Exhibition of Paintings and Discussion with Melita Kraus / Synagogue – A Meeting Point

The opening of one part of the exhibition of paintings by Melita Kraus will be implemented in the Small Art Gallery of the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad on Saturday, 18 June, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Afterwards, the second part of the exhibition will be opened in Svilara, with a discussion with Melita Kraus, which starts at 6 p.m.

Since the motifs of her paintings belong primarily to the heritage of Eastern European Ashkenazi, the conversation with the artist, which will be led by Gordana Todorić, will be a kind of mapping of the basic codes of this cultural tradition. The idea is to point out the vitality of this segment of Jewish culture, despite the catastrophic consequences of the Holocaust.

The exhibition and the conversation will be accompanied by slides with recordings of relevant works by Melita Kraus. Four paintings whose individual length is up to 2 metres will be physically displayed on the walls of the space.

The conversation will also include commenting on the songs of the klezmer tradition, typical of the Ashkenazi, with special reference to the ‘Mikve’ ensemble, which is entirely characterized by a female approach. These songs will be played in segments of conversation related to music as inspiration, which is a poetic fact of this artist’s oeuvre. The conversation will last between 45 and 60 minutes, and the moderator of the programme is Gordana Todorić.

The painting by Melita Kraus, an artist from Bjelovar, seems to have that magical power to tell the story of the missing world of Eastern European Ashkenazi in front of the viewer’s eyes. This story unfolds on her paintings and lasts as the journey of the Jewish Diaspora lasts. The sounds of klezmer music echo from these images, the legend of the Golem emerges from the past, and small/big people from the shtetl fight their life battles and exist, preserved on canvases, papers and books turned into paintings. They travel the world with Melita. One of the stops on that road is Novi Sad.

The event is accessible to people with physical disabilities.

The exhibition will be opened until 24 June.

The working hours of the Small Art Gallery: weekdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The working hours of the CS Svilara: weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Photo: Promo