National Scientific Conference with International participation
Balkan Art Forum – BARTF

BARTF

UNIVERSITY OF NIŠ

FACULTY OF ARTS IN NIŠ

12th National Scientific Conference with International Participation

Balkan Art Forum 2026

(BARTF 2026)

Niš, October 9–10, 2026

 

The Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, in cooperation with the Branch of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Niš, is organizing the 12th National Scientific Conference with International Participation Balkan Art Forum 2026 (BARTF 2026). The conference will be held in Niš on October 9–10, 2026.

The organizers invite interested participants to submit papers and take an active part in the conference, which this year is held under the theme:

ART AND CULTURE TODAY:

THE BODY AS MEDIUM – PERFORMATIVITY, IMAGE, AND SOUND

IN ARTISTIC AND RELIGIOUS CONTEXTS

 

The theme of this year’s conference opens space for interdisciplinary considerations of the role of the body as a medium of artistic expression within diverse artistic, cultural, and religious contexts.

The conference welcomes a wide range of methodological and disciplinary approaches to the study of contemporary artistic and cultural phenomena.

 

Call for Papers (pdf)

 

The Balkan Art Forum brings together artists, theorists, educators, and researchers from various fields of the arts and humanities, both from Serbia and abroad, fostering the exchange of ideas, experiences, and contemporary approaches to artistic practice and its theoretical reflection.

Conceived as an interdisciplinary forum, BARTF connects artistic creation, theoretical thought, and contemporary cultural studies, with particular attention devoted to the relationship between art, culture, and society, as well as to new perspectives in the study of artistic phenomena.

The conference has a long-standing tradition of being held in Niš, and this year marks its twelfth edition. Over the years, it has been established as a meeting point for artists and researchers from the country and abroad. Papers presented at the conference will be published in a peer-reviewed proceedings volume of the Balkan Art Forum.

The conference program includes plenary lectures by distinguished artists and researchers from the international academic community, as well as a thematic panel dedicated to the analysis of artistic oeuvres in relation to the conference theme.

 

PLENARY LECTURES

Sonja Zdravkova Džeparoska, PhD

Full Professor at the Department of Ballet Pedagogy, Faculty of Music, Skopje, North Macedonia

 

Davor Džalto, PhD

Artist, art theorist, philosopher, and theologian; Full Professor at the University of Stockholm, Sweden

 

Ana Hofman, PhD

Research Associate at the Institute of Cultural Studies and Memory Studies, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, and Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia

 

PANEL

Darija Andovska, MA

Full Professor at the Faculty of Music and the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Skopje, North Macedonia

 

Mia Arsenijević, PhD

Academic painter, art and media theorist; Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education in Jagodina, University of Kragujevac (narrow artistic field: Fine Arts with Methodology), Republic of Serbia

 

FORMS OF PARTICIPATION: The conference will be organized in a hybrid format (onsite and online).

PRESENTATION TIME: 15–20 minutes

WORKING LANGUAGES: Serbian, English, and Slavic languages

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION: (abstract in the language of the paper and in English, up to 250 words and up to 5 keywords)

August 17, 2026

Submission email: bartf@artf.ni.ac.rs

The application form and payment instructions are available on the Faculty of Arts website.

 

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE: September 1, 2026

For all additional information, please contact the conference organizers at: bartf@artf.ni.ac.rs

 

We look forward to welcoming participants of the Balkan Art Forum 2026 in Niš.

APPLICATION AND FEE

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PAPER TOPIC AND ABSTRACT:

(abstract in the language of the paper and in English, up to 250 words and up to 5 keywords)

August 17, 2026

Submission email: bartf@artf.ni.ac.rs

In the application form, applicants are required to indicate the field and thematic framework for which they are applying.

 

Application Form (Word)

Abstract Template (Word)

 

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE:

September 1, 2026

REGISTRATION FEE:

4,500 RSD or 35 EUR for participants from abroad, calculated according to the middle exchange rate of the National Bank of Serbia on the day of payment. Bank transfer fees for international payments are to be covered by the payer.

