Grand Exhibition of Pirot Kilims Ceremonially Opened at Belgrade’s Silosi

The major exhibition “The Magic of the Pirot Kilim” was ceremonially opened last night at the Dom kulture Silosi Beograd. This multidisciplinary event, produced by the Gaia movement, will run until July 2, and will be accompanied by performances of theatre plays, a bazaar of Pirot products, weaving workshops featuring Pirot patterns, children’s workshops drawing Pirot ornaments, a promotion of the book “Ornamenti Srbije,” and the video work “Kaleidoscope” by academic painter and art historian Dr Milica Živadinović, as well as a short documentary film directed by Maja Uzelac. The exhibition itself presented to attendees more than 60 large-format Pirot kilims from the Nikolić family collection, along with numerous smaller rugs, shustikle, and antique furniture pieces, and the exhibition was supported through donations by the domestic company Esensa. 

The exhibition opened with a performance of the play “Darovni ćilim Cvete Agnine,” based on the play of the same name by Pirot native Momčilo Antić, performed in the dialect of southern Serbia by actresses Angelina Lukić and Sara Jovanović, directed by Jug Đorđević. After the play, Mr Miomir Nikolić addressed those gathered, expressing his satisfaction that the family collection has been placed in the service of promoting the Pirot kilim: “It is a great joy and privilege to own something as magical as the Pirot kilim. And with it comes no smaller responsibility to preserve it through generations, as well as to revive and spread once again that unique weaving skill through events like this, because that is the only way to preserve our national symbol.” The founder of the Gaia movement and producer of the exhibition, Anastasija Ćetković, also welcomed visitors to Silosi: “The Pirot kilim has always been made for the family home and connected the community like its gently woven threads. I hope that this exhibition, too, will connect all its visitors, who will then carry the word about these exceptional works of our folk art.”

At the exhibition, whose co-authors are professors at the Faculty of Applied Arts, Dr um. Leonora Vekić and Dr um. Zlatko Cvetković, there are informational panels where visitors can learn more about the phenomenon of the Pirot kilim, which was recognized as a phenomenon as early as the 1886 World Exhibition in Vienna because it has the same front and back, making it unique across the planet. It was a regular feature at world exhibitions up to 1940 as a national symbol of Serbia, and in 1922 it was the leading decoration at the wedding of King Alexander and Queen Maria Karađorđević. The British Queen Elizabeth, as well as numerous statesmen and celebrities, received Pirot kilims as gifts, many of which today are of priceless value. It is made exclusively from high-quality wool, and besides being used on floors, it is also used to cover furniture and walls, and cushions, handbags, and an entire range of decorations are often seen as well. Since 2012, Pirot kilim weaving has been inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Serbia under UNESCO protection, and on that occasion 96 ornaments and 122 patterns were singled out, each with a folk belief about how it affects its owner and the home in which it is found.

A New Hub of Belgrade’s Social Life

Silosi, as a new hub of Belgrade’s social life, is a project of the non-profit organization Gaia pokret, whose four pillars of activity are education, art, sport, and environmental protection. At Silosi, many of our artists have presented their work, such as Svetlana Ninković, Dragana Ognjenović, Milena ZeVu, and Mia Stanišić, as well as dozens of students from art faculties in Belgrade, while events have been held by our leading festivals Bitef, EXIT, Belgrade Fashion Week, and many others. 

From Silosi’s Honey Garden and apiary came the multi-award-winning honey brand “Mad Med,” and throughout the entire Silosi zone exhibitions, food and drink festivals, performances for children and adults, educational panels and conferences, craft workshops, yoga classes, bazaars of domestic products, and a whole range of music and various other events are regularly held.