The online platform „Na drugi pogled // Auf den zweiten Blick // At Second Glance“ of the Austrian Cultural Forum was created in the year which marks the 20th anniversary of the Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade, as well as the 185th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Austria and Serbia.

It is an exhibition space for thematic and curated art content, which showcases works by 10 visual artists from Serbia and 10 from Austria, which were selected by an expert jury from over 300 works.

The competition was open to works that refer to and go beyond clichés and prejudices the Austrians and Serbians have about each other in spite of, or perhaps because of, the close historical relations and intertwined history of migration. A special thematic focus was on works of art that reflect on the existence and possibilities of changing these clichés and prejudices. The title suggested that the works of art themselves thematically question different views in relation to what is taken as granted, and that they should suggest something different in relation to what seems to be a first glance.

In uncertain times like these, we hope that the platform “Na drugi pogled / Auf den zweiten Blick / At Second Glance” and the visually exciting works and intellectually provocative works will start a conversation between artists and the public.

According to the expert jury, most of the selected works took into account the relations between Serbia and Austria in the light of their past and through three prominent topics: the First and Second World War, the Gastarbeiter heritage of migrant workers as well as current economic migrations. Other works dealt with the personal experience of "otherness" after a prolonged stay in Austria or Serbia for a certain period of time, as well as interlingual influence and similarities between the two cultures.

The decision on the selection of works was made by a six-member jury composed of: Aleksandra Jovanić PhD, assistant professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade; Dejan Kaludjerović, MA, artist, co-founder of the organization for art and culture Verein K from Vienna; Miroslav Karić, curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade; Sanja Kojić Mladenov PhD, senior curator, Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina, Novi Sad; Mirjana Boba Stojadinović, MA, artist; Jelena Glišić, MA, Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade.