“Mileva: Decoding” is a multimedia event that Novi Sad, as a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts, dedicates to the 150th anniversary of Mileva Marić’s birth. It offers a deeper interpretation of her personality and highlights her global significance in a contemporary context. The event will open on December 20 at 7:30 PM at Čeličana, another revitalized industrial space in the District—now one of the largest venues for contemporary artistic forms in Serbia—reflecting the commitment Novi Sad made as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
For the first time, a large number of authors and collaborators from various fields are jointly creating a multimedia program dedicated to Mileva Marić. More than one hundred participants (visual artists, musicians, architects, composers, scientists, professors, psychologists, philosophers, historians, dancers, and professionals from cultural and creative industries) from eight countries (Sweden, Austria, Portugal, Hungary, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia) will present the complexity of Mileva’s life and character through four program segments and contemporary artistic expressions.
The event “Mileva: Decoding” begins with the premiere of the dance performance “Theory of Reality,” created by choreographer Darko Stantić and director Maja Grgić, performed by 40 dancers from the cultural ensemble “Vuk Karadžić” on December 20 and 21. Since kolo is inscribed on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, this segment relies on its universal value, placing it within a contemporary stage format aligned with the UNESCO title Novi Sad carries. Featuring specially designed costumes and music by composer Fran Pogrmilović, the performance will be accompanied by 30 musicians of the orchestra “Artisti dell’Arco,” part of the association “Musicopolis.”
After the performance, visitors will be able to view the exhibition “Thresholds”, authored by Dr. Monika Bilbija, created from the need to finally view Mileva Marić outside the usual narrative, biographical data, and imposed roles. The exhibition is not only a step into “Mileva’s shoes” and a reflection of her as a human being, but also a reflection of ourselves. Along with a contemporary media-art approach, the exhibition includes insights from philosophers, psychologists, and historians, who support the narrative with scientific facts. Visitors will also get a first impression of Čeličana’s new purpose as a media art center through the multimedia installation “Decoding Silence”, created by Tijana Jevrić, which explores Mileva’s inner world through a visual and sonic landscape.
European, regional, and local experts in media arts, modern science, and the IT industry will speak at two professional panels. The panel “Women in Media Arts”, held on December 21 at 5 PM, will feature Joana Miranda, chief coordinator of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for Media Arts; Veronika Christina Liebl, Executive Director of Ars Electronica; and media artist Andrea Stojanović. On Monday, December 22 at 5 PM, the panel “Women in Science” will host media theorist and professor at Malmö University Dr. Bojana Romić; researcher and coordinator of the Digital Society Lab at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Jelena Guga; and founder and CEO of the “Umni – no-code AI chatbot” platform for businesses, Elica Stoilova.
The event is supported through the UNESCO Participation Programme and Emergency Assistance as a contribution to developing sustainable gender equality strategies within the creative industries, as well as through the project “Support for Participation in EU Programmes” and the European House Novi Sad, along with the international project Mosaic and the participation of Creative Europe Desk Serbia.
Admission is free, but registration is required for the performance and panels. Registration will open on the official website: novisad2022.rs
The exhibition and video mapping installation will be on view until January 5, 2026. More information about the entire event is available at: novisad2022.rs
