P E T I C I J A za poništenje Odluke o promeni statusa Oktobarskog salona

Mi, potpisani ispod ovog teksta, izražavamo izričito neslaganje sa sadržinom i načinom donošenja Odluke koja je, na predlog Sekretara za kulturu Vladana Vukosavljevića, izglasana na sednici Skupštine Grada Beogradau petak 24. oktobra, prema kojoj će se: „Oktobarski salon ubuduće održavati bijenalno, odnosno svake druge godine, čime će se ostvariti određene uštede, ali i bitno popraviti kvalitet ove kulturne manifestacije“.(www.beograd.rs/cms/view.php?id=1631977)

Odluka je doneta bez učešća stručne javnosti, kao i bez konsultacije Odbora Oktobarskog salona imenovanog od strane Uprave grada Beograda marta meseca 2014. godine. Ovakvom nedemokratskom procedurom povrđeno je jedno od osnovnih načela u radu organa demokratske vlasti, a to je načelo transparentnosti.

U dugotrajnoj veoma teškoj situaciji za čitavu zemlju, pa samim tim i kulturu, kada se najveća većina građana, ali i ključne institucije u Srbiji suočavaju sa brojnim problemima, autokratski donetu Odluku o bijenalnom održavanju Oktobarskog salona vidimo kao sužavanje već veoma skučenog funkcionalnog prostora za savremenu vizuelnu umetnost i kritičko mišljenje.

U cilju popravljanja kvaliteta Oktobarskog salona smatramo da je pre donošenja Odluke bilo neophodno konsultovanje stručne javnosti, kao i organizovanje javne debate na kojoj bi se argumentovano i konstruktivno raspravljalo a potom i odlučivalo o daljoj strategiji razvoja Oktobarskog salona.

Donošenje ovako odgovorne Odluke, koja se tiče ukupne javnosti, nije smelo biti prepušteno isključivo odbornicima Skupštine Grada Beograda.

Smatramo da bi svi poslenici u kulturi, a pre svega oni koji su na rukovodećim pozicijama, trebalo da se zalažu za povećanje prostora i sredstava za kulturne delatnosti, a ne za ukidanje programa obrazloženo uštedama. Tvrdimo da će ova Odluka proizvesti kratkoročni efekat i proizvode dugoročni gubitak.

Stoga zahtevamo poništavanje Odluke o promeni statusa Oktobarskog salona. Takođe zahtevamo da Sekretarijat za kulturu Grada Beograda, na čelu sa Vladanom Vukosavljevićem, uputi javnosti poziv na dijalog o kulturnoj strategiji Grada Beograda koja bi dala transparentne i pouzdane okvire za redefiniciju i funkcionalniji način poslovanja u oblasti beogradske kulture.

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We, the undersigned under this text, express explicit disagreement with the content and decision-making way of the Decision, which was, at the proposal of the Secretary for Culture Vladan Vukosavljević, adopted at the session of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade on Friday, October 24th, according to which: ”October Salon will, henceforth, be held biannually, meaning every second year, by virtue of which certain savings will be achieved and the overall quality of this cultural manifestation significantly improved”. (www.beograd.rs/cms/view.php?id=1631977).

We firmly believe that by adopting such Decision, with utter disregard to professional public, which is to say by employing such non-democratic procedure, a fundamental principle in operation of governmental organ has been violated, the principle of transparency in making decisions related to cultural politics and significant manifestations for the City of Belgrade.

In an enduring hardship tangling our country, and by extend our culture, when the majority of citizens, but also key institutions in Serbia face existential problems, we regard the Decision to hold October Salon biannually as an autocratic termination of breathing space for contemporary visual art and critical opinion.

Aiming to improve the quality of this cultural manifestation, we believe it was necessary to consult the wider professional public, prior to adopting the Decision, as well as organising a public debate, where different opinions and arguments would be brought forward and subjected to scrutiny, followed by deciding on further development strategy of October Salon. Adoption of such a faithful Decision, which considers the entire community, must not have been left solely to counsellors and committee members of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade. We stress that, at the initiative of Cultural Centre of Belgrade and one part of professional public, open, critically intoned debates have been taking place for several years now, in scope of side programmes of October Salon.

We regard that all culture workers, but decision makers first and foremost, should intercede in favour of increase of the space and means for cultural activities, and not for abolition of programmes justified by savings, which we assert would have a short term effect and a long term loss.

Therefore, we demand the annulment of the Decision on changing the status of October Salon. We also ask that the Secretariat of Culture of the City of Belgrade, headed by Vladan Vukosavljević, send a public call for dialogue on cultural strategy of the City of Belgrade, which would provide transparent and reliable framework for redefinition and more functional way of doing business in the area of ​​culture in Belgrade.