A Journey Through Belgrade’s Street Art.

A Journey Through Belgrade’s Street Art.

August 2019 & October 2020 – August 2021.

I don’t know about you but I always find that street art plays a crucial role in determining how I feel about a city. Oftentimes these public expressions spring forth as vessels of freedom, creativity, community, identity, history and national pride.

Street art can lift our moods, bring calmness into our lives, make us consider controversial and complicated topics. Moreover, they can tell us stories and help us dig deeper into the culture of a place.

Some cities are celebrated across the globe for their stunning street art. When we contemplate the world’s artiest metropolises we often think of juggernauts like Berlin, Buenos Aires, London, New York, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

But of course there are equally worthy underrated arty locales everywhere. Such as the Spanish city of Málaga where I lived for a year between 2016-2017.

I’m not gonna pretend for one second that Belgrade would make its way onto many Best Street Art Cities lists. However, as I’ve been wading through all the photos from our time in the Serbian capital, I’m reminded of how there were dozens of murals that stopped us in our tracks.

A Journey Through Belgrade’s Street Art.

This mural seems like a logical starting place. It says “Welcome to Belgrade!” and was created by a local art collective who call themselves Paint Kartel. For the most part they specialise in hand-painted lettering, both in their street art and for companies who hire them for advertising projects.

I really like the mural, not least because it reminds me of the front cover of Bruce Springsteen’s 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.

Let’s rewind and go all the way back to the mid 1980s for the creation of Belgrade’s first large scale public mural. The idea came in 1983 from art Professor Čedomir Vasić, who envisioned a huge artwork on the wall of a building on Rajićeva Street, just across from the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Subsequently, 50 budding artists eagerly presented their works to City Hall. The winning entry, Student Looking at the Wall, came from an art student called Perica Donkov. It shows a young man looking thoughtfully up at a waterfall of colours that flow steadily towards him.

Student Looking at the Wall.

Donkov and a team of fellow art students laid down the mural over a 10-day period in May of 1984. Its unveiling had been carefully arranged to coincide with National Youth Day and the birthday of former president Josip Broz Tito. 

One of the students who assisted Donkov, Mirko Ognjenović, also posed as the man in the mural. He said he was happy to feature as long as the artist promised not to show his face. Donkov duly agreed but then proceeded to paint his subject with half his face tilted toward the viewer. A bit naughty.

Today Mirko Ognjenović is a renowned artist in his own right. Furthermore… and wouldn’t you believe it… he is now professor at Belgrade’s Academy of Applied Arts.

People still often ask him about the mural, he says. Which is precisely why he had requested Donkov not to identify him. Still, Ognjenović admits that he has since come to embrace his place in Belgrade’s modern art history.

From the city’s first giant mural, I’m taking you to Belgrade’s biggest. Located in the neighbourhood of Zemun, Magical Forest covers a surface of over five hundred square metres.

A Journey Through Belgrade’s Street Art.

Sladja and I found it while passing the outer courtyard of Lazar Savatic Elementary School. 12 prominent artists from across Europe contributed to the piece, including the Serbian muralist Piros (Petar Popović) and the Bulgarian duo Arsek and Erase. According to several online sources the mural’s many characters are bound by themes of magic, fairytales and ancient legends.

Far less kid-friendly, by an urban mile, is this gruesome mural called The Rats Wake Up.  The artist, known only as Quam, created the piece in collaboration with Baraka Cultural Youth Center.

The mural is an interpretation of the 1967 award-winning Serbian film The Rats Woke Up. Directed by Zivojin Pavlovic, the story follows a lonely man with a mysterious past who struggles to raise money for his sick sister’s medical treatment. 

Some of Belgrade’s most striking murals stood/stand scattered around the city’s historic Savamala neighbourhood. Back in 2019, when Sladja and I first explored the city together, much of Savamala had been reduced to rubble. This was due to the area’s massive regeneration project that eventually resulted in today’s swanky Belgrade Waterfront district.

Savamala.

Sadly, the work saw dozens of historic houses disappear, with luxury high-rises aimed at moneyed expats taking their place. The situation disgusted many Belgraders, who accused their government of selling the city’s history and culture to the highest bidder.

What’s more, many locals found themselves forced out of Savamala, which had been home to generations of their families. To lament this sorry state of affairs, the Serbian artists Tijana Tripković and Barbara Dimić created a series of murals called The Ghosts of Savamala.

Cute, sheet-white and Casper-friendly in nature, the ghosts smile and play, remembering the good times. Others waved goodbye to us, while there was even a panda, which I took to symbolise those locals who remained in Savamala as an endangered species. Nearly five years later, I can’t help but wonder how many of them (and indeed the murals) are still there.

Another unmissable mural in the neighbourhood mourns the loss of Savamala’s green spaces to make way for the new tower blocks. The piece, created by the Italian artist Blu, presents Belgrade as a grisly monster with residential blocks for teeth.

A Journey Through Belgrade’s Street Art.

Opening its horrifying mouth, the Belgrade beast prepares to bite into a hearty meal. But what is it going to gorge on? The answer comes in the form of a succulent tree painted onto a neighbouring building. Clever.

