgrade 1966, poet, translator from Franch and publisher. He authored four books of poems, among others “The Myth of the Stone Mind” which was awarded in 1989. with highly respected “Djura Jakšić” award. He translated, among others, Sartre, Beckett, de Rougemont, Collett, Volkov, Caraco, etc. as well as some of the most important French, Swiss and Belgian comic authors – Baru, Chabute, Larsene, Tardi, De Cressi, Rabate, Comes, etc.
He is one of the founders of the Zemun-based publishing company Rabid Mare, in 2010, with the intention of consolidating the reader’s audience with careful selection of authors and titles, in the belief that comics are true ninth art. As of 2016. the Rabid Mare has been publishing referential contemporary novels.