In the Czech city of Plzeň, Serbian artist Predrag Radovanović, known as Peđa Te8, painted a 100-metre-long mural featuring the Pirot carpet pattern on a retaining wall along the railway. He represented Serbia at an international festival in the Czech Republic, held as part of the legacy of the 2015 European Capital of Culture programme.
This is not the first mural Radovanović has created inspired by the Pirot carpet tradition. Last year, he painted a mural in the French city of Reims, calling it "Sofra."
His murals travel across Europe, carrying a significant piece of Serbian tradition. We asked Radovanović how he sees the role of art in connecting Serbia and Europe.
“Art is just one of many fields for connection, but it stands out because of its immediacy and freedom. Art is certainly a powerful tool for helping us understand and connect with each other better. When I work outside Serbia, I don’t represent just myself, but also the community I come from. That sense of responsibility brings extra motivation to be a point of connection and recognition. Recently, I’ve been working with the ornamental form ‘Sofra’, which has an important symbolic message. It’s a call for dialogue, for meaning - and that’s one of my current messages,” Radovanović told EUpravo Zato.
Peđa Te8 is known for using urban art to breathe new life into traditional visual symbols of Serbia, giving them new artistic meaning.
“For me, freedom is the deepest value Serbia embodies. In the mid-19th century, when our ancestors were rebuilding the country, it was free farmers who wove the carpets and created these symbols. There was no empty luxury in those ornaments – they held meaning: spirituality, balance, strength, dignity.”
He underlines that today, he doesn’t use these patterns as decoration, but as visual traces of a free spirit - one that belongs to universal values and should be part of Europe’s present.
“My work offers a different perspective - a fusion of tradition and modernity, identity and openness. That’s the Serbia I showcase, and I believe it fits within the vision of diversity that Europe cherishes.”
How did Czechs understand the Pirot carpet?
Due to their similar Slavic roots, many Czechs likely recognised the motifs on the 100-metre-long, six-metre-high mural. Although unfamiliar with the Pirot carpet itself, many recognised the colours and shapes. Since the mural is on a retaining wall beside the railway, it’s been seen by many commuters. But the question remains: how did they interpret what they saw?
“That’s the beauty of it - the carpet wasn’t presented as folklore or a literal interpretation, but as a structure, a new energy. And that’s universally recognisable. Both experts and ordinary people in the Czech Republic responded with interest, because the carpet’s motifs contain something archetypal, something ancient yet contemporary at the same time,” Radovanović explained.
He described the reactions during the painting process as the most valuable moments.
“People approach, ask questions, show interest. Some still associate us with Yugoslavia, though fortunately, thanks to our athletes, that image is now a bit clearer. They don’t know about the carpet, but they’re drawn by the rhythm, the colour, the composition. And that starts a conversation. Art in public spaces allows for exactly that – spontaneous exchange. And every such encounter reshapes the image of Serbia, slowly but effectively, like the best kind of marketing campaign,” said Predrag.
Serbia in Europe
Although Predrag has already brought the Pirot carpet to Europe and given it new life on the walls of European cities, there is a growing need for the Serbian language, culture, art, and even business to be heard more loudly in Europe. For this to happen, what we know must not remain confined to frames, hard drives, or our minds - it must become part of the broader cultural picture of Europe. Only in this way can Serbia be brought closer to Europe without anyone losing their individuality.
“Tradition is not an archive, it's a living thing, and if we don't care for it, it withers,” says Radovanović.
“Our visual language carries strength and meaning, but it needs to evolve, to communicate in contemporary formats - that’s what my artistic expression aims for. When an ornament appears on a wall in the Czech Republic, it’s no longer just Serbian - it becomes part of a shared European visual context. For me, that’s a meaningful act of cultural presence,” says artist Predrag Radovanović.
He adds that curators who can recognise authenticity play a crucial role in that process.
“They aren’t looking for safe figurative art or predictable portraits and backdrops that have already saturated the European scene. They seek genuine expressions that come from real context. It doesn’t have to be spectacular, but it must be truthful. I believe that’s where my contribution lies. One of my goals is to help our carpets gain a place on the UNESCO heritage list,” the artist reveals.
A quiet but powerful message
Radovanović believes the story is told the moment someone in the middle of their city stops in front of a mural depicting a Pirot carpet and asks, “Where is this from?”
“I’m always surprised by how little both artists and everyday passers-by know about Serbia. And that’s exactly when I realise the power of these visual encounters - each one can be a point of recognition, a first bridge, a spark of curiosity. With that in mind, alongside my art, I also strive to bring fellow artists to Belgrade to create and connect more deeply with one another. I hope to see the murals from this cycle appear in as many European cities as possible, as a quiet but powerful message about who we are, where we come from, and how art can build relationships where words often fail,” he underlines.
In conclusion, he notes that he has a strong impression that the average citizen in many Western European countries has very limited knowledge about Serbia.
“I believe that’s something we can and must change, through joint efforts in culture, art, and visible projects.”
(EUpravo zato)
