Shared Visions

The year behind us, marked by the International Year of Cooperatives, symbolically coincided with the moment when, after years of work as an informal and widely dispersed network, we officially began the process of building the first international cooperative of visual artists headquartered in Belgrade. This step did not come out of nowhere, but as the result of years of collective work by artists, researchers, curators, cultural workers, activists, and Web3 specialists from different contexts, brought together by the need to organize artistic labour differently, through solidarity, democracy, and long-term sustainability.

Throughout 2025, the work was intensive, structured, and distinctly collective. We held more than 40 project team meetings dedicated to planning and monitoring the work of the international Shared Visions collective in building the cooperative. In parallel, we carried out 39 sessions devoted to drafting and refining the cooperative’s bylaws, through which we collectively reflected on models of governance, membership, and the distribution of resources. A particular focus was placed on understanding the context in which we operate, which is why we organized 27 working sessions dedicated to planning market research on the visual arts in the Western Balkans, including 8 focus groups and a series of interviews with artists, gallerists, collectors, and other actors on the ground. At the same time, the digital infrastructure team held 22 working meetings devoted to developing Web3 solutions, from an online gallery to systems for digital voting and cooperative governance, as well as the development of a cooperative digital currency that will enable easier collaboration among artist-members in international conditions, the socialization of resources, and the creation of cooperative ownership. We also delivered a series of workshops, public discussions, and exhibitions/ auctions in various local and international contexts, through which we tested the principles of a solidarity economy in practice and opened space for the exchange of knowledge and experience, and for a deeper understanding of the position of artists in society.

None of these processes were ends in themselves, but part of a broader effort to build a cooperative model that responds to the real conditions of artistic labour today, especially in regions that sit outside the main currents of cultural and capitalist centres. In June 2026, we plan to officially establish the cooperative, marking a new phase for Shared Visions, one in which we invite all interested artists and cultural workers to join us, contribute, and take part in shaping this structure together.

In this spirit, we enter the new year with a clear awareness of the work already invested, and with the conviction that collective effort, solidarity, and democratic self-governance can be transformed into lasting infrastructure for artistic labour and mutual support.

To everyone who has been and who continues to be part of this process, we extend our gratitude for your trust, solidarity, and contributions, and to all those who will join us in the future, we offer a warm welcome. We wish you a happy, cooperative, and creative 2026!