For all visitors and citizens of Belgrade an exhibition “Balkan Love” by photograph Aleksandar Crnogorac was opened on the Sava Promenade at Kalemegdan.
Balkan Love is a photo exhibition that presents people who chose love over borders, nation and religion. Through portraits and personal stories of inter-ethnic couples from the Western Balkans, the exhibition questions stereotypes and highlights the common cultural heritage, diversity and humanity of the region.
The exhibition was opened on May 28, by the author Aleksandar Crnogorac, deputy head of the Delegation of the European Union in Serbia, Plamena Halacheva and deputy chief of mission of the Swiss embassy, Miguel Luis La Plante-Perez.
“The Balkans have long been shaped by complex histories and divisions, but these couples remind us that connection, understanding and love continue to exist despite politics and prejudice. Their stories offer hope and a vision of the region today – as well as the future that is possible”, said the author of the exhibition.
The Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Serbia, Plamena Halacheva, stated that the exhibition “Balkan Love” is a love told beyond borders, languages, traditions and beliefs.
“Europe’s motto is United in Diversity, and this moto is tested honestly and lived courageously, precisely right here, in the Balkans. These couples do not merely tolerate diversity. They embrace it at the most intimate level possible. They wake up with it every morning. They choose it, again and again. This exhibition was born from a belief that coexistence is a lived experience: imperfect, tender, and real”, said Halacheva.
The deputy chief of mission of the Swiss embassy, Miguel Luis La Plante-Perez, said that “it is very important to have such bridges between people and intercultural exchange”.
The exhibition is supported through the project “Promotion of EU values and policies in Serbia”, implemented by the Europe House in Serbia.
Aleksandar Crnogorac is a documentary photographer, born in Vienna in 1979. He spent his childhood in Belgrade, and was educated in the United States of America, England and France. After experience in the field of commercial photography, he returned to Serbia to fully devote himself to documentary photography. In the focus of his creativity are human stories, minority communities and society’s attitude towards marginalized groups. He is the author of the Trans Balkan project — a regional photo-documentary exhibition and book, through which he explores the lives of trans people in the Balkans.