In Prijedor, the unveiling of the new mural, the tenth jubilee in the “Prijedor: City of Murals” project, took place. The author of the abstract composition titled “Internal Dynamics” is the painter from Serbia, Nikola Mihajlović Kori. He expressed satisfaction with the opportunity to participate in such a significant mural art project and to have a wall in the city center, the largest of all ten murals so far.
“In my work, I draw inspiration from various sources.
The emphasis here was on the inner world, from which the expressive expression of this mural is derived. On the other hand, there is nature, and the third source is the architectural elements that come from my university education,” said Mihajlović.
The project coordinator of “Prijedor—City of Murals,” Boris Eremić, expressed pride that the Association of Fine Artists Prijedor initiated this project with the first competition 11 years ago, driven by great enthusiasm, love, and a desire to create an open-air gallery in a city known for its painters. He reminded that only one year’s implementation was missed due to the pandemic.
“This is the only project of its kind in Southeast Europe.
The award for the author is the ‘Paola de Maninkor’ plaque and 1,500 euros from the Italian municipality of Lavis, her hometown. Unfortunately, this is also the largest monetary award for visual arts in the Republic of Srpska,” added Eremić.
The head of the Department for Culture, International Cooperation, Sports, and Non-Governmental Organizations of the city of Prijedor, Aleksandar Milješić, stated that the city allocated 10,000 BAM for the realization of this year’s mural.
“Prijedor is widely known as the city of murals, painters, and artists. We have funds planned for these purposes for the next year as well. Every year, we support this story and look forward to every new mural that comes to our city,” said Milješić.
The president of the Association Program Prijedor from the Italian city of Trento, Ecio Pilati, stated that their association promotes the “Prijedor—City of Murals” project.
“This project is very important for us because it shows cooperation and unity between Prijedor and the Trentino region through art. The bridges of cooperation and friendship are visible and tangible, not just the monetary part of the award we give,” Pilati emphasized.
The “Prijedor City of Murals” project was initiated by ULUP in 2013 in memory of the Italian artist Paola de Maninkor, who, together with children from refugee centers, painted the first mural in Prijedor on the facade of the Electrotechnical School in 1998. Initially, works were selected through an international competition, but since last year, the author has been chosen by invitation.
Source: Prijedor.org
