18.04.2016.

Opening of the exhibition "The Face of the Army" by Igor Salinger

The Small Gallery of the Central Military Club has opened tonight the exhibition of photographs by Igor Salinger "The face of the Army". The exhibition includes 32 photographs of the author who, recording the military reality through the lens of the camera, has cooperated with Odbrana magazine for almost a decade.

Opening the exhibition, Head of the Public Relations Department Navy Captain Petar Boskovic pointed out that in a few years the author will become a millionaire, when it comes to the number of photos taken during the following of the defence system.

- But that's not the only attraction. Salinger was the man who, in 2007, began to work with our military magazine, straight away with the front page, and from then on he has not come down there from, Boskovic said.

He assessed that Salinger is characterized by an incredible positive energy, sharpness and strength in the work he is doing.

- No matter whether in the frame there is a pilot, tank driver or a policeman at practice, Salinger masterfully captures the right moment – Boskovic said.

Director of Odbrana Media Centre Colonel Stevica S. Karapandzin pointed out that the title of the exhibition "The Face of the Army” has manifold symbolism.

- By the eye of a professional artist, Salinger skilfully "caught" the faces of our colleagues from the Army brigades, the Guard, the Military Academy, aviation and artillery brigades, capturing the moments of their life and work as members of the defence system.

He added that the exhibition was prepared on the eve of the celebration of the Serbian Armed Forces Day, as well as to show the citizens that the defence system, although cohesive and often externally perceived as a monolithic structure, in which individuality is subordinate to the collective, however, consists of individuals, with their different stories.

Military analyst Aleksandar Radic said that he had met Igor Salinger at a time when he drew a plane "from line to line", and that the people were an obstacle for this approach.

- I remember those moments when he yelled at people – ‘move it a little bit, you're ruining my image of plane’. In the meantime, the things changed, and he recognized that human dimension of aviation, military in general. He showed that he felt the relationship between soldiers and techniques, and we began to get a wrinkled look of a soldier under the helmet, and lately long eyelashes of female members of the military. On the other hand, he made a document about the existence of the Army, and in his photographs one can see what the Serbian Armed Forces did all these years. In this regard, we thank the author for leaving a valuable historical document, Radic said.

Author Igor Salinger pointed out that the exhibition "The Face of the Army" is not solely the deed of his hands.

- Behind it there is a team effort that has lasted for a decade, so that from the moments when some of these photographs were made, until this moment, many people have contributed, and I wish to thank them for their assistance in the realisation of this exhibition.

The exhibition is open until 23 April 2016, in the Small Gallery of the Central Military Club, every day, except Sundays, from 11 am to 7 pm.