Exhibition: Aleksandar Leka Mladenović

Gallery: Gallery of MCAM

Duration:: October 15 – November 10, 2024.

In her address, Durutović introduced the audience to the artist’s work, highlighting that Mladenović’s oeuvre is not only a dialogue with the tradition of European and global art but also draws on an iconoclastic punk aesthetic, incorporating elements of symbolism, Dadaism, pop art, and Situationist theory.

“Mladenović’s art explores these relationships, often challenging social norms in a manner similar to how subcultures question institutionalized power and aesthetics. His artistic language fluctuates between the aesthetics of rebellion and subtle philosophical critique, creating works that transcend the boundaries of classical graphics and painting to touch on deeper political and social issues.”

Mladenović expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the team at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro.

“I sincerely thank the team at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro for their wonderful collaboration and dedication in organizing this exhibition. I am especially pleased to have the opportunity to present my work to the audience in Podgorica for the first time, which makes this exhibition particularly significant for me.”

Aleksandar Leka Mladenović was born in 1967 in Belgrade and is one of the most prominent names in contemporary graphic art in the region. In addition to his extensive artistic education, which he received at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade—where he graduated in 1991 and completed his master’s degree in 1994 under the mentorship of Professor Emir Dragulj—Mladenović’s creative path was marked by an early interest in the punk subculture. This rebellious spirit of the youth movement of the 1970s and 1980s left its mark on his artistic expression, which is particularly evident in his critical approach to social norms and institutions. While completing his doctoral dissertation in 2014 under the guidance of Professor Žarko Smiljanić, focusing on hybrid graphic techniques and contemporary art practices, Mladenović continued to embrace a punk approach, questioning the boundaries between traditional and experimental art, thus opening new horizons in graphic art. Since 1999, he has been teaching at the Graphic Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts, and in 2016 he became a full professor.

The exhibition will be open to the public until November 10, 2024.