By paying the registration fee, participants are entitled to: the book of abstracts, a certificate of participation, a peer-reviewed conference proceedings volume, and a reception with food and refreshments.

REGISTRATION FEE PAYMENT DEADLINE:

October 5, 2026

Bank Account: 840-0000032822845-76

Reference Number: (97)  8402302040374231700

Payment Purpose: Registration fee for the scientific conference BARTF 2026

Recipient: Faculty of Arts in Niš

 

Instructions for international payments (PDF)

 

DEADLINE FOR FINAL PAPER SUBMISSION:

March 1, 2027

For all additional information, please contact the conference organizers at: bartf@artf.ni.ac.rs

PROGRAM COMMITTEE

  • PROGRAM COMMITTEE 2026: 

1. Nebojša Todorović, Ph.D., musicologist, Retired Full Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, Serbia, the Chair;
2. Sonja Cvetković, Ph.D., musicologist, Full Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, Serbia, a member;
3. Perica Donkov, MA, fine artist, Retired Full Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, Serbia, a member;
4. Zoran Ilić, applied artist, Retired Full Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, Serbia, a member;
5. Cenka Ivanova, Ph.D., comparative linguist, Retired Honorary Professor at the University of Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, a member;
6. Predrag Cvetičanin, Ph.D., sociologist, Full Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, Serbia, a member;
7. Divna Vuksanović, Ph.D., philosopher, Full Professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia, a member;
8. Ivana Medić, Ph.D., musicologist, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Serbia, a member;
9. Danka Lajić Mihajlović, Ph.D., ethnomusicologist, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Serbia, a member;
10. Nataša Crnjanski, Ph.D., music theorist, Full Professor at the Department of Composition and Theoretical Art Subjects, the Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad, Serbia, a member;
11. Ana Matić, MA, graphic designer, Full Professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje, Montenegro, a member;
12. Nikola Dedić, Ph.D., art historian and theorist, Full Professor at the Faculty of Music, University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia, a member;
13. Srđan Teparić, Ph.D., music theorist, Associate Professor at the Department of Music Theory, the Faculty of Music, University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia, a member;
14. Ana Hofman, Ph.D., ethnomusicologist, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Culture and Memory Studies, ZRC SAZU and Associate Professor at ZRC SAZU Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia, a member;
15. Adela Zejnilović, MA, graphic designer, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje, Montenegro, a member;
16. Marija Vujović, Ph.D., media theorist, Associate Professor at the Department of Communicology and Journalism, the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Niš, Serbia, a member;
17. Sandro Drinovac, MA, graphic designer, Associate Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a member;
18. Mia Arsenijević, Ph.D., fine artist, art and media theorist, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education in Jagodina, University of Kragujevac (a specialist in Fine Art with Teaching Methodology), Serbia, a member;
19. Dušan Milenković, Ph.D., philosopher, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Niš, Serbia, a member;
20. Tijana Lukić, Ph.D., art and media theorist, Music Editor and journalist at RTS, Serbia, a member.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 2024.

  • ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 2026:

1. Marija Dinov, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, the Chair;

2. Igor Nikolić, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;

3. Andrijana Golac Čubrilo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
4. Anita Milić, Full Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
5. Miljana Radenković, D.A., Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
6. Nemanja Egerić, D.M.A., Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
7. Stefan Sretić, D.M.A., Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
8. Ana Vučićević, foreign language instructor, Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
9. Neda Nikolić, teaching assistant at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
10. Milica Jovanović, teaching assistant at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
11. Ivana Milošević, teaching assistant at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
12. Marta Pejčić, teaching assistant at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
13. Marija Miltojević, teaching assistant at the Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
14. Dejan Krasić, IT Infrastructure developer, Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
15. Miodrag Obradović, senior professional technical associate in the Multimedia Center, Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
16. Vladana Mitrović, Head of the Computer and Information-Communication Center, Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member;
17. Ivana Đelić, independent professional technical associate in the domain of teaching and student services, Faculty of Arts, University of Niš, a member.

