Ars
Aevi

Awardee

Country

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ars Aevi stands for civil society through cultural heritage.

Themes
Free Expression / Civil Society
Disciplines
Cultural heritage
Awards
Archive - Prince Claus Laureate 2007

Profile

Ars Aevi is a museum of contemporary art based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Born out of cultural resistance during the siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s, Ars Aevi has grown to symbolize not only artistic resilience but also the collaborative spirit of international art communities.Through liaisons with international museums and curators, artists were invited to donate works to this unique museum. The resulting collection of outstanding contemporary art is a manifestation of artists’ solidarity with people in conflict situations. With no permanent base, Ars Aevi set up temporary exhibitions and presented art in public spaces, such as supermarkets and bus stops. It initiated seminars promoting multicultural dialogue and training courses in museology and has now begun to build permanent spaces for its collection. In 2003 Ars Aevi curated the country’s first participation in the Venice biennale.