6 minute read
Searching For
HOMEOWNERS: MILENA ZEVU & BORIS VUJIČIĆ
Searching For True Belonging
Advertisement
As the Luštica Bay project continues to grow and develop, so too does the incredible community of residents who are choosing to relocate to the stunning Luštica Peninsula and make a new life for themselves in Luštica Bay! One such couple are Milena ZeVu and Boris Vujičić. Milena, conceptual artist and Boris, senior banking executive and consultant recently decided to purchase property in the Luštica Bay’s Marina Village, and plan to use it as their summer retreat! We caught up with them for a chat about their experiences so far and how they decided to establish themselves in Montenegro!
While the couple owned property in Montenegro for many years, we wanted to know what it was that brought the pair to purchase property in Luštica Bay - what was it that drew them to this secluded corner of the bay and what makes it such a special place to live and invest in.
The couple explained to us that, despite having already looked at properties in some of the countries more well-known destinations, the thing that really drew them to Luštica Bay was the controlled and phased development that simply doesn’t exist in other parts of the country! They told us, “We had a property in Montenegro for twenty years but in many places, such as in Petrovac, wild construction has resulted in these charming towns loosing architectural order and visual balance, to say the least. This cannot happen in Luštica Bay as it is a controlled development. It has retained the “Wild beauty” while providing structure and rich amenities.
Over the past 30 years, the couple have lived and worked in seven different countries and as such have found it difficult to articulate where it is that they really ‘belong.’ It is this elusive sense of belonging that ultimately led them to choose Luštica Bay as their summer base, telling us that “Even though we would have spent a number of years living in different cities, you never really feel you belong somewhere. So, the notion of ‘belonging’ to a place or a community is very important to us. Since this is a new community, just being formed, one has a rare opportunity of belonging to a new place, a place one can call their ‘own’. A place you can come back to!”
A LIFE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO SEE, RATHER THAN BE SEEN!
While the couple are not planning a permanent move to the bay, after staying for their first season last year, they plan to spend more and more time in Luštica, especially once the golf course is up and running, and there are a few more activities for them and their wider family to get involved with!
We asked them to describe the Luštica lifestyle and give us an idea of their impressions so far, to which they answered, “There have been a number of exclusive real estate developments in Montenegro over the past decade. We were tempted to invest in some of them…but what we found in Luštica Bay was, for us, a perfect balance of open sea access, vicinity to the mysterious Boka Bay as well as to the airport and a secluded but well organized community with a small marina and a future golf course. We feel it is for people who want to see rather to be seen…”
“There’s our mandatory early morning swim, breakfast consisting of freshly baked croissants and cappuccino, spend the day on the beach, fresh fish and local wine for lunch, afternoon siesta with a book and watching the sunset… what else does one need in life?”
THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE ART
We moved on to speak with Milena alone, who told us about her plans for creating a ‘living art space’ in their apartment. She explained to us that she had always wanted create, what she described as, an art-apartment, in which a person could actually feel as though they were part of the art - an idea that corresponds perfectly with her ArtWalks concept, where a person, both physically and metaphorically, becomes part an element of the art piece. She said, “I can finally extend this notion to a bigger space for the first time in our apartment in Luštica Bay, the perfect place to do so. I believe that if you are in a place surrounded by artworks, you tend to think differently with a free mind, which is very important.”
Milena describes her art concept, ArtWalks, as meaning, art without limits in space, it is dynamic and essentially means that ‘art can walk!’ Unlike many other forms of art, in Milena’s concept, she, the artist, actually becomes part of the work herself - both physically and metaphorically, by literally attaching the art to her back and walking through different cities. She began working on this concept in 2015 and settled on the name ArtWalks as an encouragement to continue searching for new ways to bring life and dynamism to her artistic expression!
She went on to describe the inspiration that Luštica has brought to her latest projects,
“I came to Luštica Bay for the first time in spring of 2021. I was really impressed by the peacefulness and the feeling of relaxation, which was present even in the middle of the season. This is exceptional nowadays, since everywhere you go, you are surrounded by tourists and busy beaches. I immediately had the feeling that this was the right place for me, a place to spend my free time and to accumulate energy. I love that you can do whatever you want here, without being bothered. It is a very inspiring place for me as an artist.”
Over the summer, Milena created two of her latest pieces in Luštica. Inspired by the wild, natural beauty of the Luštica Peninsula, she crafted a piece for a collection entitled Butterfly, whose motif is ‘Our responsibility toward nature.’ Her second piece is from her “The Fall” collection, with the theme of ‘Awakening.’ Both of these works will be shown for the first time at exhibition, in Belgrade, in June 2022, where Lustica will be a general sponsor!
Milena finished our interview by telling us, “I am really grateful that they have recognized and supported an independent artist such as myself, and I hope that this concept will take Luštica Bay in an even more artistic direction!”
While the natural beauty of the bay itself offers the perfect place to settle, it truly is the homeowners, the business owners, the artists and restaurateurs, the families and the staff that make up the Luštica community, who are what truly makes Luštica such a unique and special place to call home. A place to be inspired, and creative. A place of community and kinship. A place to belong.
