Migrations and the positive consequences of people moving, the richness of diversity and its impact on art, are the themes of the new programme arch ‘Migrations’, which started today and with which Novi Sad, as the European Capital of Culture, continues with the cultural events in 2022.

Welcome to the European Capital of Culture:

In the next 45 days, Serbian Athens will present the migrational identity of Novi Sad, Serbia, and Europe through more than 300 events. Around 130 artists will present themselves through various art genres, 90 of which are from different European countries.

The unique ‘Migrations’ will bring artists who will present themselves through various media of visual art, in as many as 15 exhibitions, so the European masters of painting such as Marc Chagall, El Greco, Vigée Le Brun, and others await us.

In addition, photos of the world’s best photographers, winners of prestigious World Press Photo Foundation awards – Warren Richardson, John Stanmeyer, Matias Costa, as well as contemporary European artists who paint on masts – Alain Welter, Kata Varszegi, Are Andreassen, and others are arriving in Novi Sad.

During the exhibition ‘Migration of Souls – Novi Sad in Books’, the Great Hall of the Novi Sad Fair will host contemporary regional writers such as Rumena Bužarovska, Milica Vučković, Miljenko Jergović, Kristian Novak and Darko Cvijetić.

Novi Sad Fair is the partner of the ‘Migrations of Souls’ programme, and the companies Globos osiguranje and Dijamant DOO also provided support for the project.

There will be more than 30 concerts, various music genres and big names such as Enigma, Barcelona Gipsy balKan Orchestra, Light in Babylon, and many others. The audience will have the opportunity to enjoy 10 plays, 40 workshops and many other events.

The ‘Migrations’ programme arch symbolically began on the Day of Novi Sad, which celebrates the date when that city was proclaimed a free royal city in 1748. On this solemn occasion, the February Award (Februarska nagrada) was given to the contemporary Serbian composer Stevan Divjaković, whose composition ‘Balkan Fantasy’ (Balkanska fantazija) will be performed at the third concert in a series of concerts called The Best of Novi Sad, on 17 February.

Also, the Post of Serbia, in cooperation with the ‘Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture’ Foundation, made an issue of commemorative postage stamps dedicated to Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture, which will be used to send invitations throughout 2022.

On the Day of Novi Sad, a symbolic and physical bridge has been built, which connected two institutions, two exhibitions, two periods, into one story of Novi Sad, therefore the audience will have the opportunity to experience the story of Serbian Athens in a unique way through two exhibitions: ‘Where Migrations Ends: From Roman Pannonia to Today’s Vojvodina’ by the Museum of Vojvodina and ‘Accents – Novi Sad’ by City Museum of Novi Sad. Admission to the exhibitions will be free for all visitors on 1 February.

The opening of two major exhibitions:

In the next week, Novi Sad will represent its multicultural character with not only the exhibitions but with concerts of classical music and new interpretations of traditional culture as well. The citizens of Novi Sad, but also renowned international virtuosos Irena Josifoska, Aleksandra Šuklar, Stefan Milenković, Kemal Gekić, Rita Kinka and Roby Lakatos, together with the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra will represent all the richness of different national identities transformed into multiculturalism as a consequence of centuries of migration in this area, through three concerts. Detailed programme, programme book, and all the information about the events during the European Capital of Culture title year can be found at our website.

Photo: Vladimir Veličković