ARCHIVE

Balkan Art Forum 2022

X National Scientific Conference with International participation

Balkan Art Forum 2022 (BARTF 2022)

Niš, 7 – 8th October, 2022.

 

The Faculty of Arts of the University of Niš, in cooperation with the Branch of SASA (Serbian Arts and Science Academy) in Niš, organises the jubilee tenth BALKAN ART FORUM (BARTF) – National Scientific Conference with International Participation, targeting the key topic Art and Culture Today: Interaction. The BARTF Organising Committee kindly invites all the interested experts willing to take an active role and join the Conference by presenting a paper.

 

Topic framework:

 

– Interaction in the mental, social and spiritual life
– Interactive art: creative engagement of the audience; the breakthrough of the observer/listener into the world of image/sound
– Interaction in the context of aesthetic experience; interaction as an aesthetic principle
– Design and digital interaction
– A work of art in interaction with the world of media culture; a work of art as a microcosm of social interactions
– Interactive media and creativity
– The role of interaction in educational and cultural processes and changes
– Interaction and engagement of the work of art
– Interactive approaches to art education

  

 

Fields of submitting a paper:

  • Arts sciences
  • Culture
  • Art
  • The media
  • Sociology
  • Pedagogy
  • Psychology
  • Librarianship

 

FORUM PARTICIPATION FORMS:

  • Oral presentations
  • Video presentations
  • Poster – sessions

 

 

The report on the previously held scientific conference – Balkan Art Forum Niš 2022 (pdf)

Program BARTF 2022. (pdf)

Book of Abstracts BARTF 2022 (pdf)

BARTF 2022 (pdf)

Gallery

Balkan Art Forum 2021

IX National Scientific Conference with the International participation Balkan Art Forum 2021 (BARTF 2021)

Niš , 8 – 9 October, 2021.

 

Key topic: Art and Culture Today: Harmony and Disharmony

 

Topic framework:

–           Harmony and disharmony in the physical, mental, social, and spiritual life

–           Harmony and disharmony: cosmos and chaos/accord and discord/balance and imbalance

–           Harmony and disharmony: traditional and modern art / modern and postmodern art

–           The place of harmony and disharmony in educational and cultural processes and changes

–           Disharmony as an aesthetic principle / source of creativity/norm of originality

–           Harmony in the context of inventiveness – an obstacle or an incentive

–           Natural imperfection as a potential of artwork

–           Regressive feature of harmony

–           Idealisation of nature – harmony in disharmony

–           The aesthetics of Theodore Adorno’s music: disharmony, dissonance, atonality, ugliness

–           Postmodernist re-traditionalization of art: reinstitution of the principle of harmony or suppression of critical and emancipatory potential

–           Disharmony and subversion; harmony and conformism

 

Fields of submitting a paper:

  • Arts sciences,
  • Culture,
  • Art,
  • The media,
  • Sociology,
  • Pedagogy,
  • Psychology,
  • Librarianship.

 

The report on the previously held scientific conference – Balkan Art Forum Niš 2020 (pdf)

Program BARTF 2021. (pdf)

Book of Abstracts BARTF 2021 (pdf)

BARTF 2021 (pdf)

Gallery

Balkan Art Forum 2020

VIII National Scientific Conference with the International participation Balkan Art Forum 2020 (BARTF 2020)

Niš , 9 – 10 October, 2020.

 

Key topic: Art and culture today: metaphor, perception and symbolism.

 

Topic framework:

–           Digital art practices

–           Innovative techniques in art                    

–           Innovative methods in art

–           Innovative theories in art

–           New media

–           Symbiosis of art and new technologies

–           The art of contemporary communication (experience, criticism, symbolism) 

–           Symbols of the future

–           Visual, performing and media art practices

–           Social networks as a mirror of artistic reality

–           Computer art

–           Video game as a product of digital art

–           Through a digital prism: a comic book, a graphic novel

–           Moving Images: Cinematography, Film, Television, Video, Multimedia

 

Fields of submitting a paper:

  • Arts sciences
  • Culture
  • Art
  • The media
  • Sociology
  • Pedagogy
  • Psychology
  • Librarianship

 

The report on the previously held scientific conference – Balkan Art Forum Niš 2019 (pdf)

Program BARTF 2020. (pdf)

Book of Abstracts BARTF 2020 (pdf)

BARTF 2020 (pdf)

Gallery

Balkan Art Forum 2019

VII National Scientific Conference with the International participation Balkan Art Forum 2019 (BARTF 2019)

Niš , 04 – 05 October, 2019.

