15 December 2018 - Prime Minister Duško Marković presented the 2018 "Petar Lubarda" state award to Milka Delibašić for her work "Static Within the Transit of Time."
Speaking at the ceremony at the Montenegrin Art Gallery "Miodrag Dado Đurić" in Cetinje, PM Marković said that when such a recognition is earned at the beginning of someone's creative opus, then it is natural that "two feelings intertwine within you - satisfaction in artistic achievement, but also creative anxiety ahead of future challenges."
"I believe that Delibašić is thinking this way too - the seventh winner of the "Petar Lubarda" state award, the first woman to receive the award, the youngest prize winner and the first prize awarded outside the classical forms of fine arts for the artwork in the field of video installations," the Prime Minister underscored.
In Delibašić's work and the courageous decision of the jury to award her the prize, the Prime Minister sees the recognition of a new Montenegro - brave and eager to find its place in the contemporary world, "of Montenegro without complexes and stereotypes; very aware of its cultural and spiritual heritage, tradition and identity, but determined to take a step forward in modern times and be their inseparable part - of Montenegro that is firmly future-oriented." The Prime Minister added that he is hopeful that this year's Petar Lubarda Art Salon will encourage precisely the Montenegro that is looking into the future.
The award-winning artist Milka Delibašić thanked the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Culture, saying that it is her special honour that the award was given to her by a jury whose members she strongly appreciates. She noted she is also honored by the fact that she is the first woman to receive the award and that she taught about the freedom of art expression.from the works of Montenegro's numerous artists,
"I would like to call on young artists to do more research work in art and to turn more to some new and different approaches so that our scene becomes more diverse and richer," said Milka Delibašić. She emphasised the need for further support of the State and institutions for artists.
