Additional incentive for engaging in art, further research in the field of graphics, but also the dissemination of knowledge and raising awareness in society regarding the significance and importance of art in general - so Strahinja Nakic from Serbia is experiencing the first award he won at the exhibition of student works as part of the International Exhibition of Small Format Graphics, which opened in the hall of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Podgorica, and is held as part of the second edition of the Graphics Manifestation.
In a rarely large and strong competition, among more than a hundred works by students of art academies and faculties from the region of the former Yugoslavia, Nakić received first prize for the work "Kolo" created in 2025.
"First of all, I am very grateful to the jury and specifically to Professor Vesni Boskovic "I am very grateful for this award and for the recognition of my work in general. This will definitely be a huge incentive for me to pursue art, specifically graphics, and continue my research," says Strahinja Nakić, who was born in 2002 and is currently a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, majoring in graphic design.
The work "Kolo" was created in the linocut technique, and Nakić reveals what he, as the author, considers it specific.
"It is a linocut measuring 7x20 centimeters in a specifically long format. Essentially, it is an abstract work, or rather a composition. In a way, I did not approach the theme of "Kolo" realistically, but rather thought of it as something abstract. The entire work is arranged in such a way that fragmented parts of irregular shapes intertwine and that they give the impression that these shapes follow each other. Also, in a way, these shapes look like human figures in motion, and therefore 'Kolo' can also be associated with a real circle, a walk or a crowd. Grids and horizontal settings intertwine between these figures and somehow emphasize the dynamics of the movement of these irregular shapes even more," says Nakić.
Dynamics, abstraction, but also symbolism, elements of the archaic, mythical, culturally interesting, epochal, and yet omnipresent are evident.
"I know exactly what you mean. Specifically, these figurines, in addition to some, let's call them, basic motifs that I had in mind to depict, can also be associated with some monuments, with some cultural heritage and assets, sometimes even with rocks, with something that is at the same time hard and moving or breaking and destroying... My inspiration was to some extent also Picasso "'Gernica', because it has such a slightly elongated format and it's about storing information in the composition. Through logic and some logical artistry, the idea itself was also in the logic of the arrangement of these, shall we say, figures and shapes, which seem to follow each other, in a way they break, and it also looks a bit like they're turning after each other," reveals Nakić.
Likewise, “Kolo” from different perspectives is reminiscent of ritual, tribal dances, traditional games, but also of ancient writings and prototypes of art and writing. The associations are numerous, and Nakić says that they are all correct. The work itself, he says, was created in a graphic workshop...
"And somehow I wanted to experiment, since I think that even as a student I still have the ability to experiment with various things and see what I will get as an end result. I will be doing this graphic, I was quite attracted to the spatiality and a certain sequence of events and the sequence of figures in the final object. Also, in a way I was looking to combine those three present shades, three values, from black through medium gray to light gray and white. The very cut of those rasters also reminds me of winds that, again in a way, push those figures, give them movement, move them away or bring them closer, but somehow all of them at their own angle seem to resist that wind and as if they are moving forward, which can be a symbol of some unity and, I would say, freedom," he emphasizes.
When asked by "Vijesti" how he sees the position of printmaking today, he points out that it is a respected and represented art, which can be seen from the student exhibition at the second edition of the Printmaking Manifestation.
"In my opinion, graphics are still a highly valued type of art and media. Even though I am a fourth-year design student, I have become quite attached to graphics, especially in small formats, because that way you can be so unique and authentic, which is evident in this display and the entire exhibition that displays so many unique works. On the other hand, I believe that art in our region is not yet sufficiently recognized and I believe that many people are not sufficiently, so to speak, educated, in an aesthetic and artistic sense. I think we need to change that, both as a society and as authors and artists," says Nakić.
The exhibition of student works has fit in fantastically and lives in the lobby of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Podgorica, presenting the Montenegrin audience with a multitude of works, with a wide variety of approaches and poetics.
"The regional student exhibition of graphics represents a solemn presentation of different research paths. It brings together young authors, offering them a space in which young authors can examine their own expression, recognize new trends and notice the broader contexts in which their creativity develops. At exhibitions like this, graphics become a means of opening a dialogue between students, professors, professional audiences and wider communities. Different approaches, themes and research allow for the recognition of the dominant directions of contemporary graphic practice, but also those quiet, individual voices that are still looking for their place," says Bošković, who is the author and founder of the Manifestation of Graphics, which has already shown this year how important it will be in the future.
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The patron of the Regional Student Exhibition is the University of Montenegro, while the Faculty of Fine Arts is a partner of the second edition of the Manifestation of Graphics in Montenegro - 2025. The exhibition is open until February 1st.
High quality of the exhibition
The jury for awarding awards and commendations to students included artists and professors from the Faculty of Fine Arts: Zdravko Beli Delibašić, Vesna Bošković, Ratko Odalović, Marija Kapisoda, Roman Đuranović, Jovo Petričević, art historian Ljiljana Karadžić, and Petrica Duletić, who chaired the jury.
The first prize went to Nakić, the second prize, for the work “Cloud Morphology”, mixed media, from the University of the Arts in Tokyo, went to Kristina Lazarević, and the third prize, for the work “Glagolitic script”, aquatint, from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje, went to Todor Kovačević.
In addition to the awards, the Commission also awarded five special commendation plaques, three of which went to female students of the Faculty of Fine Arts from Cetinje: Anđela Burić for the work “Sloboda” in mixed media, Anđela Durutović for the work “↑” in aquatint, and for the digital print “Blue Box” to Paulina Kandibovič from Belarus. The plaque for uniqueness and excellence was also awarded to Eldina Kožjak from Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo for the colography “Precious tension”, as well as to Iva Janja Zubak from Croatia, from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, for the lithograph “Dogs bark, caravans pass”.
At the opening, Delibašić praised the extremely high quality of the exhibition.
The entire work is set up in such a way that fragmented parts of irregular shapes intertwine and give the impression that these shapes follow each other. Also, in a way, these shapes look like human figures in motion, and therefore 'Kolo' can be associated with a real circle, a walk or a crowd. Between these figures, rasters and horizontal settings intertwine and somehow emphasize the dynamics of movement of these irregular shapes even more," says Nakić.
Bonus video:
