One of the greatest living iconographers is the guest of “The Light of the Logos” exhibition
The international juried exhibition of sacred art and multidisciplinary event, The Light of the Logos, organized by the Kaleidoscope Cultural Center and featuring some of the most significant iconographers of today, will be ceremonially opened on August 26 at 7:30 PM at the Gallery of the Kolarac Endowment in Belgrade.
In the year when UNESCO marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on Cultural Diversity, the Kaleidoscope Cultural Center is especially honored by the invitation to join the jubilee celebration. The exhibition The Light of the Logos has been included on the global map of events that are part of this celebration, making it visible to audiences worldwide.
This event, held with the blessing of His Holiness, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, is entirely dedicated to commemorating the 850th anniversary of the birth of Saint Sava.
The exhibition will present the public with 125 icons by 97 artists from 12 countries. Alongside the finest sacred works of domestic authors from the past year, the display will also feature works from Greece, the USA, Cuba, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Belarus, the Republic of Srpska, Germany, Latvia, and the Philippines.
One of the greatest living iconographers comes to Belgrade
Romanian artist Grigorie Popescu-Mușcel (79), one of the most respected and influential contemporary sacred artists in the world, will be the guest of The Light of the Logos. His works, present in over 50 churches across Europe, embody the magic of the encounter between past and present, where Byzantine tradition responds to the spiritual search of the modern man.
Popescu describes them as his “gift to God”, while art historians emphasize his recognizable “elongated, graceful, and elegant” saintly figures that perform a “heavenly ballet in the absence of gravity.”
The works of Grigorie Popescu will also be exhibited at the Kolarac Gallery, by special invitation of the organizers. Among the other distinguished exhibitors will be another world-renowned iconographer, Prof. Dr. Yorgos Kordis from Greece, Popescu’s colleagues from Romania, Prof. Dr. Mihai Coman and Dr. Andrei Mușat, as well as leading names in contemporary Serbian sacred art, Vladimir Bata Kidišević and Prof. Dr. Todor Mitrović.
The curatorial concept of The Light of the Logos exhibition is authored by MA Luka Novaković, painter-conservator and doctoral candidate at the University of Belgrade in the multidisciplinary PhD program History and Philosophy of Natural Sciences and Technology. The curatorial arrangement has been shaped by art historian Vera Vitorović.
Two Masterclasses – Artistic Encounters of the Year
The gallery space will also host encounters and collaborative work of artists from several countries during two masterclasses. Guest artists from Romania, together with Belgrade artists, will paint live on August 27 and 28, sharing their knowledge and experience.
A few days later, from September 2 to 4, artist and gilder Todor Lepčević will conduct a three-day masterclass, The Art of Gilding: Tradition and Innovation, with a special focus on the making of icons entirely in gold.
During the workshops, visitors will have a unique opportunity to communicate directly with some of today’s greatest artists and witness firsthand the process of creating sacred works that represent an authentic expression of Serbia’s cultural and spiritual identity, rooted in centuries of Byzantine heritage.
From August 26 to September 11, the Gallery of the Kolarac Endowment will thus become the most radiant temple of sacred art in the region.
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