The winners of the "Milunović, Stijović, Lubarda" award of the Association of Fine Artists of Montenegro (ULUCG) are: Radovan Grujic for the work "The Demon of War", Ivanka Vana Prelevic for work from the cycle "Captured Landscapes" and Zoran Zivkovic for an untitled work belonging to the cycle "Bright moments". She received the award for the best exhibition in the past year Tijana Gordic for the "One Place" exhibition, which was realized in JU Museums and Galleries in Podgorica in 2021.
This was announced tonight at the opening of the 77th ULUCG Traditional Exhibition, and the decision on the awards was made by a jury consisting of the president Ljiljana Karadzic and members: Zdravko Delibasic Beli, Ratko Odalović, Pavle Goranović i Alexander Chilikov.
Before the exhibition was officially opened, the president of ULUCG Igor Rakčević he reminded the numerous audience of members of the Association who passed away in the period between the two Traditional Exhibitions. That are: Nikola Gvozdenović, Katarina Strugar, Ibrahim Kurpejović i Dragoljub Bato Brajović, and a minute of silence was held in their honor.
This year's traditional ULUCG exhibition includes the works of 107 artists, as well as the works of three visiting regional artists.
It is one of the rare events in the field of culture in Montenegro that has such a long tradition, which Rakčević also noted, but also pointed out the financial problems that the Association has been facing for years.
"Just like the previous few years, this year too, the amount of money that used to be the standard for all the awards that were awarded in the Association of Fine Artists is missing. Simply, it is about some reference awards that should have that incentive for all artists, in the form of some material donation. But, the situation is as it is and of course we do not lament over that situation, but move on and work," he said.
And that there are numerous aggravating factors that have been burdening the artistic life of Montenegro for a long time, the acting coordinator in the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports noted. Dobrila Vlahović. She solemnly opened the exhibition.
"The setting of this year's 77th ULUCG Traditional Exhibition shows that, if there is will and enthusiasm, a way can be found for an objective and professional insight into the artistic creativity of Montenegro, even when it is deprived of its regular presence in the public," Vlahović said.
The opening of the exhibition in the ULUCG Art Pavilion in Podgorica was attended by a large audience, including a large number of recognized artists from the Montenegrin art scene.
The demon of evil shows all the tragedy and absoluteness of war as the embodiment of evil
Radovan Grujić, with the work "The Demon of Evil", explained Ljiljana Karadžić, continues his research in the sphere of a surrealist and engaging approach.
"Through the poetics of garbage dumps and flea markets as a source of trivial, discarded, used, dead objects, which, breathing new life and meaning, he realizes his ideas. In the work 'Demon of Evil', he combines the well-worn cap of a high military rank with a distorted grotesque mask of a satyr, demon, symbolic and very suggestively showing all the tragedy and absoluteness of war as the embodiment of evil," explained Karadzic.
Faith in the happy outcome of the struggle for the spirit of community, empathy and solidarity
Karadžić pointed out that Zoran Živković used Yugoslav modernist monuments dedicated to the people's liberation struggle as a starting point in the cycle of works "Bright moments" and the awarded work.
"Decomposing linearly monumental modernist constructions and transforming singing lines with a clear color, he invokes active driving ideals and inspires faith in the happy outcome of the struggle for the spirit of community, empathy and solidarity," said Karadžić about Zivković's work.
Ecological devastation of Montenegro
Vana Prelevic, in the award-winning work, says Karadzic, combines industrial materials such as concrete and wire with an idyllic representation of a herd of sheep, but at the same time warns of the ecological devastation of the environment.
Prelevic confirmed this to the media and said that the Association's award means more to her because she is currently preparing a new exhibition, so this is another in a series of confirmations that, as before, she is on the right track.
"In this cycle, the environmental story is dominant, as well as the loneliness and alienation of man, which in some way also reflects on nature," said the artist about the motif of her work.
An elusive and indescribable experience of nature
When it comes to Tijana Gordić's exhibition, jury president Ljiljana Karadžić pointed out that the artist, dealing with each painting as a separate, complex, whole organism, created atmospheric works and works with which the observer can easily identify and immerse himself in them.
"The exhibition stood out for its extraordinary painting approach, which demonstrates an elusive and indescribable experience of nature," she said.
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