Special Recognition of Dijana Milošević by the Helena Vaz da Silva European Award Jury
Dijana Milošević. Photo courtesy of the Artis.
The Helena Vaz da Silva European Award, which this year celebrates its 10th edition, was established by the Centro Nacional de Cultura in cooperation with Europa Nostra and the Clube Português de Imprensa and with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Portugal, the Gulbenkian Foundation and Tourism of Portugal.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Award, the Jury also granted a Special Recognition to Dijana Milošević, theatre director, writer, professor and artist from Serbia, who is the founder and director of the DAH Theatre – Research Centre for Culture and Social Changes in Belgrade, in recognition of her key role in defending Europe’s culture and values. Dijana sits on the Board of IMPACT.
The Award Ceremony will take place on 24 November at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.
“At the very basis of Dijana Milošević’s artistic and scholarly explorations has always been the importance of culture as a continuum, with an emphasis on the multicultural heritage that is at the foundation of our societies. Through many of her works, Dijana Milošević revived forgotten and untold stories that bring us together while celebrating our differences. While questioning our perception, our habits and our past, we can understand the present, so that we can change the future. Among other topics, through her work – lecture performances, art installations and writings -, she has explored European avant-garde movements, such as Zenitism and Dadaism, engaging bold interpretations that provide complex representation of these artistic movements and, through them, of our cultural heritage overall”, noted the Jury.
Reacting to the announcement, Dijana Milošević said: “I feel much honoured and deeply thankful to the Jury to be in the company of the great artists and thinkers of our times. In this moment, when we are facing yet another senseless war, this European Award and this Special Recognition bring hope focusing on amazing human achievements that radiate light through the present moment towards the future. My warm congratulations to the recipient of the Award, Oksana Lyniv, conductor from Ukraine”.
About the Helena Vaz da Silva European Award
The European Award for Raising Public Awareness on Cultural Heritage is named after Helena Vaz da Silva (1939-2002), Portuguese journalist, writer, cultural activist and politician, in memory and recognition of her remarkable contribution to the promotion of cultural heritage and European ideals. It has been presented annually, since 2013, to a European citizen whose career has been distinguished by activities that disseminate, defend and promote Europe’s cultural heritage, in particular through literary or musical works, news items, articles, chronicles, photographs, cartoons, documentary features, films, and radio and/or television programmes. The Award has the support of the Portuguese Ministry of Culture, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Turismo de Portugal.
The previous laureates of this Award are the Belgian contemporary dance choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (2021), the Portuguese poet and Librarian of the Vatican Library José Tolentino Mendonça (2020), the Italian Physicist Fabiola Gianotti (2019), the British historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes (2018), the German film director Wim Wenders (2017), the French editorial cartoonist Jean Plantureux, known as Plantu, and the Portuguese philosopher Eduardo Lourenço (ex aequo, 2016), the Spanish musician and conductor Maestro Jordi Savall (2015), the Turkish writer and and Nobel Prize laureate Orhan Pamuk (2014) and the Italian writer Claudio Magris (2013).