Paying tribute to the glorious Serbian army from the First World War, Belgrade Waterfront installed the sculpture „Ramonda“ on the lawn in front of Galerija, on the Sava Promenada, which transforms into a real open-air art gallery.
This work of art, the work of academic painter Mladen Djurović, was inspired by Natalija’s Ramonda, a symbol of the resurrection of the Serbian people in the Great War. The sculpture is made of high-gloss stainless steel, and it is this long-lasting material that best represents the nature of the famous „phoenix flower“, which is characterized by great resistance and the ability to revive from a completely dry state.
Connecting the most modern quarter in Serbia with rich Serbian heritage and tradition, „Ramonda“ will soon become one of the most recognizable meeting points of people on the right bank of the Sava.
In addition to the „emerged“ flower, a large blue butterfly with spread wings recently „lended“ on Belgrade Waterfront, and settled on the plateau in front of Kula Belgrade, the highest building in Serbia and the region and the future centre of cultural and artistic happenings in the city.
The new sculpture „Heaven on Earth“ by Nikola Kolja Božović thus joined the existing sculptures „Lynx“ and „Silhouettes“, placed under the Gazela Bridge and will represent, according to the author, „a piece of paradise brought down to earth“.
„The sculpture in front of Kula Belgrade represents a postmodernist stylization of butterflies, those extremely colorful creatures, whose beauty and elegance I admired as a boy, while watching them fly over the Sava towards Kalemegdan. For me, butterflies have always been not only symbols of eternal beauty, but also of spiritual purity which we all strive for even when we are not aware of it“, said artist Nikola Kolja Božović.
Thanks to its elegant appearance, the sculpture will represent an ideal background for photography. The little ones will enjoy seeing the big blue butterfly the most. When they stand in front of it, they will have the feeling that they really got wings.
However, this is not the only butterfly that adorns the right bank of the Sava. Galerija features a hanging art installation inspired by colorful insects, and „Waves“ and „Lime“ also cascade down its arches. The magnificent „Heart of Belgrade“ by Jelena Stepanov has long been part of the interior of the biggest regional shopping mall.
Sava Park features the three-part sculpture „Let’s bring the sparrows back to Belgrade“ by authors Andrija Matić and Nikola Knežević, which was inspired by one of the famous Belgrade symbols, as well as the installation „Street Lights“, heart-shaped sculpture by the artist Ivana Jelić.
By placing two new sculptures on its public realm, Belgrade Waterfront confirms its status as a great supporter of local art and a friend of Serbian artists, whom it enabled to bring contemporary art closer to a wider circle of people and numerous visitors to the Serbian capital from all over the world.