The more we explored Belgrade, the more we realised that the city’s mural scene is predominantly dedicated to honouring Serbia’s iconic men and women. Folk who have made a huge contribution to the country’s culture and history.

Many of these murals were made by artists connected to the football club Partizan Belgrade. Indeed a host of the painted celebrities were Partizan fans, hence the black and white striped design. Take for example the actor Mija Aleksić, a beloved comedian on the national stage and in various TV sitcoms.

This mural, meanwhile, depicts the influential writer and poet Dobrica Erić. “What’s that noise that I hear?” the mural asks, quoting one of Erić’s poems. “Stronger than a raging storm, than a hurricane, than a typhoon. It’s the supporters of Partizan!”

Memorial Murals.

Naturally, a number of Partizan’s most iconic players ended up on the walls of Belgrade. Of these, my choice mural remembers the talented midfielder Zoran Dimitrijević.

As a youngster in the early 1980s Zoran was one of the club’s brightest prospects who helped them to a Serbian league title. But his career failed to live up to expectations due to problems with alcohol addiction.

In 1990, aged just 30, his career came to an abrupt end when a car crash left him fighting for his life in a 16-day coma. Sadly, much of his post-career life was spent recovering from the accident and battling his addiction. Most tragic of all, he died of throat cancer in 2006 at 44 years old.

Even a number of Partizan supporters have found themselves immortalised across the walls of Belgrade. Two of the most famous are Dobrosav Petrović Valjevac (the dude in the cap) and Radmila Vojinović, known to her family, friends and fellow Partizan supporters as “keva” (mother).

Both supporters were among Partizan’s most dedicated. Valjevac will always be remembered for running onto the pitch during the 1966 European Cup Final against Real Madrid. While the police predictably arrested him, Valjevac won the hearts of his fellow fans who understood that he was only guilty of being naive rather than aggressive.

“I did not storm the pitch at Heysel to cause trouble, but for the whole of Europe to see the black and white flag fluttering”

On the other hand, “Mother” wasn’t one for pitch storming. But she was well-known for her unwavering support of the team through thick and thin.

As an elderly woman she was once interviewed about her lifelong support. “Nobody can separate me from Partizan”, she said. “Only death. And then I will be sorry that I can’t watch them play anymore”.

Our favourite Belgrade mural, also in black and white but not a Partizan creation, shows the much-loved movie star couple Milena Dravić and Dragan Nikolić.

Regular readers may remember that we visited their graves at Belgrade New Cemetery. Married for 45 years until Dragan’s death in 2016, it is virtually impossible to overstate their huge influence on Serbian cinema and television.

A Journey Through Belgrade’s Street Art.

With 165 screen credits to her name, Dravić was an acclaimed and versatile actress who achieved international fame in 1980 when she won a Best Supporting Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in the comedy drama Special Treatment.

As for Nikolić, his 50-year career saw him become one of Serbia’s most recognised actors, while in his later years he hosted the Serbian version of the gameshow Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Husband and wife even collaborated on movie projects and co-hosted the popular 1970s TV variety show Obraz uz obraz (Cheek to Cheek). 

“She manages to change my world with one look and brighten my day with one smile. And then they ask me why I love her” – Dragan Nikolić.

On the subject of cinematic greats, I was tickled to come across this comical depiction of Woody Allen. Created by the Serbian artist BUG, you can find it on Katanićeva Street. I must say that ol’ Woody doesn’t look particularly thrilled to be forever stuck in the wall of a Belgrade building.

Elsewhere, in the world of music, let me introduce you to Srđan Gojković Gile, lead singer of Electric Orgasm, one of Serbia’s most influential rock bands. Active between 1981 to the present date, they have released ten studio albums and had a clutch of hits, including The Whole of Yugoslavia is Dancing Rock n’ Roll.

I’d also like you to meet Nada Knežević, Serbia’s most celebrated jazz singer. Affectionately tagged The First Lady of Yugoslav Jazz, Nada enjoyed a glittering 50 year career that eventually saw her awarded a 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Jazz Festival in Nashville. For a taste of her music, check out the 1976 hit Cry Baby. 

And it sure was fun to spot the various (and somewhat random) collection of international singers and musicians who’ve been given the Belgrade mural treatment. I loved seeing this doff of the hat to my favourite Smiths song, There is a Light That Never Goes Out.

A Journey Through Belgrade’s Street Art.

And to see that there is Serbian love for the British punk rock act The Clash.

The award to Biggest Surprise Mural though goes to this one of reggae funk maestro Eddy Grant. A star of the 1980s, he had a couple of amusing hit singles, Electric Avenue and I Don’t Wanna Dance. The dictionary definition of “guilty pleasures”. But the reason he’s got so much Serbian love is because of another song, I Wanna Show You Belgrade.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my tour of Belgrade’s fascinating street art. Unfortunately, there were plenty of murals I had to leave out, but hopefully I’ve given you a feel for the city’s visual pleasures. I’ll sign off with the below question, which is a bit cheeky, because for the vast majority of you I already know the answer.

Like this? Check out my many articles from across Belgrade.

You may also enjoy my pieces from all over Serbia.

I’ve been living, working and traveling all over the world since 2001. So why not check out my huge library of travel reports from over 30 countries.