April 1 – April 29, 2021
The solo exhibition of artist Nikola Mihajlović, “Transmutation,” opened on April 1 at the “Balkan” cinema. In this exhibition, the artist presented works created over the past year, during which he worked in the studio of the “Balkan” cinema. The opening also featured a live performance, during which the artist made an intervention on one of his paintings.
Nikola Mihajlović reflected on the essence of his performance: “In today’s moment, in the time we live in, I believe it is necessary for every individual to give a part of themselves—to sacrifice a part of themselves for some collective good and an idea that should be conveyed, because the path we are on will not take us far. I sacrificed a part of myself for the sake of a direct message.”
Ksenija Samardžija, curator of the exhibition and director of the Saša Marčeta Foundation, spoke about the collaboration with Nikola Mihajlović: “We made efforts to create opportunities for this exhibition to be prepared slowly and thoroughly. Nikola worked for a long time, with dedication and seriousness. The exhibition confirmed our initiative to involve street art artists in the work of the ‘Balkan’ cinema and the Foundation, and to showcase their works. The connection between the curator and the artist, and the entire support system, is what matters. That’s why this exhibition is significant to me, as I see it from that perspective.”
Nikola Mihajlović was born in Belgrade in 1986. He attended the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium and later earned a Master’s degree in Architecture in 2011 from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Belgrade. He has been actively engaged in artistic creation since 2008, initially through street art and later through studio painting. He is the recipient of the first prize at the national art competition Voyage Bleu and has participated in and organized numerous international and domestic art projects, including: the exhibition series Scena at various locations in Belgrade, organizing a street art festival in Požarevac, organizing the Balkan Live street art festival in Belgrade, participating in the Start India festival in Hyderabad, India, participating in the Urban Art Ventures festival in Volos, Greece, painting murals and holding a solo exhibition in Verbier, Switzerland, and participating in a residency at Glo’Art in Lanaken, Belgium.
He has exhibited in numerous group and several solo exhibitions in Serbia and abroad, with notable solo exhibitions at the “Parobrod” gallery in Belgrade and the “Espace Temoin” gallery in Geneva. He has participated in two group exhibitions in Berlin and twice in the “Likovna Jesen” exhibition in Sombor. He is a member of the “Street Smart” art collective and an external collaborator with the Saša Marčeta Foundation in Belgrade. He is currently working on the project “Artificial Intelligence and Art” in collaboration with the Center for the Promotion of Science in Belgrade.
PHOTO GALLERY: Bojana Janjić