Probate (Ostavinska) Gallery was created in late 2016 in response to the attempted closure of the self-organized Magacin Culture Center. Because the Ostavinska space was part of Magacin at the time of the latter’s establishment (2007), part of the users of Magacin formed the informal collective of Ostavinska and reentered this space, which began operating as a gallery under Magacin. Aside from its formats, conceived by a flexible and open-minded team, the space was maintained as a public resource accessible to all, in accordance with the principles and model established by Magacin and its open calendar. The Ostavinska collective engaged in experimental contemplation on what a gallery is and what it can be for two years, until 2018.
Biennial in Probate (Ostavinska), May 2017
Ostavinska – dialog with artist Mirza Dedać, March 2017
Ostavinska – Installation of the firm, December 2016
Ostavinska, Space for mistake, September 2018
Ostavinska Conversation with curator Maja Ćirić, June 2017
Ostavinska Conversation with curator Miroslav Karić, april 2017
Opening – Your 15 Minutes, December 2016
Opening – Your 15 Minutes, February 2017
Opening – Your 15 Minutes, March 2017
Two formats stand out as important for not only constituting and reconstituting the Ostavinska team but also for arousing the interest of the visual arts public in this space: “Ostavinska Conversations” and “Openings – Your 15 Minutes.”
Ostavinska Conversations (Ostavinski razgovori) involved the team’s meetings with curators, critics, and contemporary art theorists. These conversations, which often lasted several hours, mostly consisted of presenting ideas and sharing thoughts on the operation of the collective and space, allowing team members to receive new knowledge, information, and suggestions from their esteemed older colleagues, who often joined the Ostavinska collective, whether temporarily or more long-term.
Openings – Your 15 Minutes (Otvaranja – tvojih 15 minuta) is one of Ostavinska’s most notable formats. The Openings were created in response to a general interest in two subjects. One is an exhibition’s formal structure, that is, the setting up/opening/duration/taking down rhythm. The other is the “15 minutes of fame” expression, which attracted interest at the time due to the inclusion of Warhol and “high” culture in Serbia’s daily politics and games. The Openings consisted of a sequence of evenings where three to five artists would open their exhibitions, rotating at one-hour intervals. The artists/collectives had 30 minutes to set up the exhibition, 15 minutes to open it, and 10 minutes to take it down. The critical response to the contemporary topics essential to artists and the larger scene, their transformation into a pop, or even reality format, proved to be a good motivator for artists to sign up and the general audience to attend.
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