From July 2 to August 27, 2022, the Serbian Cultural Center in Paris presents « Couronne », the exhibition of the works of the international graphic designer and photographer Pavel Surovi on the authentic folk costumes of the peoples of the Balkans.
Why « Crown »?
The exhibition bears the name « Crown » from the Latin Corona, which has a triple interpretation:
- The period of the creation of the creation of the photography collection, during the pandemic;
- Royal clothing;
- The wedding crowns and headbands, the most important part of the exhibition.
All the photos present the ethnographic research of their author. They make old folk costumes coincide with the European royal uniform, intangible cultural heritage. Moreover, there is a mixture of tradition, aesthetics and spirituality, specific to the Balkan region.
Highlighting female beauty
Feminine and aesthetic beauty is timeless. Inspired by that of Aphrodite, it is expressed through the discovery of the mysticism of folk costumes, beliefs and myths from different eras. This is what the artist strives to do by presenting traditional and tangible culture from a unique point of view.
Pavel Surovi’s work is a concept of modern ethno art that connects past and future, changing entrenched dogmas and behaviors. It changes the outlook on women, religion, history and tradition.
In February, the exhibition could be visited in the cultural stations Svilara, Egység, Bukovac and Barka every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., while the photographs were visible in the cultural station of Rumenka every working day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Who is Pavel Surovi?
Pavel Surovi was born in 1980. Serbian politician, from the Slovak community, he is the leader of the Slovaks Forward party and member of the Voivodina Assembly since 2016. He lives in Novi Sad and is the director of the cultural center of Kisac .
After graduation, he obtained a Bachelor of Science and then won awards as a graphic designer. Passionate about Slovak folk costumes from Voivodina before the Second World War, he made 4 photographic exhibitions on Slovak culture in Serbia, the last of which, « Corona » in 2020 (now in Paris)
Political life
In 2014, at the head of the Slovaks Forward electoral list for the National Council of Serbia, he won 9 of the 29 mandates. In 2017, he accused board chairwoman Ana Tomanova Makanova of improper spending. Around the same time, the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina said the politician had harassed and exerted political pressure on some Slovak-speaking journalists in the province.
In 2016, Slovaks Forward, which became an official political party in 2015, contested the provincial elections of Vojvodina, as part of the coalition of the Serbian Progressive Party. Surovi is in 33rd position and is elected thanks to the majority victory of the list with 63 mandates out of 120.
He was re-elected in 2018 winning 8 terms. Vice-chairman of the council after the elections, he was removed from office in 2021.
In 2019, confirmed for a new term as party leader, he was promoted to 16th position on the list of progressives in the 2020 provincial elections and re-elected by majority with 76 mandates.
Now a member of the assembly’s committee on national equality and the committee on culture and public information, he sits on the caucus of the parliamentary group Aleksandar Vucic-For Our Children of the Progressive Parliamentary Group.
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