Students of graphic design and multimedia at the Faculty of Contemporary Arts would like to invite you to their exhibition From Concrete to Abstract at the Student Cultural Center which opens on September 3 and closes on September 13.

The exhibition was prepared by second and third-year students, and represents a selection of the most successful interpretations of the given topics in the Photogrpahy course. The mentor of the exhibition is their Professor, Svetlana Knežević Lukić.

Exhibition as an illustration of the process of photographic thinking

Students are introduced to the basic rules of photography in the first year of study, where they try to notice the motif, successfully frame it, observe the world around them, etc. Later in the course of their studies, they are given more concrete and creative assignments, such as application in graphic design (book covers, magazine covers, posters, etc.). The ultimate step in photographic thinking is abstract, conceptual and contemporary photography. This exhibition is an illustration of the said process.

Mentor about the exhibition:

Just as a child first learns about the world around them, and only then about the one within them, so the students of the Faculty of Contemporary Arts start by taking photos of the concrete world that surrounds them, framing and photographing it to notice something they haven’t seen before. The path from the concrete to the abstract implies the comprehensive and all-encompassing maturation of the student, both as a personality and as an artist, but above all, as an observer. On that path, the student first learns recognition and only then does he/she move into the domain of the abstract.
Their eyes gradually learn to observe the surroundings through the lens, how to find a motif ‘worth a shot’, and that takes a lot of time and practice.
In the beginning, only random motifs will emerge. They first explore natural light, and then artificial light. They are attracted by unusual or quite ordinary, everyday objects, and they try to find something interesting in every one of them.
In time, coincidences grow into intentions, and through experimentation, they not only gradually master the world around them, but the one within them as well, without which everything would be an empty display without a personal touch.
This one-of-a-kind inner world, unique for each person, is what is uncovered during studies. For example, through portraits, students meet others, analyze the people around them, notice the beauty and individuality in every being, while the self-portrait helps them to confront themselves, and the passions of their very own soul and imagination.
From the realm of the rational, they move into the world of dreams and imagination, beginning to create their own, often highly abstract worlds in which the impossible becomes possible.

Svetlana Knežević Lukić, MA, Professor of Photography at FCA

Visit this great exhibition of FCA students at the Student Cultural Center, from September 3 to September 13. The gallery is open every day except weekends, from 11 to 18 h. See you there!