The Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 60th Venice Biennale was officially opened on Thursday, 18 April 2024 in the UNESCO Palace Zorzi in Venice. Bosnia and Herzegovina is at this year’s Biennale represented, at the proposal of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports, by the project titled “Measure of the Sea” by Stjepan Skoko, the Museum of Modern Art of the University of Mostar.
Skoko’s “Measure of the Sea”, which explores the interactions and relationships between man and the sea, using marine elements to question the limits and measures of the coexistence of man and nature, is an excellent choice for presenting the culture and art of Bosnia and Herzegovina to a wider international audience.
According to the artist, the “Measure of the Sea” project was created before the theme of this year’s Biennale was announced – “Foreigners everywhere”: “The setting of the BiH Pavilion deals with our Mediterranean identity, which shaped the coasts and hinterland. We simply had enough of the war, mutual conflicts, privatization and dysfunctional society topics, we wanted to affirm the beauty that BiH abounds in and the identity of the Mediterranean countries to which we also belong.”
The pavilion was officially opened by the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto. In addition to the host, representatives of the University of Mostar, the ceremony was also attended by numerous guests from political, academic and artistic milieu of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy, including the Director of the UNESCO Office in Venice and the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Italy. Anita Vlašić, adviser to the Minister, attended the ceremony on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports.
