Dragan Mojović (1942–2001) was a prominent Serbian painter whose work bridged expressive painting and conceptual art. Trained as a technologist at the University of Belgrade, he entered the art world through an unconventional path, quickly gaining recognition in the early 1970s. His work was first noted by critics at the October Salon in Belgrade, marking the beginning of a significant artistic career.
Over the following decades, Mojović exhibited widely across Yugoslavia and internationally, participating in major exhibitions including the Venice Biennale. His practice extended beyond painting into multimedia and performative actions, exploring themes of nature, symbolism, and cosmology.
Combining visual intensity with philosophical depth, Mojović developed a distinctive artistic language that secured him a lasting place in contemporary Serbian and Yugoslav art.
Full version (main text below)
Dragan Mojović (1942–2001)
Dragan Mojović, an eminent Serbian painter, was born in 1942 in Belgrade, Serbia, where he completed his primary and secondary education. He graduated from the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy at the University of Belgrade, and for a period of time also studied philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy of the same university. Although his formal education was in the field of technology, Mojović’s creative inclinations gradually led him toward the world of art. Professionally he worked as a technologist, yet throughout his life painting remained the central focus of his intellectual and artistic engagement.
Mojović began to seriously explore painting while still a student, attending the well-known painting school “Šumatovačka” in Belgrade. His exceptional talent soon became evident, and by the early 1970s he had already attracted the attention of the artistic community. Art critics first recognized his work at the exhibition “New Romanticism as an Art of Disturbance” presented at the October Salon in Belgrade, one of the most important contemporary art exhibitions in the region. This appearance marked the beginning of Mojović’s public artistic career and established him as a distinctive and promising voice in the Yugoslav art scene.
His first solo exhibition was organized in 1976 at the Gallery of the Kolarac People’s University in Belgrade. In the years that followed, Mojović held numerous individual exhibitions both in Yugoslavia and abroad. His works were presented in Belgrade (1980, 1983, 1991, 1994, 1996), Novi Sad (1978), Ljubljana (1979), Paris (1982, 1997), Zrenjanin (1986), Sombor (1986), Sarajevo (1987), Zenica (1987), Čačak (1989), Ohrid (1990), Aranđelovac (1992), and Priština (1995). Through these exhibitions he gradually built a reputation as a painter whose work combined expressive visual language with a strong conceptual dimension.
In addition to his solo shows, Mojović participated in numerous group exhibitions across Europe, Asia, North America, and Oceania. His works were shown in cities such as Belgrade, Millsboro, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Graz, Venice, Wellington, Oakland, Rotorua, Christchurch, Lisbon, Norwich, Dublin, Manchester, Kilkenny, Rijeka, Sofia, Cluj, Beijing, Nanjing, Banja Luka, Warsaw, Wrocław, Harlem, Moscow, Lüneburg, Frankfurt, Nicosia, Stockholm, Namur, Budva, Karlovac, Poreč, Limassol, Aranđelovac, Požarevac, Vršac and many others. This wide international presence reflects the broad recognition of his artistic contribution and the relevance of his work beyond the regional cultural context.
Mojović also participated in several major international and national art manifestations, including the Venice Biennale, the International Biennale of Original Drawing in Rijeka, the Triennial of Yugoslav Art in Belgrade, the October Salon in Belgrade, Art Autumn in Sombor, the Biennale of Yugoslav Watercolor in Karlovac, and the Memorial Nadežda Petrović in Čačak. These events brought together some of the most significant artists of the time and played an important role in shaping the contemporary artistic discourse of the period.
Beyond painting and exhibitions, Mojović developed a series of multimedia and performative artistic actions that combined visual art, symbolism, ritual elements, and interaction with space. Among them are projects such as “Oplođenje središta” (Impregnation of the Center), which involved planting a cedar tree in what he designated as the “Center of the World” in Belgrade and lighting a ceremonial fire; “Solsticijumski vatromet” (Solstice Fireworks, 1980); “Posvećenje proleća” (Consecration of Spring); “Ekvinocijumsko pošumljavanje” (Equinox Afforestation, 1981); “Proširenje središta” (Expansion of the Center); “Uspostavljanje internacionalnog centra sveta” (Establishment of the International Center of the World, 1982); “Obnova centra sveta” (Restoration of the Center of the World, 1984); “Dokaz centra sveta” (Proof of the Center of the World, 1992); and “Osvećenje centra sveta” (Sanctification of the Center of the World, 1993). Through these projects Mojović explored the relationship between art, nature, myth, and symbolic geography, creating works that extended beyond traditional painting into the realm of conceptual and environmental art.
In his painting, Mojović developed a distinctive visual language characterized by expressive forms, symbolic imagery, and a strong interest in archetypal and cosmological themes. His works often explored the relationship between the individual, nature, and the universe, reflecting a fascination with cycles of time, elemental forces, and the idea of the “center” as a metaphysical point of balance. Combining figurative suggestions with abstract structures, his paintings created spaces that were at once mythical and contemplative, inviting the viewer to reflect on deeper existential and cultural questions.
The conceptual dimension of his work was also closely connected with broader artistic movements of the late twentieth century, particularly those that sought to bridge painting, performance, and environmental art. By integrating ritual symbolism, natural elements, and spatial interventions into his practice, Mojović expanded the traditional boundaries of painting and placed his work within a wider dialogue between art, philosophy, and cultural anthropology.
For his artistic achievements Mojović received numerous awards and recognitions. Among them are prizes at the 11th Biennial of Young Artists in Rijeka (1976), the 6th Triennial of Contemporary Yugoslav Art in Sombor (1977), the 6th and 7th International Exhibition of Original Drawing in Rijeka (1976, 1977), the 10th and 16th Memorial Nadežda Petrović in Čačak (1978, 1990), the 20th Annale in Poreč (1980), the exhibition Art and Ecology in Maribor (1980), the exhibition From the Studios of Belgrade Painters in Belgrade (1980), the 2nd Interbifep in Tuzla (1984), the 20th and 25th October Salon in Belgrade (1984, 1989), the 3rd Biennale of Yugoslav Watercolor in Karlovac (1985), the 5th Memorial Milena Pavlović-Barili in Požarevac (1993), and the Grand Prix at the 4th International Biennale of Miniature Art in Gornji Milanovac (1996).
He was also the recipient of two particularly prestigious awards: the Josip Račić Award of Vjesnik in Zagreb (1979) and the Vladislav Ribnikar Award of Politika in Belgrade (1980), both recognizing his significant contribution to contemporary Yugoslav art.
Dragan Mojović passed away in 2001, leaving behind a rich and distinctive artistic legacy. Through his paintings, conceptual projects, and performative works, he established an original artistic vision that continues to attract the attention of art historians, researchers, and audiences interested in the development of contemporary Serbian and Yugoslav art.