Author: Miona Kovačević / Photo, visual: Emanuela Tassan Lukić
The international juried exhibition of sacred art and multidisciplinary event The Light of the Logos, organized by the Kaleidoscope Cultural Center and featuring some of the most renowned iconographers of our time, will be formally opened on August 26 at 7:30 PM at the Kolarac Endowment Gallery in Belgrade.
In the year when UNESCO celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the Kaleidoscope Cultural Center is particularly honored to have been invited to join this global jubilee. The Light of the Logos has been included on UNESCO’s worldwide map of anniversary events, giving the exhibition international visibility and recognition.
This event, held with the blessing of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, is entirely dedicated to the 850th anniversary of the birth of Saint Sava. The exhibition will present 125 icons by 97 artists from 12 countries. Alongside a selection of the finest works of Serbian iconographers from the past year, the exhibition will feature creations from Greece, the United States, Cuba, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Belarus, Republika Srpska, Germany, Latvia, and the Philippines.
One of the World’s Greatest Living Iconographers Comes to Belgrade
Romanian artist Grigore Popescu-Muşcel, one of the most esteemed and influential contemporary sacred artists in the world, will be a special guest of The Light of the Logos. His works, present in more than 50 churches across Europe, embody a dialogue between past and present, where Byzantine tradition responds to the spiritual quests of modern humanity.
Popescu describes his works as his “gift to God,” while art historians highlight his distinctive style with “elongated, graceful, and elegant” saintly figures who perform a “heavenly ballet free from gravity.”
His works will be showcased at the Kolarac Gallery by special invitation of the organizers. Other distinguished participants include world-renowned iconographer Prof. Dr. George Kordis from Greece, Popescu’s Romanian colleagues Prof. Dr. Mihai Coman and Dr. Andrei Muşat, as well as leading Serbian sacred artists Vladimir Bata Kidišević and Prof. Dr. Todor Mitrović.
The authorial concept of The Light of the Logos has been created by M.A. Luka Novaković, painter-conservator and PhD candidate at the University of Belgrade in the interdisciplinary doctoral program in the History and Philosophy of Natural Sciences and Technology. The curatorial design is by art historian Vera Vitorović.
The Art Council that selected the works consists of: Grigore Popescu-Muscel, fresco painter (Romania); Dr. Tihon Rakićević, Vicar Bishop to His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije; Dr. Todor Mitrović, Full Professor at the Academy of the Serbian Orthodox Church for Arts and Conservation; and MA Biljana Cincar Kostić, curator and art historian.
The gallery will also become a place of collaboration and artistic exchange during two masterclasses. On August 27 and 28, Romanian artists will paint live together with Belgrade colleagues, sharing their skills and insights.
From September 2 to 4, artist and gilder Todor Lepčević will lead a three-day masterclass The Art of Gilding: Tradition and Innovation, with a special focus on the creation of icons entirely in gold.
All workshops are open to the public, offering visitors a rare opportunity to engage directly with some of today’s leading artists and witness the creative process of sacred art — works that embody the cultural and spiritual identity of Serbia, rooted in the centuries-old Byzantine tradition.
From August 26 to September 11, the Kolarac Endowment Gallery will thus transform into the most radiant sanctuary of sacred art in the region.
More information at the LINK.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of UNESCO, the Kolarac Endowment, ComputerLand, Wiener Städtische Insurance, the Directorate for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities, and Iviron, which made this exhibition possible.
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