 

This year’s problem framework of the scientific conference consists of three parts: metaphor, perception, symbolism. The Program Committee of the scientific conference BARTF 2019 will consider suitable applications that announce the problematic interplay of concepts of metaphor, perception and symbolism: tradition, modernity, canon, creativity, art, transfer of knowledge, subliminal meanings, contemporary media, critique, education, as well as isolated examining the notion of metaphor, the notion of perception or the problem of symbolism and their associated connection.

 

Topic framework:

 

  • Metaphor: metaphor and cultural diversity; discursive, cognitive and communicative properties of metaphors; metaphor in the virtual world; sociological significance of metaphors; cultural, poetic and rhetorical significance of metaphor; metaphor in the function of education; heuristic functioning of metaphor as a means of discovery; metaphor as a means of communication;
  • Perception: perception – manifestation of perception; perception – links between science and art; recognition and knowledge; communicative forms and recognition; perception and education;
  • Symbolism: symbols – tradition; symbols of the new age; symbols – abstract and concrete; philosophical, psychological, aesthetic interpretation of the symbol; the sociological significance of the symbol; visual symbols; communicative properties of the symbol; symbols – conceptualization of art.

 

Fields of submitting a paper:

    • Art sciences,

    • Culture,

    • Art,

    • The media,

    • Sociology,

    • Pedagogy,

    • Psychology,

     • Librarianship.

 

  • The report on the previously held scientific conference – Balkan Art Forum Niš 2019 (pdf)

Balkan Art Forum 2018

VI National Scientific Conference with the International participation Balkan Art Forum 2016 (BARTF 2016)

Niš , 05 – 06 October, 2016.

 

The theme of the conference was “Art and culture today: Education for art and challenges of modernity”

  1. History of Education for Art:
  • art workshop, atelier, school, academy;
  • naive and amateurism; traditionalism and subversion;
  • academism and avant-garde;
  • institutionalization and professionalization of education for art – a diachronic approach.

 

  1. Modern Experiences:
  • institutionalization and professionalization of education for art – a synchronous approach;
  • comparative research of educational and artistic institutions, teaching and study programs in the Balkans, in Europe, in the world;
  • institutional and non-institutional education for art;
  • alternative education for art; mass media and education for art;
  • network media, social networks and education for art;
  • contemporary artistic practice and education for art;
  • methodological-didactic experiences;
  • traditional, modern and new theories and methodologies of art research; theory and practice of modern art.

 

  1. Projections and Anticipations:
  • globalization and regionalization of education for art;
  • migration, acculturation and education for art;
  • new and advanced (informatics) technologies and education for art;
  • commercialization and mercantilization of culture and arts and education for art;
  • new artistic forms and education for art;
  • education of future creators, future theoreticians, future critics, future organizers of artistic activities, managers and creators of cultural policies, education of the future audience;
  • lifelong education for art.

 

 

 

  • Gallery

Balkan Art Forum 2016

IV National Scientific Conference with the International participation Balkan Art Forum 2016 (BARTF 2016)

Niš , 07 – 08 October, 2016.

