RETROPERSPECTIVE 70

RETROPERSPECTIVE 70

HISTORIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES: ULUPUBIH THROUGH TIME

Seventy years ago, a group of artists, architects, and designers gathered in Sarajevo with the idea of creating an organization that would serve as a platform for collaborative work and tackling professional challenges. Thus, in 1954, the Association of Fine Artists of Applied Arts and Design of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ULUPUBIH) was founded.

Over seven decades of activity, ULUPUBIH has undergone various transformations: the scope of the association’s work and the socio-political context have shifted, generations of artists/members have come and gone, and new global trends in design and art have emerged. This exhibition was created with the aim of presenting stories from the dynamic—yet unjustly neglected and insufficiently explored—past of the association. Placed within a linear timeline, the historiographic sketches help reconstruct key moments and activities of the association. Alongside these primary stories, the exhibition also weaves in snippets from the history of applied arts and design in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Even the exhibition’s title—RetroPerspective—reveals that it is envisioned as a meeting point of different temporal dimensions (retrospective as a look into the past; perspective as a view toward the future). This exhibition takes us from the past into the present, represented through the work of current ULUPUBIH members. Symbolically, this exhibition creates space for future conversations.

In preparing the exhibition, materials from the partially preserved ULUPUBIH archive were used. At the beginning of 2024, the archive underwent a processing phase in accordance with museum standards. Presenting this valuable archival material not only contributes to preserving the association’s history, but also allows for a deeper understanding of the following questions:
a) How does the political and social context influence the development of art and design in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
b) How do art and design contribute to shaping visible reality?

The exhibition, conceived as a contribution to the history of ULUPUBIH, is in fact a story about the past of Bosnia and Herzegovina through the lens of art and design. Numerous challenges in carrying out such a research project served as further motivation to make the exhibition happen—especially in a year when ULUPUBIH celebrates an important anniversary. These may be the last moments in which we can reconstruct the association’s processes through testimonies from its members, across all phases of its existence. These are certainly the right moments to inspire discussions about ULUPUBIH’s future.

With a note that the exhibition is a platform to be expanded in the future, and with heartfelt thanks for the support received in realizing the exhibition, we congratulate all ULUPUBIH members on their 70th birthday!