Street Art with a Mission – Association Te8 Paints Murals and Points to Important Social Issues

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, urban art was one of the rare cultural activities that could be present in the public scene. It was precisely during that time that the Association for Development and Promotion of Urban Art Te8 was founded in Belgrade.

– Our vision is to position Belgrade and Serbia high on the global street art scene – Predrag Radovanovic, the director of this association, which is run by a team of international artists and friends, says for eKapija.

Predrag points out that, since their founding, they have been striving to re-examine and process important social topics through their activities:



– One of them is social inclusion of children with certain problems. In cooperation with the embassy of Great Britain, we painted murals in the inclusion center “Evo ruka” and the Children’s Shelter in Krfska Street, which are run by the Youth Integration Center. Children and employees at the embassy were included in the making of the murals, and ambassador Sian MacLeod made her contribution to the painting.

According to Radovanovic, an interesting event in the street art calendar in Belgrade was also the association’s festival, organized at the “Branislav Nusic” Elementary School in Belgrade.



– We believe that it is important for art to be brought closer to children as soon as the elementary school age. It was a successful event during which, in Vozdovac, we presented artists who are active in the scene and presented some new names. At the same time, it was the only festival of its kind in Belgrade – our interviewee points out.

Still, the project that Te8 is most proud of is “Wall Mall Urban Art Space”. According to them, this is an entirely unique platform at the Stadion Shopping Center (TC Stadion) in Belgrade:



– It is an informal exhibition space, which exists in the form of an open street gallery transferred to the “streets” of a shopping mall. It is based on the principle of transience as an essential characteristic of street art, where the artist constantly creates a work over the work of the previous artist. What makes this concept even more special is a multidisciplinary approach, where artists present their studio works in a digital form. “Wall Mall Urban Art Space” offers a space for artists to showcase their work to the public for free, which is an additional value of this project and that is why we owe great gratitude to partners from TC Stadion, with whose help the platform is being realized.

Radovanovic also cites the work on the Silosi Cultural Center (KC Silosi) in Dorcol as a special project.



– Silosi was a special challenge, primarily due to the form and the dimensions of the silos, which are 25 meters high, equivalent to some 8 to 9 floors. I am glad that my art is part of Silosi, a new art district in Belgrade. The mural is named “Zastitnik” (“Protector”) and is inspired, as are my previous works, by ethnographic ornament of our people – our interviewee says.

He points out that his aim is to bring the rich cultural heritage of our ancestors closer and highlight its importance through murals and a unique artistic form adapted to his artistic sensibility.

– I am happy to see that the importance of connecting those motifs with urban art is increasingly recognized. It is confirmed by my mural “Staparski cilim” (“Stapari Carpet”), which was created in cooperation with the City of Sombor as part of the state initiative of having our carpets put on the UNESCO list – Radovanovic says.



He believes that urban art has the power to interact with all social layers and that its message is available to everybody.

– We are encouraged as an association by the fact that we are encountering an increasing understanding and support from institutions, as well as socially responsible companies and other interested parties which realize the importance of investing in the culture and development of the community, which is a characteristic of the developed society that we are all striving for – Predrag believes.

He concludes that his artistic plans for the future are related to the development of the association and his personal artistic expression in Serbia, but also the UAE, where, he says, he has already had positive experience with commercial projects within which he painted medical outpatient clinics, kindergartens, pet centers and private villas at the invitation of Jelena Bin Drai, a Serbian fashion designer who lives and work in the Emirates.

B. P.

Uduženje za razvoj i promociju urbane umetnosti Te8

Grad Sombor

Ambasada Velike Britanije Beograd

Association for Development and Promotion of Urban Art Te8

Youth Integration Center

Branislav Nušić Elementary School in Belgrade

inclusion center Evo ruka

Shelter for Children in Krfska Street

TC Stadion

KC Silosi

City of Sombor

UK Embassy in Belgrade

Predrag Radovanović

Sian MacLeod

Jelena Bin Drai

murals

street art

festival

mural Staparski ćilim