The exhibition "The Twelfth", by Aleksandar Rafajlović, will be opened tonight in Kotor, in the Gallery of Solidarity, at 20 pm.
Architect Zorica Čuburović will speak at the opening, and after the opening the author will talk to the audience about his works and creativity.
Aleksandar Rafajlović is a descendant of the fresco painters and icon painters Dimitrijević-Rafailović, eleven painters from five generations of the Bokokotor school of painting who, with their work, from the first signed icon from 1680 to the second half of the 19th century, form the longest-running family painting workshop in Europe. This is the reason for the symbolic name of the exhibition - "Twelfth".
"At the exhibition, the author presents his work on the formation of complete documentation with 650 of their icons recorded at around 90 locations in Montenegro, Serbia, BiH and Croatia. The documentation is an opportunity to see all the icons, enjoy the artistry and remove many doubts about the authorship and time of their creation.
Rafailović is the great-great-grandson of Ivo Rafailović, an icon painter whose work marks the end of the activity of the last painters in the Byzantine style in these areas. The result of the long-term expedition can be seen on the website bokokotorskaslikarskaskola.rs, which includes more than 13.500 photos taken since 2005.
The author presents the search for the works of his ancestors in the gallery with large photographs that record details from the trip," the statement on the exhibition states.
The works that make up the installation were created in the last few years in parallel with the work on the documentation.
"Rafajlović uses the opportunity to become the twelfth in a row and establish a strong connection with the family tradition by painting several works using the technique of his ancestors, establishing a dialogue with them, reflecting on his own position in relation to their work. This is how works are created that recognize the thought and emotional summary of the artist's presence and possibilities.
In his works, Rafajlović presents himself as an artist of the new millennium with a lot of information in different media, in contrast to icon painters, about whom there is almost no other information except for rare signatures on icons", the organizers point out.
The exhibition will be open until the fourth of June.
Bonus video:
