EXHIBITION OF THE SIĆEVO ART COLONY 2024-25.
Pavilion in Tvrđava December 4 – January 10
The establishment of the First Yugoslav Art Colony in the village of Sićevo in 1905, led by Nadejda Petrović, transformed the idea of freedom of artistic creation into a Serbian cultural space in which artists from the country and the region could create freely, inspired by the landscape of southern Serbia and by working together. In the setting of the Sićevačka Gorge, artists found not only inspiration in nature, but also unity in the idea of art that transcends the established trends of academic realism. The first convocation of the Colony was composed of Nadejda’s colleagues – like-minded people from Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia (Jakopić, Grohar, Vesel, Jama). After that gathering, and then the exhibition in Belgrade in 1907, where they were joined by famous artists of the time: Vučetić, Meštrović, Vidović, Krizman, then Mihajlov and Božinov from Bulgaria. Wars soon followed in these areas, so it was not until 1964, at the suggestion of cultural workers from the city of Niš, that the work of the Sićevo Art Colony was renewed, and it has been ongoing ever since. The Sićevo Art Colony has thus participated in the affirmation of freedom of artistic expression over time, forming a bridge that connects European modern ideas with domestic tradition, testifying to the complex and multi-layered movements in art of the past decades.
More than 500 artists of different generations from all parts of the former Yugoslavia, regions and other countries have participated in the work of the Colony so far, making a significant contribution to the development of national art. The artists of the Sićevo Art Colony 2024/25. realized various artistic researches and presented diverse artistic practices during their stay in Sićevo.
The participants of the Sićevo Art Colony 2024. are: Nina Ivanović, Marija Bogdanović, Đorđe Stanojević (Belgrade), Nikolija Stanojević, Milan Hrnjazović (Valjevo), Borislav Božić (Croatia), Dinko Nenov (Bulgaria), Milan Ristić and Tijana Savković (Niš).
The Sićevo Art Colony 2025. was organized in honor of the jubilee – 120 years since the First Yugoslav Art Colony. In order to reconstruct the appearance of Niš and Sićevo during the first stay of Nadežda Petrović and her colleagues from the Munich school days, a documentary exhibition was organized, authored by Milica Todorović, museum advisor, which, along with accompanying texts, consisted of photographs and postcards presented in print form, which belong to the collections of the National Museum of Niš, the National Library Stevan Sremac Niš and private collections. At the opening ceremony, an AI-generated video on the same topic, created by MA Aleksandar Dević, was broadcast.
The participants of the Sićevo Art Colony 2025 are: Gordana Kaljalović, Đorđe Odanović, Ivan Petrović (Belgrade), Đorđe Simić, Jovana Đorđević (Loznica), Joškin Šiljan (Grdelica), Dragan Momčilović, Olivera Dodić (Niš) and Ana Sluga (Ljubljana, Slovenia).
Keeping pace with the times, the Colony increasingly presents works by artists working in new media, in addition to traditional media, emphasizing the importance of research and communication by artists. In addition to the fact that recent works of art remain in the GSLU collection, it should be noted that the organizers’ clear intention is to make contemporary art visible and accessible to all generations, promoting culture and art not only in our region but also beyond.