Ja Paunkovic Art Studio at the 10th Beijing International Art Biennale
We are pleased to present our participation in the 10th Beijing International Art Biennale, one of the most significant global platforms for contemporary art, held from December 29, 2025 to January 28, 2026, at the Beijing Exhibition Center (People’s Republic of China).
Founded in 2002, the Beijing International Art Biennale has become a key site of international cultural exchange, bringing together artists, curators, and institutions from across the world.
This year’s Biennale features participants from more than 110 countries, presented through four exhibition sections: a major international thematic exhibition, a contemporary art exhibition, a digital art exhibition, and selected national presentations. The Republic of Serbia is the only country represented through a standalone national exhibition, an exceptional recognition within the Biennale’s official program.
Serbia’s National Exhibition – Resilient Ecologies
Serbia is presented with the exhibition
“Resilient Ecologies: Coexistence as Negotiation in Serbian Contemporary Art.”
The exhibition is organized by the Association of Fine Artists of Serbia (ULUS), in cooperation with the Chinese Artists Association, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia.
The exhibition is curated and conceptually developed by Dr. Vladan Jeremić in collaboration with the ULUS Executive Board, with Ksenija Marinković serving as the commissioner of the Serbian national pavilion.
The works are exhibited in a specially designated pavilion area of 1,200 square meters, reserved exclusively for the Serbian delegation—an honor rarely granted within the Biennale. For the first time, Serbia also participated through a professional roundtable conference, reinforcing its position not only through exhibition but also through direct international dialogue.
Serbian Artists at the Beijing Biennale
The national exhibition features works by 19 Serbian contemporary artists:
Zoran Dimovski, Aleksandar Jestrović Jamesdin, Nataša Kokić, Ana Marković, Jagoda Mićović, Ivana Milev, Marina Milojević Roganović, Mihael Milunović, Zoran Naskovski, Aleksandar Paunković, Jelena Paunković, Dimitrije Pecić, Ivan Petrović, Julijana Protić, Milorad Stajčić, Nađa Stamenović, Jana Stojaković, Zoran Tairović, and Marija Zdravković.
Together, these artists represent a wide spectrum of approaches within Serbian contemporary art, unified through the shared framework of coexistence and resilience.
Conceptual Framework: Coexistence as a Dynamic Practice
The exhibition explores resilience as an ongoing, dynamic artistic practice rather than a static condition. Coexistence is understood as a process of negotiation—between human beings, nature, and technology, as well as between historical continuity and contemporary social fractures.
Nature is not approached as a passive backdrop, but as an active participant in dialogue with collective memory. Through the synthesis of trauma and regeneration, the exhibition emphasizes resilience as a continuous and transformative process.
The curatorial concept aligns with the Biennale’s sub-themes: Growth (ecological engagement), Tempering (historical perspective), and Harmony (relational balance), positioning Serbian contemporary art within global conversations on sustainability, peace, and shared futures.
Our Works – Ja Paunkovic Art Studio
As Ja Paunkovic Art Studio, Aleksandar and Jelena Paunković present two works:
Close to the Heart, oil on canvas, 200 × 260 cm, 2025
No. 24, oil on canvas, 155 × 88 cm, 2023
Our collaborative practice emerges from a deeply rooted connection to nature and the land, shaped through childhood experiences of gardening and walking barefoot on soil. These formative encounters are translated into large-scale paintings that function simultaneously as personal expressions and as public dialogues with nature.
Our ongoing series “Life (Život)” transfers intimate fragments of the natural world onto expansive canvases, deliberately redirecting viewers’ attention toward the essence of nature. This conscious choice of scale and subject matter has consistently proven resonant, sparking reflection and conversation among audiences and reaffirming our belief in painting’s enduring capacity to foster meaningful dialogue about humanity’s relationship with the environment.
