Center for Cultural Decontamination/CZKD

   Birčaninova 21
   Paviljon Veljković
   11000 Belgrade
   Serbia
 

   Tel.: +381 11 361 0270
   Email: info@czkd.org
   Website: www.czkd.org
 

Contact person: Borka Pavićević, director

 

Who we are

The Center for Cultural Decontamination (CZKD) in Belgrade, Serbia, is an independent cultural institution that works to allow the real forces of society to surge into new, unfettered forms of cultural and art creation. Through performances, exhibitions, concerts, public discussions, lecture series, street actions and miscellaneous inoculations that have involved thousands of persons for over 15 years, CZKD works to promote freedom of expression, freedom for creativity and freedom from fear.

CZKD is both a producer and a venue. Its own productions have toured domestically and internationally, in neighboring countries, throughout the rest of Europe and as far away as Colombia.

It is a crucible for collaborative ventures of artists and activists, public and private sectors, government and nongovernmental organizations, international and domestic initiatives.

CZKD has always been the place where people come to feel free.


What we do

With committed and creative core staff, CZKD is flexible and draws on a network of skills. CZKD’s community of collaborating artists/experts, activists, project associates, designers and technicians create CZKD’s own events and facilitate programming for others.

As a result, CZKD has a diverse portfolio of activities:

 - Creates original cultural events, including knowledge and art production;

- Develops new digital platforms for progressive information policies;

- Promotes and restores the concept of public space, public good and public interest;

- Organizes public programs in response to breaking events;

- Designs events addressing human rights, social, cultural, economic and political issues;

- Forges cross-border links within Southeast Europe and with the rest of Europe;

- Fosters collaborative, cross-sector and interdisciplinary ventures;

- Promotes public-private-civil cooperation, especially in the realms of culture, gender and human rights;

- Produces cultural and art programs in minority languages;

- Strengthens civil society networking and co-operation;

- Hosts meetings and workshops of NGOs, international organizations, local governments and others.

CZKD programs are developed in close cooperation with media representatives. High visibility and broad exposure are hallmarks of CZKD endeavors.
 

Who has participated in programs

Over the years, CZKD has worked with leading figures in regional, European and worldwide cultural and social engagement. Among these are Nancy Adler, Bibi Andersson, Bogdan Bogdanović, Anna Cataldi, Roberto Ciulli, Adem Demaqi, Gábor Demszky, Ljiljana Duvran, Sead Fetahagić, Etienne Glaser, Michael Ignatieff, Vane Ivanović, Erland Josephson, Mary Kaldor, György Konrád, Jacques Lang, Fatos Lubonja, Shkëlzen Maliqi, Jiří Menzel, Danielle Mitterand, Rastko Močnik, Gerald and Monica Nagler, Suzanne Osten, Helen Siegerland, Goran Stefanovski, Slobodan Šnajder, Liv Ullman, László Végel.

Among the institutions with which CZKD has worked are the Theater an der Ruhr/Germany, Teatro Bologna/Italy, European Capital of Culture/Stockholm, Teatar Tvornica/ Zagreb, Theater Under Siege/Sarajevo, MOT/Skopje, FIAT/Podgorica, MES/Sarajevo, Gates Theatre/London, HetVeen Theater/Amsterdam, Festival International Cervantino/Bogota, Museum of Contemporary Art/Belgrade, Museum of Contemporary Art/Skopje, Dodona/Prishtine/Priština.

Where we are

CZKD is housed in the Veljković Pavilion and its garage outbuilding. The first private museum of European art in the Balkans, the Veljković Pavilion was converted to a sealed warehouse during WWII. The warehouse and garage were left to ruin until 1995 when the CZKD began rebuilding the space, stone by stone, into a sanctuary for civil society and a symbol of cultural liberation.

Today, in addition to the restored Pavilion exhibition and performance space (220 m2 , ht. 5.8 m, cap. 150), the CZKD includes a conference center (cap. 40), dance studio, open-air courtyard (cap. 200), office space and a converted-garage coffee kitchen (cap. 20).

Who has supported CZKD

International and local donors, in-kind contributions, partnerships, volunteer services and modest proceeds from events have combined to support our work. Over the years, our donors and supporters have included the following:

Fund for an Open Society; Swedish Helsinki Committee; Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; Norwegian People’s Aid; Swedish Institute for Culture; European Commission/Delegation of the European Union; UNESCO; Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Council of Europe; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; Balkan Trust for Democracy; Freedom House; European Cultural Foundation; CARE International; Erste Foundation; embassies of Switzerland, Norway, the United States, Germany, Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, France; Serbian Ministry of Culture; City of Belgrade; City of Niš; City of Novi Sad; Vojvodina Provincial Assembly; Municipalities of Pirot, Čačak (Serbia). Podgorica, Budva (Montenegro), Portorož, Ljubljana (Slovenia), Pula, Zagreb (Croatia), Skopje (Macedonia); B92; Telekom Serbia; Philip Morris; RTV Pink; Dunav osiguranje; Soko Štark; Blic, Telenor and many others.

Director

Borka Pavićević