After months of effort, a series of successful meetings and a constructive dialogue with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska and the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as all the other referent institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Republic of Srpska had received an official confirmation for the participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 57^th La Biennale di Venezia at the 86^th session of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Biennale will be held in the period between 13 May and 26 November 2017.

Artist Radenko Milak will represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 57^th La Biennale di Venezia with the project ''University of Disaster'', which will be realised in collaboration with the Slovenian artist Roman Uranjek.

Commissioner of the Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina is Sarita Vujković, PhD, who is the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Republic of Srpska, and curators of the project that were suggested are Christopher Yggdre, author of the concept, Swedish curatorial team that is made up of Fredrik Svensk, Sinziana Ravini and Ana van der Vliet, all of whom will work with the support of Hans Urlich Obrist, prominent Swiss curator and director of the Serpentine Gallery in London.

These decisions were preceded by a joint initiative of the Art Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Republic of Srpska, with the wish for Bosnia and Herzegovina to continuously present itself at the world’s biggest contemporary art review, as well as at the Biennale of Architecture.

This initiative was supported by the Government of the Republic of Srpska and the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska which will, based on the previously set model, provide financial resources for the preparation and realization of the exhibition project, being that it will be carried out by an institution from this entity. The project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Culture, while the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina will take over the obligation of paying the expenses of space rental as well as the expenses for a six-month period in which the exhibition will last and function.

Significant support for the project was also given by the City of Banja Luka, which provided the studio that is necessary for the artist and the production of the works which will be exhibited at the Biennale in Venice.

Organizer of this whole project is the Museum of Contemporary Art of Republic of Srpska, which in collaboration with the artist Radenko Milak and the curatorial team, decided that the Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina be located in the Palazzo Malipiero, the same place in which Bosnia was presented by the artist Mladen Miljanović at the 55^th La Biennale di Venezia in 2013.

57^th La Biennale di Venezia will be held in the period between 13 May and 26 November 2017, under the title ‘’Viva Arte Viva’’. French curator Christine Macel is the artistic director, curator and author of the concept of this year’s Biennale.

Exhibition ‘’Viva Arte Viva’’ wishes to put emphasis on young artists who will, along with the works of the artists of various generations, present the works that will be dedicated to the research of specific cultural territories, and mark the pavilions of participating countries as ‘’trans-pavilions’’ which gather the artists of various generations and backgrounds who are concentrated on international collaboration and dialogue and who follow one another just as chapters of a book do.

• Sarita Vujković, PhD, Commissioner of the Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarita Vujković, PhD, Commissioner of the Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Promotion of the Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina Promotion of the Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Biljana Čamur, Assistant of the Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Biljana Čamur, Assistant of the Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Dane Malešević, Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska Dane Malešević, Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska
• Zora Dujmović, Minister of Culture and Sports of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zora Dujmović, Minister of Culture and Sports of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Igor Radojičić, Mayor of the City of Banja Luka Igor Radojičić, Mayor of the City of Banja Luka
• Christoper Yggdre and Sinziana Ravini, curators of the Pavilion Christoper Yggdre and Sinziana Ravini, curators of the Pavilion
• Artists Radenko Milak and Roman Uranjek Artists Radenko Milak and Roman Uranjek
• Promotion of the Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina Promotion of the Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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