Jelena Delic

Jelena Delic

bluebee met Jelena Delic to talk about the inspiring but complex ecosystem of the art world and the impact of foundations on the wider society.

Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, is a public-law foundation, specialising in the promotion of Swiss arts and culture with a focus on diversity and high quality. Jelena works as a specialist for the Visual Arts department and is in charge of the promotion of aspiring artists.

As a possible reason for the success of a significant cohort of Swiss artists internationally, Jelena mentions that the country provides a stable ecosystem for cultural promotion comprised of a mix of federal institutions (including Pro Helvetia), cantons, cities and private foundations. Furthermore, renowned art schools, a diversity of art institutions (from artist run spaces and Kunsthallen to big international museums), a robust art market, international art fairs and galleries, all contribute to the Swiss art world, whose reach extends internationally.

In the field of Visual Arts, Pro Helvetia supports emerging artists by facilitating the launch of a professional career in the arts at a national or international level. In collaboration with selected partner institutions, the Swiss Arts Council offers residencies, enables opportunities for exhibitions, and grants financial support for networking. Time in art school is a secure and perhaps cosy place. Pro Helvetia helps them to make their first steps afterwards and closely follows the professional trajectories of Swiss artists.

Jelena believes that art schools are important in an artist’s development and it’s good to have been through this structured process of initiation into the field. At the same time, there are some autodidacts who became great artists - it’s most certainly not impossible to make it without a degree. But art schools can provide a rich ground for learning the basics, cultivating a network of peers,

Jelena believes that art schools are important in an artist’s development and it’s good to have been through this structured process of initiation into the field.

acquiring exhibition experience and being mentored by a faculty usually comprised of artists, curators and writers influential in the field.

To support young artists with their first steps in the scene Pro Helvetia offers different funding schemes. One of them is the support of artistrun-spaces and small and mid-sized institutions, which are exhibiting aspiring artists. In that sense, Jelena proposes that artists should be proactive rather than passive and welcomes the creation of many artist run spaces. While not only gathering exhibition experience, these spaces also provide opportunities for building professional relationships. It’s fundamentally important to have a good network of people that can support one in different ways.

Another area of support is reserved for art galleries, which show emerging or rising artists on art fairs internationally. This is a great way for art galleries to partly minimise the risk in showing new talent instead of focusing only on hard sales. Jelena sees art fairs as an important meeting point for the art world. Although it is expensive to exhibit, these are the pre-eminent contexts for exposure to art collectors, curators, gallerists, journalists and other artists.

It’s a fact that art galleries have their place in the art world and for many artists it’s good to be represented, but not for all. For Jelena, the experience of being represented by a gallery only makes sense if there is a good chemistry between the art gallery and the artist, with a set of clear and mutual expectations. Not every artist should be represented and for some, it’s not the right time, yet. It always depends on the personality of the artist, and where they are in their professional trajectory, and shouldn’t be forced.

Personally, Jelena likes art which is somehow commenting on the society and the world in general. She is seeing a sustained trend toward questions of ecological sustainability, gender, postcolonialism and the turbulent politics of the present moment. An example of work she finds compelling on many of these fronts, is Uriel Orlow’s “Theatrum Botanicum”, which looks to the botanical world as a stage for politics. She also rated highly the presentation of Pauline Boudry and Renate Lorenz in the Swiss Pavilion at the Biennale in Venice 2019 which reflected on questions like “Which direction are we moving? Are we moving backwards? How can we integrate a resistance movement in art?”

Living from art may be a struggle for the many, and possible only for the few. Jelena is happy to see that in Switzerland, as in the UK andother countries, there is a growing awareness concerning fair pay forartists. In the future, Swiss exhibitors might only get nationallyfunded if the hosting institutions pay the invited artists professionalfees above an agreed minimum. This new strategy is foreseen for the nextfederal cultural policy statement which will be discussed in parliamentthis year. Hopefully it will be a decisive step towards improving thelives of artists. However, there is still a lot more to be done.

The art world is a complex system and can nowadays sometimes seem even overwhelming. Emerging artists are required to be not just brilliant creators but also communication and marketing experts, administrators and project managers. Still, Jelena thinks it’s worth it. Being part of this world is a very inspiring experience. Never give up.