One of the interesting events at this year’s Kaleidoscope of Culture is the exhibition The World of Pavel Surovi: Mira Brtka, which will be opened during the Applied Arts Week at SCCNS Fabrika in the District on 6 September at 7 p.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the photographs by Pavel Surovi, inspired by the creations of the artist Mira Brtka.
The exhibition is not just a homage to one of the most significant figures of Yugoslav and Serbian art of the 20th century, but also a reinterpretation of her work through the lens of a contemporary artist. Mira Brtka, a woman ahead of her time, shaped the avant-garde scene with her bold experiments in art, while Pavel Surovi, known for his dedication to tradition and folk culture, found an inexhaustible source of inspiration in her work.
An artist ahead of her time
Mira Brtka was a versatile, prominent multidisciplinary artist from Vojvodina, known for her avant-garde art, fashion, film, and painting. Born during a time of great change (1930), her childhood was marked by family tragedy during World War II, when she lost almost her entire family. This tragedy deeply influenced her work, which is infused with topics of pain, loss, and the search for identity. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that despite all the hardships of life, she managed to create for more than five decades and left behind a vast body of work and creations.
After the war, Brtka studied in Belgrade and Rome, where she studied painting and film directing. Her career began in the world of fashion, where she became recognized for her innovation and ability to merge art and design. The first dresses she designed were worn by Italian women in the late 1960s, and even the famous actress Isabella Rossellini wore Brtka’s creations, as did well-known models from this region, such as Ljiljana Tica. As a member of the Illumination group, which included artists like Marina Abramović and Nadežda Petrović, Brtka experimented with various media, from abstract painting to film projects.
We can freely state that she was a pioneer in connecting fashion and art, creating a unique aesthetic expression that reflected her struggle with the past and her search for meaning in a world full of contradictions. She worked diligently until her death in 2014, and as she often said herself, she never lacked inspiration because something new always amazed and motivated her. Her legacy remains alive through numerous works that continue to inspire contemporary artists. One of them is the prominent artist Pavel Surovi, who, through the exhibition that will be presented to visitors of the Kaleidoscope of Culture in the District, focuses on Brtka’s fashion creations, especially her dresses, interpreting them from his aesthetic and philosophical perspective, and attempting to explain to the audience the very perspective of creating and tailoring these exclusive dresses. Through fashion art photography, Surovi adds context to each dress, showing the fusion of past and future, freedom and sensuality, which were the basic characteristics of Brtka’s works.
Join us in the District and become part of a story that reminds us of the power of art and the eternal importance of creative freedom. The exhibition runs until 11 september.
