In recent months we heard so much about the European community often with much negative sense. The ones of broken dreams, the ones who claimed to low economic support from some states, who have taken advantage of this crisis to prove completely sceptical on political scenarios, and just when fear and bewilderment are dividing people, art and culture play a central role, they unite, they enlighten the important aspects. After following the latest events of Manifesta13 and Manifesta14 now its time to talk about Rijeka (Croatia), European Capital 2020 together with Galway (Ireland).
But before we analyse all the specific ways in which Croatian wants to reactivate the schedule of events in Rijeka, here is the Vice-President who is Promoting Europeana Margaritis Schinas statement in order to remind that nobody has to be left alone after so many efforts: "Promoting culture as a core element of our way of life has many positive impacts on society, in terms of social inclusion, integration and economic growth. It enables people to gain new experiences, skills and opportunities to participate in society and to make our societies fairer and more inclusive. I wish them every success in this endeavor. " Read more.
The director of the Department of Culture, Ivan Šarar, and Mayor Vojko Obersnel after the temporary suspension of all cultural programs, began to consider the project in the new emergency context, taking into account the fact that by estimating the budget reduction a large part of the program will be impossible to carry out as conceived. In the last press conference, it was announced by the team that during the summer months the cultural and artistic program will be characterized by the prohibition of public meetings that will not respect social distances. Involving architects, engineers and local workers the urban regeneration projects will also bear fruit in the autumn with the opening of the Civic Museum of Rijeka and the Children's House, both obtained from the conversion of the spaces of the former sugar refinery in future cultural district Rikard Benčić, a complex of 15700 square meters which, until the 1990s, was the industrial center of the city.
Even the schedule related to the production of the performing arts: ballet, theater, concerts, everything will be proposed to the public with new modules that will allow you to respect social distances and safety criteria. For example, the ballet ensemble will have a solo character with several micro choreographies, the choir of Rijeka's opera will perform a variety of songs a cappella, and members of the Rijeka Symphony Orchestra will hold five chamber concerts on the construction sites of the city infrastructure. The theatrical performances repeatedly postponed will finally be performed both inside the theater, but also outside the building. Contemporary art could not ignore the context, alongside the previous programming of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art which reopened on May 12 with the exhibition of David Maljković, S Kolekcijom / With the Collection, the Covid19 exhibition, the witness of the investigations and prefigurations also international artists in relation to the period we are experiencing. Satellite spaces, such as the Kortil Gallery and the Sušak Cultural Center, have always focused on the current situation, with the collective exhibition Neizvjesna izložba / The Uncertain Exhibition, but involving Croatian artists more.
International meetings financed by the European Community are taking place online. This is the case of the Dutch collective Hoge Fronten who, in collaboration with the Croatian artist Tajči Čekada, has decided to perform a virtual exhibition directed by Lieke Benders on the Zoom platform, available at the same time for the Croatian and Dutch public. The state, municipal and regional budgets that mainly financed the Rijeka European Capital of Culture 2020 program found themselves in contrast with unexpected critical circumstances, recording significantly lower than expected revenues, however, the message that Croatia is trying to send is that of a city that is doing it's best and in every possible way to welcome the public and to counter what is expected to be a serious crisis both regionally and globally. Maybe together we can do it!