Milica Rakočević (b. 1996, Kraljevo) completed her undergraduate and master’s studies in the Sculpture Department at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade, in the class of Professor Zdravko Joksinović. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the same faculty. During her studies, as part of a cultural exchange program, she spent time at the Faculty of Arts in Xi’an, China, where she held her first solo exhibition. She has held four other solo exhibitions (in Belgrade and Šabac) and participated in over twenty group exhibitions. She is the recipient of four awards for her sculpture work. She has participated in sculpture symposia in Poland and Bulgaria, as well as the DMV art colony in Niš.
Miodrag Samardžić (b. 1988, Šabac) completed his undergraduate and master’s studies in the Sculpture Department at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade. He has held five solo exhibitions (in Šabac and Belgrade) and exhibited in over ten group exhibitions. He is the recipient of the Savski Venac Municipality Award for wood sculpture (2013, 2014) and the Šabac October Salon Award (2014, 2024). His sculpture “Hedgehog” (*Jež*) was acquired for the collection of the Zepter Museum in Belgrade. He participated in the “Marble and Sounds” sculpture symposium in Aranđelovac and the DMV art colony in Niš.
Milica Rakočević and Miodrag Samardžić are both an artistic duo and a married couple. While their life paths have converged, their artistic bodies of work evolve along parallel yet distinct individual trajectories. These differences are evident on both semantic and experiential levels—specifically regarding themes, motifs, and formal execution.
Milica Rakočević focuses on the feminine principle, defined through the theme of childbirth. She approaches the physical form through fragmentation, isolating a symbol that embodies the essence of womanhood—a symbol she sculpts in a wide variety of ways. In these transformations of form, one discerns an intent to symbolically represent the full spectrum of a woman’s emotional states—ranging from joy and happiness to the pain and trauma associated with bringing new life into the world. By utilizing and combining diverse materials—both traditional and unconventional—the artist grounds her sculptural expression in contrasts. The artist juxtaposes dark, solid, and heavy-looking Corten steel surfaces—or silvery aluminum forms that convey an impression of coldness and purity—with intensely red central elements (made of glass, plastic, or fabric). In doing so, she not only materializes the distinction between the body’s outer and inner worlds but also visualizes the experience of corporeality with great artistic creativity and imagination. Milica Rakočević’s sculptures are characterized by a refined, sophisticated visual vocabulary and exceptionally precise technical execution.
Miodrag Samardžić draws upon memories of his own childhood and times past. He takes objects that exist in the real world as functional items—such as brushes and gadgets that once served as his playthings—and sculpturally transforms them in a convincing and imaginative manner, thereby introducing them into the realm of art. A significant step forward in Samardžić’s sculptural body of work is the transition from sculptures of a so-called “gallery format”—which act as fragments of an intimate narrative—to monumental, site-specific sculptures that function as events within a space. His large, five-meter-long “Zeppelin” is essentially a Constructivist-style sculptural object; it features a rigid internal metal skeleton that maintains the elongated form, while a transparent film—acting like a membrane—shapes and defines the structure, rendering the interior visible. The complex construction appears powerful yet is simultaneously fragile and vulnerable; perhaps one can discern in it a subtle metaphor for modern man—torn between aspirations and limitations, the urge to soar, and the constant risk of a fall.
The exhibition runs until October 11.