Documentation: "Open letter to the Yugoslav public", Student 4/71, February 23, 1971.
OPEN LETTER TO THE YUGOSLAV PUBLIC
IN THE CULTURE OF NOVI SAD (VOJVODINA), THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN GOVERNED FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. COMPLETE BUREAUCRATIZATION AND INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS THE EXPANSION OF THE MONOPOLIES OF GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS IN RESPONSIBLE FUNCTIONS.
ARBITRATION OF POLITICAL BODIES AND FUNCTIONS IN ART AND CULTURE BECAME A COMMON METHOD FOR DISQUALIFYING NEW PHENOMENA. THE HIERARCH RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURAL WORKERS AND THE A priori DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUNG CREATORS AND CONTEMPORARY TENDENCIES IN ART IS MAINTAINED.
CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A SOURCE OF ACQUISITION OF POLITICAL MATERIAL POWER.
POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SOLUTIONS HAVE CREATED AN ATMOSPHERE OF FEAR, THREATENED PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT, FREEDOM OF CREATIVITY, AND DEALING WITH ART DANGEROUS AND RISKY.
SELF-GOVERNING PRACTICE IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF FEAR OF GOVERNMENT IS IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE THE TRUST OF AUTHORITIES IS ALWAYS INDICATED BY POLITICALLY "CORRECT" INDIVIDUALS.
THE ACT OF DISABLING THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF CULTURES AND THE INCLUSION OF ART IN SOCIAL PROCESSES - WILL BE CONVICTED THAT ART IS SEPARATED FROM SOCIETY AND PEOPLE.
THE MEANS OF MASS COMMUNICATION DISINFORM THE YUGOSLAV PUBLIC AND ACT AS AN EXTENDED HAND OF MONOPOLY IN THE POLITICAL AND CULTURAL STRUCTURE.
OUR LANGUAGE IS THE LANGUAGE OF ART AND WE DO NOT WANT IT TO BECOME POLITICAL.
NEW ARTS GROUP "FEBRUARY"
Branko Andrić s. r, Slavko Bogdanović s. r, Cedomir Drcha s. r, Janez Kocijanočić s. r, Vladimir Kopicl s. r, Božidar Mandić s. r, Miroslav Mandić s. r, Mirko Radojicic s. r, Ana Raković s. r, Dusan Sabo s. r, Slobodan Tišma s. r, Vujica Rešin Tucić s. r, Pedja Vranešević s. r, Miša Živanović s. r.
The press material comes from the private archive of Slavko Bogdanović.