The Diplomat
Last Saturday, the Serbian ambassador, Irena Šarac, inaugurated the exhibition Beautiful Scarecrows, by the artist Mane Šakić, at the ARCO 2024 art space.
At the opening of the exhibition, Irena Šarac said that “it gives me great pleasure to gather here to celebrate art and enjoy art, because art connects people in the most beautiful and profound way possible and paints the world in magnificent colours”.
“As you know,” continued the ambassador, “this is the first time that Serbia, under the auspices of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Saša Marčeta Foundation, is participating in this prestigious exhibition and we are very proud of it. Today we have the opportunity to enjoy the works and splendid artistic expression of the famous Belgrade painter Mane Šakić, whose works have been represented in many large cities.”
The Saša Marčeta Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded with the aim of contributing to the development and dissemination of culture, science and art. Its statutes state as its mission to create a unique platform for the development of the young generation into future thinkers, teachers, scientists, scholars, citizens and leaders. They wish to assist young people in the process of cultural, artistic and scientific expression, giving them the opportunity to publicly present their creative, academic and social potential. “Behind every meaningful word, verse, note, image, work of art and every step, there is a process of discovery, understanding and creation of the world around us,” reads their website. “The process of artistic creation and expression, he points out, should not be the privilege of individuals, but the measure of the consciousness and richness of society.”
Mane Šakić was born in Belgrade in 1971 into a family of artists and revolutionaries. It is therefore not surprising that his work displays a characteristic synergy of subtlety and forcefulness in his choice of themes, techniques and locations. Public forums have attracted his attention throughout his career, during which he has lived, worked and exhibited in Serbia, Spain and the United States.
For him, the revolutionary power of art is best expressed in public forums and through the juxtaposition of opposing techniques and themes. He exhibited his work in places such as Plaza Dos de Mayo in Madrid and made his art part of numerous public venues in the Spanish capital. His exhibition at Kalenic pijaca, Belgrade’s largest green market, was notorious, as well as in the decadent Tito Banquet Hall of Belgrade’ s Hotel Slavija. He was also involved in the effort to bring the best-known annual exhibition, Octobar Salon, to the streets of New Belgrade, often called The Bedroom.
His mosaic work adorns one of the streets in the centre of Belgrade, and his paintings do so in the Museum of Cinematography and the Ministry of Culture in Belgrade. He has been in a number of private collections, including those of Sharon Stone, Peter Stojanovic and The Kee Collection Madrid.
