ARTMargins Online Celebrates 25 Years with Reflection on Bojana Pejić's 2003 Text on Post-Communist Art Exhibitions

To mark its 25th anniversary, ARTMargins Online is inviting contributors to revisit pieces from its digital archive, which was established on January 15, 1999. Among the featured works is Bojana Pejić's influential 2003 article, "East of Art, Transformations in Eastern Europe: 'What Comes After the Wall?'" This piece examines her involvement in the exhibition "After the Wall: Art and Culture in Post-Communist Europe" (1999/2000), which played a crucial role in shaping international views on regional art. Pejić discusses the "Balkan hype" following the 1990s conflicts, leading to notable exhibitions such as "In the Gorges of the Balkans: A Report" (Kassel, 2003) and "Blood and Honey: The Future's in the Balkans" (Vienna, 2003), while asserting that contemporary art from East-Central Europe existed before 1989 and critiques the power dynamics in global exhibitions.