Visual artists’ professional and social status: Insights from post-socialist Serbia

Abstract

This article suggests a new model for artist engagement by analysing challenges independent visual artists face in Serbia due to the shift to neoliberal capitalism. The aim is to address the alienation of independent visual artists from broader socio-political issues and to improve their social status through a socio-emancipatory mission of artistic practice. The methodology involves analysing international working conditions for artists, different cultural policy models, and alternative modes of artistic engagement, as well as case study of a community art project in Stara Pazova (Serbia). The significance of studying Serbia rests in its historical experience of self-management when culture was considered an integral part of the socialist society, fostering emancipation and creative freedom. The proposed model emphasizes the horizontality of decision-making and the need for progressive cultural policies that foster experimentation, autonomy, and freedom from bureaucratic requirements.