Art Box portal //

As we read less and find it increasingly difficult to maintain our concentration, writer and artist Ljiljana Maletin Vojvodić invites visitors to join her at the American Corner on Friday, 25 September at 6 pm for half an hour of silent reading.

Silent Reading, a programme accompanying the Nordic Frame exhibition, is a participatory format built around the experience of reading together. No preparation is needed, no introductions are required, and no one will be asked to talk about what they are reading or share their reading habits. Simply switch off your phone, choose a book, and find a place to read.

A selection of books by Scandinavian authors, in Serbian and English translation, will be available to participants. The selection, curated by Ljiljana Maletin Vojvodić, includes works by Karl Ove Knausgård, Nina Lykke, Vigdis Hjorth, Ulaug Nilsen, Linda Boström Knausgård, Katrine Holst, Erlend Loe, Tomas Espedal and Per Petterson, as well as works by Henrik Ibsen, August Strindberg, Knut Hamsun and Ingmar Bergman.

 

From 6 to 6:30 pm, the American Corner will become a temporary space dedicated to reading and concentration — a shared space where we can try something that has become increasingly difficult for many of us: reading without online interruptions.

The workshop begins with reading as an intimate and individual activity, while at the same time moving it into a public space. Everyone has their own book, text, pace, and way of reading. The shared experience emerges simply from being together while engaged in different individual activities.

In this sense, Silent Reading is part of contemporary artistic and curatorial practices concerned with attention, productivity, and our relationship with time. Here, reading is not only a way of taking in information, but also an opportunity to slow down, step away from digital communication and experience a shared space differently.

The reading session may be followed by an informal conversation about books, reading habits, and the ways in which reading is changing. The conversation is entirely optional. The workshop is, above all, an invitation to spend half an hour together, reading in silence.

Scandinavian tea and sweets will be served during the session. After the workshop, participants will also be able to take free copies of Ljiljana Maletin Vojvodić’s books: Norway from Bjørnson to Knausgård, Skrik and Those Who Eat Raw Meat.

Admission is free, with prior registration required.