Design Art Papers 2025 | No. 13

Tijana KAČAREVIĆ Cultural Heritage as a Driver of Innovation and Creativity in Contemporary Art and in My Own Photography Practice Introduction Just over 50 years ago cultural heritage, which I will often refer to as heritage from this point on for brevity, received its first definition and protection on a global level, unrelated to wartime conflicts. A list of world locations where warfare should be avoided was established, along with a fund and management system for the preservation of cultural heritage [1] . Since then, the definition and scope of cultural heritage protection has evolved significantly from material and natural heritage such as parks or buildings granted the statusofmonuments, tocustoms, skills, ritualsand languages used by specific communities. In line with the intrinsic connection between art and culture, cultural heritage has, over the past half-century, become an inexhaustible source of artistic analysis and creation, which itself has been rapidly reshaping its form and boundaries. As the first definition primarily concerned tangible heritage, it often became the initial choice for artists or organizations undertaking projects aimed at its rehabilitation and revival, thereby protecting it from being forgotten. Intangible cultural heritage did not initially receive global attention, as its significance was neither as evident nor as accessible as it is today, in the era of globalization. About 20 years ago, intangible heritage also gained clearer global definitions, which provided greater freedom for its protection and revitalization. For artists, intangible heritage is, in a way, more elusive, harder to Keywords / Intangible Cultural Heritage; Dialogical „Self”; Identity; Artistic Production; Contemporary Art; Summary / This paper examines the role of cultural heritage as a driver for creativity and innovation in contemporary art, including my own photographic production. The central argument is that intangible cultural heritage includes subjective experiences that function as a lens for understanding of individual’s identity and as a source of artistic inspiration. By drawing on theoretical perspectives from cultural heritage, psychology and art, the paper situates intangible heritage as an active agent in artistic production. The discussion first explains the connection between intangible cultural heritage, an individual’s identity and artistic creation. Then it highlights the works of two contemporary artists who use heritage as base material for their art, from Ai Weiwei’s engagements with Chinese cultural memory to Marina Abramović’s exploration of Yugoslav history and rituals. Building on these examples, the paper then turns to my own photographic projects, which engage with the heritage of the Western Balkans. Through themes of inherited customs and cultural memory, I seek to both honor and critically reframe cultural narratives. Ultimately, these examples demonstrate a pathway for contemporary art to not only preserve, but transform and re- imagine cultural heritage, especially in ways that address questions of one’s identity. „grasp” without falling into a purely documentary approach. Conventions define intangible heritage as highly subjective, as it belongs to a community composed of individuals, forming their identity and holding different meanings for each person. Through this work, I will aim to present a perspective on the relationship between intangible cultural heritage and artists, as well as the creative and innovative drive it inspires within contemporary artistic production. I will also attempt to explain the connection between cultural heritage, identity, and art while providing selected examples of artistic production, followed by an analysis of my own photographic projects based onmy cultural heritage. Introducing Intangible Cultural Heritage Regulations And Their Open Definition UNESCO’s definition of World Cultural Heritage from 1972 providesrulesandguidelinesconcerningmonuments,groups of buildings, sites, and natural heritage [2] . Thirty years later UNESCO’s Convention for Intangible Cultural Heritage from 2003, shifts focus its fromobjects andplaces (that aremostly stationary, within the museums or beyond it) to processes, stories and identities stating that „[a] group or individual should assess the valueof its own intangible cultural heritage and this intangible cultural heritage should not be subject to external judgements of value or worth [3] ’’. Focus is redirected from a community’s shared heritage to an individual’s 337