The ninth model of the mural was made for the work of the artist Jens, one of the first graffiti artists who was key to the creation of the graffiti movement in Belgrade.
The first graffiti in Belgrade was inspired by the New York style, which, like in the rest of Europe, appeared in the mid-eighties, and Block 45 is an extremely important place for the development of graffiti and street art in Belgrade. Here, graffiti was created in the eighties, under the influence of hip-hop, break dancing and the need to step out of the gray. It is from this block that some of the most important artists of Belgrade’s graffiti and street art scene originated: Jens, Hope, Cash… Today, this location houses a large number of preserved works – some of them are a couple of decades old, and the space itself represents a kind of open air gallery.
In the last year, the models have been placed in several locations around the city – two models in Vračar, three models in the area of Cetinjska, two models on the corner of Višnjićeva and Gospodar Jovanova, one model in the area of Dorćol Platz and one model in Blok 45.
The use of 3D technology is an innovative approach in the presentation of street art and graffiti, as it enables blind and partially sighted people to get to know the works of art on the streets of Belgrade through touch. All works are accompanied by descriptions in Braille, which is rarely present in the public space.
The project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information and in cooperation with the City Organization of the Blind in Belgrade, which gathers around 2,000 blind and partially sighted people from the territory of all Belgrade municipalities. There are about 12,000 blind and partially sighted people in Serbia who need support in realizing their rights as well as integration into all social flows and daily activities, and cultural life and art are an integral and important part of that.
In February 2023, the “Art in Passing” project will be presented at the United Nations in Vienna at the annual “Zero Project” conference, to an audience of 800 international organizations that are active in removing barriers in everyday life.