'Memory-Sadness and Beauty', exhibition by Ivanka Jevtovic

BELGRADE - 'Memory - Sadness and Beauty', an exhibition by academic painter and designer Ivanka Jevtovic, opened at Dom Vojske Srbije in Belgrade as one of the events marking the centenary of World War One.

The exhibition is dedicated to the Serbian heroines of WWI - decorated war hero Milunka Savic and painter Nadezda Petrovic, said Dusan Milovanovic, former advisor at the Museum of Applied Arts, at the opening ceremony on Tuesday evening.

Jevtovic's artistic display revives the memory of all Serbian heroes who perished in the Great War of 1914 to 1918, Milovanovic pointed out.

The artist used the technique of collage on panel to represent stylized versions of army uniforms and traditional garments, and incorporate them into unique high fashion creations, mostly in black.

The second part of the exhibition features white objects that complement the display - an easel and picture frames hanging on the wall, each marked with a heart.

"A heart on a picture frame has always been a sign of someone waiting for their loved one to return from a long and perilous journey, such as the one taken by soldiers defending their fatherland,” the author of the exhibition said.

And many never came back, added Jevtovic, noting that every single household in Serbia lost at least one member in World War One.

The frames hold hand-painted ornaments inspired by medieval monasteries of the Raska and Morava architectural style, traditional rugs, apples, and other symbols of remembrance, or essentially, in line with the concept of the display, of sadness and beauty.

The exhibition will be open through September 20 at Dom Vojske Srbije.

Photo Tanjug - Rade Prelic