The commemoration of the one hundred and twentieth anniversary of the birth of Oto Bihalji-Merin serves as a direct impetus for organizing an exhibition dedicated to this prominent Yugoslav intellectual, with the aim of further exploring and re-evaluating his persona and work. The exhibition has been realized through a partnership between the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade and the Museum of Naive and Marginal Art, considering Bihalji-Merin's significant role in promoting domestic and foreign modern and naive art, as well as new artistic phenomena, along with his multifaceted collaboration with these institutions. The term "intellectual" may be inadequate to describe this distinguished erudite, tireless researcher, and traveler through time, space, societies, and cultures, and too narrow to encompass his numerous roles, engagements, and interests, the breadth of his spirit, and his passion for knowledge. Painter, aviator, lecturer, writer, journalist, war reporter, editor, and publisher, an active member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia and the Communist Party of Germany, art critic, art theorist, writer on art, artistic director, founder and member of the organizing committees of numerous institutions, and a jury member of many prestigious domestic and international events – this was Oto Bihalji-Merin.

To date, two exhibitions have been held in Belgrade focusing on his life and work, first in 1976 at the Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art, and then in 2018 at the House of Legacies. Despite the fact that the public has had the opportunity to gain insights into Bihalji-Merin's exceptionally rich life and professional biography, there remains room for further studies and contributions to this topic. This is indicated by the personal archive of Oto and Liza Bihalji-Merin, which encompasses almost the entire 20th century and has not yet been possible to fully comprehend due to its vastness and diversity of materials. In light of these facts, a more comprehensive investigation of the existing documentation, as well as a large number of external archives, libraries, institutes, along with conversations with numerous individuals, entering networks of acquaintances, pivotal historical events, and others' intimacies, has been both an exciting and inspiring, yet delicate and demanding endeavor, involving a number of researchers and collaborators.

"I had to be present" is a phrase frequently encountered in Bihalji-Merin's memoirs, through which he primarily sought to explain the essence of his worldview and emphasize the need for taking initiative and actively participating in the social events he witnessed during the turbulent decades of the 20th century. In a similar vein, Professor Jerko Denegri uses the term "active presence" when describing the life credo and multifaceted personality of Oto Bihalji-Merin, his tumultuous existence, and his continuous presence in events and direct encounters and exchanges with great names from the world of politics, culture, and art of that time, such as Bertolt Brecht, Anna Seghers, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Thomas Mann, Jean-Paul Sartre, and others.

The exhibition is conceived in two chapters. First, the results of the research work on the archive will be presented in the Gallery-Legacy of Milica Zorić and Rodoljub Čolaković, while in the spring of the following year, according to the concept of Dr. Ivana Bašićević Antić, works by this artist will be showcased at the Museum of Contemporary Art, along with a thematic-problematic analysis of phenomena in art that were the focus of Bihalji-Merin's interest. The current exhibition highlights the most significant milestones in his life journey from Zemun, through Berlin, Paris, Zurich, Madrid, to Belgrade, following both the chronological flow of events and the specific nonlinear movements of Bihalji-Merin in the relationship between art, politics, and society. Through a multitude of correspondence, books, texts, interviews, television programs, and artistic interventions, the intensity of his reflections on numerous phenomena that occupied him is presented: naive art, non-European civilizations, the connection between art and science, and the direction in which art will move in the future. The audience will have the opportunity to discover Bihalji-Merin in the role of an inspirer and mentor to numerous young visual artists and writers, whose memories are recorded and included in the exhibition.

The exhibition "Oto Bihalji-Merin: I Had to Be Present" should be viewed as a kind of guide through archival material, as a beginning, an introductory statement, and an encouragement for further discoveries and contextualizations of the complex personality of Bihalji-Merin and the layered positions and roles he held in pre-war and post-war historical circumstances, as well as in social-political, cultural, and artistic events both locally and internationally. His distinctive theoretical and literary work and approach, which often transcended academic frameworks and canons, frequently brought atypical and refreshing transdisciplinary insights and poetic expressions about phenomena, practices, and trends in visual and fine arts.

A collection of works by researchers who have examined well-known and lesser-known facts about Oto Bihalji-Merin's life and artistic philosophy is currently being prepared. Additionally, accompanying speaking programs will be organized, during which the audience will have the opportunity to become more familiar with Bihalji-Merin's "active presence."