1/15/2024
Exclusive exhibition of the naive art of Kovačica in the PTT Museum
The exhibition "Naive painting of Kovačica - A good voice can be heard far and wide" is open to visitors in the PTT Museum until February 12.
Fedor Rosocha, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic in Serbia, Zoran Đorđević, Acting Director of the Post of Serbia, and and Pavel Babka, author of the exhibition, founder of the Babka Foundation and Gallery from Kovačica spoke about the motives for the organization of the exhibition and the display, which represents oil on canvas of eight representatives of naive painters from Kovačica. The opening was attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture Miodrag Ivanović and the authors of the exhibited works.
Ambassador Rosocha said that the naive painting of Vojvodina's Slovaks has turned from a local social phenomenon of the second half of the 20th century into a cultural project of national importance, which was also confirmed by submitting a candidacy for inscription on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. He thanked all the institutions that participated in this project for their cooperation and also very positively evaluated the cooperation with PE Post of Serbia and the PTT Museum.
"In addition to the artistic value of the widely known and extremely appreciated naive art of artists of Kovačica, it is important to point out the wealth of diversity and the message of togetherness and coexistence that it sends. I would like to thank the Embassy of Slovakia and the Babka Foundation for their support and professional help in organizing the exhibition, in order to give the public another opportunity to enjoy beautiful art and to become better acquainted with a valuable segment of our intangible heritage", said Zoran Đorđević.
Pavel Babka spoke about the immigration of Slovaks in the area of today's Vojvodina 222 years ago, the founding of Kovačica and the beginnings of naive painting that were recorded between the two world wars, as evidenced by the paintings preserved from that period, while the first exhibition was organized in 1952, marking 150 years since the establishment of Kovačica. He pointed out that two names in particular made Kovačica famous all over the world - Martin Jonaš and Zuzana Halupova, whose jubilees - the 100th anniversary of their birth will be appropriately celebrated on May 9, 2024 and February 5 next year in Kovačica.
"The list of naive painting of Kovačica consists of 65 painters. The oldest, Vladimir Boboš, was born in 1906, and the youngest painter, Stefani Husarova, was born in 1985. Of these 65, 27 painters are no longer alive, and the memory of the deceased painters is preserved by the newly founded Association of Descendants of Deceased Painters of Naive Painting of Kovačica in Serbia. In 2012, the Republic of Serbia entered our painting into the National Register of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia, and last year it nominated it for inclusion in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity," said Babka.
The artwork My Kovačica (200 cm x 160 cm, oil on canvas, 2024) was presented for the first time, which was created by all eight authors who were selected for the exhibition - Pavel Hajko, Jan Glozik, Zuzana Vereski, Pavel Cicka, Pavel Povolni Juhas, Vieroslava Svetlik, Klara Babka and Miroslav Hraško. Among others, the following pieces Three Brides on a Bicycle by Zuzana Vereski, A good voice is heard far and wide by Pavel Hajk, as well as artistic handicrafts, painted stools by Vieroslava Svetlik, are on display.