Exhibition: June 7 to October 31 2014, 10 AM to 6 PM, closed Mondays

Address:  Palazzo Malipiero, Ramo Malipiero San Marco, 3079

For further information, please visit www.treasures-in-disguise.net

The Montenegro Pavilion at the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale opened its exhibition “Treasures in Disguise” to the public on Thursday, June 5. Present at Palazzo Malipiero were Simon Hartmann, Andreas and Ilka Ruby, Dijana Vucinic, Boštjan Vuga, and Nebojša Adzic, the commissioners of the pavilion; Branislav Micunovic, the Montenegrin Minister of Culture; and Branimir Gvozdenovic, the Montenegrin Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism.
 
Curated by a team of architects and critics from Montenegro, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Germany, “Treasures in Disguise” presents four neglected late-modernist structures built in Montenegro between 1960 and 1986: Hotel Fjord, Kayak Club Galeb, Spomen Dom, and Dom Revolucije. Once the beacons of a new society, the buildings are, with one exception, not in use today; all are in dire condition. By putting these buildings back in the limelight and on an international stage, the Montenegro Pavilion hopes to draw attention to the unfortunate condition—and great potential—of these treasures in dis­guise.
 
Abandoned Yugoslav communist-era buildings are predominantly scrutinized for their ties to a failed society; “Treasures in Disguise,” on the contrary, brings to the fore their impressive spatial qualities. The four buildings are exhibited in the form of huge, experiential models, combined with atmospheric photographs of the interiors and exteriors of the structures. These tangible representations convey not only the buildings’ impressive interior spaces, but also the deplorable state that they are in today. The models are complemented with short texts, old and new photographs, and architectural drawings, all of which provide additional information to the visitors about the designs, contexts, and histories of these projects.
 
Branimir Gvozdenovic, the Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism, and commissioner Andreas Ruby spoke at the opening of the Montenegro Pavilion. Gvozdenovic’s speech stressed the need for a more nuanced interpretation of the past and Yugoslav-era architecture in order to avoid its dismissal as the product of a “wrong time.” Commissioner Andreas Ruby concluded the opening by highlighting architecture’s ability to live through different historical periods; the now-decaying buildings on display, he argued, could develop trajectories as rich and sustainable as those of Hagia Sophia or Diocletian’s Palace, which have, over the centuries, been reappropriated to serve different needs.
 
The future of these four buildings depends on Montenegrin civil society discovering and acknowledg­ing their potential; “Treasures in Disguise” is thus part of an effort to reassess Yugoslav-era architecture and initiate a public conversation about urban regeneration in Montenegro and abroad. That Monte­negro chose to represent itself at the Venice Architecture Biennale with “Treasures in Disguise” signals that it is willing to reconsider these often-ignored Yugoslavian buildings as part of its cultural legacy and future.

Image by Patricia Parinejad 

Dom Revolucije

Architect: Marko Mušic

Location: Nikšic, Montenegro

Years of construction: 1979-1989, unfinished

Area (built): 20,468 square meters

Image by Patricia Parinejad

Hotel Fjord

Architect: Zlatko Ugljen

Location: Kotor, Montenegro

Year of construction: 1986

Area: 13,360 square meters

Image by Patricia Parinejad

Kayak Club “Galeb”

Architect: Vukota-Tupa Vukotic

Location: Podgorica, Montenegro

Year of construction: 1960

Area: 411.50 square meters

Image by Patricia Parinejad

Spomen Dom

Architect: Marko Mušic

Location: Kolašin, Montenegro

Year of construction: 1976

Area: 3,220 square meters

> via treasures-in-disguise.net