On Tuesday, October 15, at 7:00 PM, the MCAM Gallery will host the official opening of the exhibition by Aleksandar Leka Mladenović titled “Overground Post-pop.”

In the publication accompanying the exhibition, curator Milena Durutović writes that Mladenović’s artistic work is imbued with philosophical reflections, deeply rooted in a critical “punk” attitude towards authority and social structures.

“Through his art, Mladenović explores these relationships, often challenging social norms, in a manner similar to how subculture questions institutionalized power and aesthetics. His artistic language oscillates between the aesthetics of rebellion and subtle philosophical critique, creating works that go beyond the boundaries of traditional graphics and painting, touching upon deeper political and social issues.”

The publication includes a conversation between the curator and the artist, in which Mladenović highlights that the exhibition “Overground Post-pop” suggests that his art has risen from the underground punk subculture to the higher spheres of the universality that art carries.

“Additionally, the appropriated term ‘overground’ refers to its inventors, the pioneers of punk, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, who also exemplify the rise from subcultural and iconic to universal. ‘Post-pop’ is the key to understanding the meaning of my artistic practice, using the language of pop art and punk, but not literally, as these phenomena embody the spirit of another era,” he said.

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, obtained at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade, where he graduated in 1991 and earned his master’s degree in 1994 under the mentorship of Professor Emir Dragulj, Mladenović’s creative journey was marked by an early interest in the punk subculture. This rebellious spirit of the youth movement from the 1970s and 1980s left its mark on his artistic expression, particularly evident in his critical approach to social norms and institutions. While completing his doctoral thesis in 2014 under the mentorship of Professor Žarko Smiljanić, focusing on hybrid graphic techniques and contemporary artistic practices, Mladenović continued to nurture a punk approach, questioning the boundaries between traditional and experimental, opening up new horizons in graphic art. Since 1999, he has been teaching at the Department of Graphics at the Faculty of Fine Arts, and since 2016, he has been a full professor.

The exhibition will be open to the public until November 15, 2024.