 

The theme of the conference was ART AND CULTURE TODAY: PLAY AS AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL, AESTHETIC AND PEDAGOCIAL PRINCIPLE

 

  • The concept and defining features of play. Play and rules – freedom and limitations. Purposiveness and self-purposivenessof play. The secluded and parallel play worlds. Play typologies. Play theory.
  • Play of the world and play of gods. Play as the essence of being. Play as a symbol of the world. Play as a mode of being of the work of art itself. The subjectivity and objectivity of play. Play, knowledge, truth, meaning.
  • Play and evolution. Play as a defining characteristic of man. Play as one of the fundamental phenomena of human existence. Man as homo faber and homo ludens. Play as a source of culture and art.
  • Play and sociality. Folk plays. Board games. Sports. Play and reality. The complementariness of play and reality. Play, labor, free time. Utopia of labor as play. Labor and play – a distinction or a blend? Play as a critical correction of reality. Play and non-repressive culture. Aesthetic play or radical political practice? Can play be repressive too?
  • Play of cognitive powers in creativity. Play and beauty, play and art, play and the aesthetic upbringing of man. Play in the history of culture and art. Art as a play – play as an art. Play and form. Play, beauty, truth. Play in the work, and the work as a play. A play of elements and of the whole. A play of possibilities. Play: aleatoricism, combinatorialism, experiment. Play: construction and deconstruction. Language games. Poetry as a play. Musical plays. Play and dance. Play and irony. Repetition, rhythm, and play. Play and fancy. Play and the performing arts. Performance. Play of  cognitive powers in the reception of art.
  • Children’s game. Play and personality development. Play and the socialization of the child. Methodological and didactic aspects of play and game. Didactic toys. Digital games. Play in upbringing and in education for the arts. Play in education through art.

 

 

 

  • The report on the previously held scientific conference – Balkan Art Forum Niš 2016 (pdf)
  • Program BARTF 2016. (pdf)
  • Gallery

Balkan Art Forum 2015

III National Scientific Conference with the International participation Balkan Art Forum 2015 ( BARTF 2015 )

Niš , 09 – 10 October, 2015.

 

The theme of the conference was ART AND CULTURE TODAY: CRISIS IN ART – ART IN CRISIS THEMATIC FRAMEWORK:

  • Crisis of the artistic creativity and the artistic practice
  • Crisis of authorship, crisis of performing arts
  • Artists and Art associations in crisis
  • Crisis of the artworks, categories and forms
  • Crisis of art institutions – education in art
  • Crisis of art institutions – production
  • Crisis of art institutions – distribution, exhibition, reception, consumption
  • Crisis of values, taste, audience, art critic, reward system
  • Crisis of (the term of) artwork
  • Crisis and changes of stylistic formations in arts: tradition-modern-postmodern style
  • Art and Pseudo Art
  • Art and modern technologies, mass media, and networks
  • Ideology, politics and art
  • Wars, revolutions and art
  • Commercialization and chandization of art
  • Art between the apologia, critique, subversion and utopia
  • Crisis in art and the idea of The end of the Art
  • Esthetic theory in crisis – the crisis of the esthetics and the philosophy of art

 

 

  • The report on the previously held scientific conference – Balkan Art Forum Niš 2015 (pdf)
  • Program BARTF 2015 (pdf)

Balkan Art Forum 2014

  • The second national scientific conference with the international participation Balkan Art Forum Nis 2014 (BARTF 2014)Faculty of Arts in Niš, Niš, 10 – 11 October 2014.Faculty of Arts in Nis organized a national scientific conference with the international participation – Balkan Art Forum Niš – on 10th and 11th October 2014.The theme of the conference was – ART AND CULTURE TODAY: SPIRIT OF TIME AND PROBLEMS OF INTERPRETATION AREAS IN WHICH THE AUTHORS PARTICIPATED:
    1. Philosophical hermeneutics and interpretation problems
    2. Interpretation of literary texts
    3. Interpretation and iconology
    4. Interpretation of the performing arts – theater
    5. Interpretation of the performing arts – music
    6. Interpretation of media – mediated images of the world in the field of arts
    7. Culture of interpretation in teaching art
    8. Performance and culture of interpretation
    9. Interpretation and taste creation
    10. Interpretation and art criticism
    11. Methodological issues in the research of the phenomenon of interpretation

     

    • Program BARTF 2014 (pdf)

Balkan Art Forum 2013

PRESENTATION OF ARTISTIC OPUSES

PRESENTATION OF ARTISTIC OPUSES

BRANKA POPOVIĆ, DMA

EMA POPIVODA, DMA