In the heart of Old Bar, during the 38th Bar Chronicle Festival, the exhibition “Desert Orchid” from the Genesis cycle by Marko Čakalović was opened. Despite the challenging location, a large crowd rushed to see the works of this academic sculptor, who, according to selector Željko Milović, is better known abroad than in his hometown of Bar. Milović is confident that this injustice will soon be corrected and that Čakalović will be widely recognized as a great artist.
The exhibition is a complex intellectual network where paintings, sculptures, and reliefs do not depict the familiar world but rather alchemically dissolve and problematize virtual reality through cyberpunk aesthetics. The main motif is the female figure, an archetypal symbol of fertility, strength, but also vulnerability and loneliness, which might be the deepest layer of the exhibition. The lonely figures in the paintings do not observe but endure, standing as witnesses of time and the contemporary era.
Marko Čakalović, a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje, is known for his figurative oeuvre with elements of fantasy, combining classical and experimental media. He has participated six times in artistic residencies in Belgium, and his works are found in collections worldwide — from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, the USA, Malaysia, Italy, Poland, to Northern Sudan and other countries.
The exhibition has sparked great public interest, which was a pleasant surprise for the artist. He emphasizes that local artists exist and need to be given a chance, and the audience should be more informed about their work. Čakalović does not want to reveal too many details about his works, leaving room for various interpretations.
If you are in Bar, don’t miss the chance to see this intriguing and profound exhibition that provokes thoughts about the world, existence, and loneliness. And if you are far away, maybe it’s time to ask yourself — how well do we really know the artists from our own region? And how ready are we to give them a chance? Share your thoughts, maybe your perspective will open a new dimension of this artistic adventure!
