95 YEARS SINCE THE DEATH OF VLADIMIR MAYAKOVSKY EXHIBITION BY STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF VISUAL ARTS, ILLUSTRATION MODULE June 29th – July 1st 2025 | CIM FESTIVAL KOTOR
Third, fourth, and fifth-year students of the Faculty of Visual Arts, University “Mediterranean” Podgorica, enrolled in the Illustration module under the mentorship of Professor Marija Džoganović, will present works created during a one-semester academic process in the 2024–2025 academic year.
The exhibition Shallow Philosophy in Deep Places (1925 poem) features 20 illustrations inspired by the poetry of Vladimir Mayakovski, the Russian poet to whom the exhibition is dedicated, marking the 95th anniversary of his death. The selection of poems to be illustrated was made by the students themselves, according to their personal affinities and aesthetic sensibilities. A group of eight students: Jovana Deletić, Jovana Jovanović, Jelena Ćosović, Emilija Jovančević, Merima Hadžimuhović, Damjan Vujošević, Marija Lakićević, and
Sofija Miljkovac – produced a large number of works, from which around twenty were selected for this occasion.
Crafted with traditional drawing and painting materials, these illustrations are more than visual responses—they are conversations between time periods. Each piece is paired with a simplified symbol, a coded form of expression that offers a modern interpretation of the illustrated poem. This dual approach—blending hand-rendered techniques with symbolic, conceptual language—allows students to explore the tension between permanence and change, between the classical and the contemporary.
Their work stands as both homage and challenge: honoring the timelessness of Mayakovski’s voice while venturing boldly into uncharted creative territory.
Mayakovski’s connection with visual art can be traced back to his very beginnings. Having studied art himself, the visual dimension of artistic experience always held great importance for him. A significant influence on his creative development came from his friend David Burliuk—poet, painter, and one of the founders of Russian Futurism and Cubo-Futurism in painting. Connecting
Russian Futurism with contemporary visual expression is, therefore, neither new nor unexpected for the current generation of students at the Faculty of Visual Arts in Podgorica. On the contrary, it
is a lineage of influence that has been present across artistic disciplines for decades, naturally
extending into today’s creative practices.
Through the Illustration module, Professor Marija Džoganović has, for years, consistently guided
her students beyond the expected—intertwining illustration with various branches of artistic expression, stepping outside the comfort zone. Together with her students, she has illustrated book covers, textbooks, children’s fairy tales, and even theatrical performances.
Yet, the exhibition Shallow Philosophy in Deep Places represents, in many ways, a further step in their artistic exploration. Here, young artists engage with poetry written a hundred years ago, and by illustrating its verses, they place themselves in a position of reflection — both within the present moment and in dialogue with the passing of a century. In illustrating Mayakovski, they do not merely interpret; they confront and reimagine, allowing the past and present to converse through line, form, and symbol.
Students of the Faculty of Visual Arts, Illustration Module (3rd, 4th, and 5th year): Jovana Deletić, Jovana Jovanović, Jelena Ćosović, Emilija Jovančević, Merima Hadžimuhović, Damjan Vujošević, Marija Lakićević, and Sofija Miljkovac.
Mentor and curator of the exhibition, Professor Marija
Džoganović, earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje, in the class of Professor Dragan Karadžić. She pursued additional education at
the School of Contemporary Arts in Pont-Aven, France (affiliated
with the Rhode Island School of Design, USA). She has been a faculty member at the Faculty of
Visual Arts since 2007 and has served as its Dean since 2021. Currently, she is pursuing a two-year postgraduate program in Art Therapy at Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Zagreb.
The Faculty of Visual Arts at the University “Mediterranean” Podgorica was established in
2006 and successfully undergoes the reaccreditation process for its academic programs in accordance with national regulations. The quality of the faculty’s academic programs is further evidenced by the fact that the Government of Montenegro recognized both undergraduate and postgraduate programs at the Faculty of Visual Arts as being of public interest in 2013 and 2018.
The faculty has also received high evaluations from the European University Association (EUA), which conducted an external institutional evaluation (IEP) of this higher education institution. As a hub of artistic competition across multiple fields of creative industries—such as graphic design, illustration, photography, scene and interior design, digital art and animation, video and new
media, fine arts, and sound design—the faculty offers students the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in both classical and contemporary artistic disciplines through two cycles of study (BA and MA). The curriculum is a symbiosis of art, science, IT technologies, and other scientific and artistic disciplines, aligned with the latest international trends and the needs of the modern job market. Moreover, since 2022, the faculty offers a group of courses in the field of Cultural Management, introducing students to the system of cultural policy, strategic and project management, as well as entrepreneurship in the arts. In this context, the students of the Faculty of Visual Arts graduate with a representative portfolio that opens doors to careers in the creative industries across Europe. Additionally, students benefit from various international mobility programs, enabling them to spend a semester at some of Europe’s most prestigious art academies.
The Faculty of Visual Arts is the first institution in Montenegro to implement the European learning
outcomes policy, the first to introduce internships into its curriculum, the first to introduce the concept of service learning into the educational process, and the initiator of the first professional higher education qualification in the field of art—Land Art Artist. The Faculty of Visual Arts was founded and shaped by young, talented creative individuals who infused their expertise, knowledge, talent, and experience into the curriculum. Their energy, creativity, and profound love—not only for art but for teaching—have made the Faculty the best art school in Montenegro for years.
