MY STUDENT MOBILITY IN KRAKOW: Aleksandar Smederevac, Faculty of Fine Arts
Aleksandra Kovačević
University of Arts in Belgrade, Faculty of Fine Arts
Erasmus+ Mobility for Studies at:
Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland
My name is Aleksandar Smederevac, I’m a student of painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade and I went on an Erasmus program in Krakow, Poland, from the 4th of October 2021 until the 4th of February 2022. I studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. As this is my first time taking part in an Erasmus exchange program, I was very surprised by how successfully the whole organisation, adaptation, creative and social processes unfolded.
When I first arrived, I was surprised how the city was friendly and clean. The city was very charismatic, from the old town to the Kazimierz district. Conveniently, the faculty buildings were just close enough to walk there. Although there are many of them, they are quite near each other.
Since the city is very old, it houses many museums which were one of the first sights that I have visited. The National Museum, as is the case with the faculty buildings, is housed in many different buildings. However, they are quite close to each other and house such rich collections that it’s worth visiting them all. The National Museum of Krakow contains the permanent collection of Polish modernist painters, a collection of applied arts, Czartoryski family collection and more. One of my favourite collections was the collection of Polish late gothic paintings and polychrome sculptures.
Another activity that I enjoyed was visiting contemporary galleries. One of the great ways of understanding current happenings in the city art world was meeting and talking to gallery visitors and the show openings. With that, it was very easy socialising with the locals and other artists from Poland and other countries.
Overall, I was very pleased to go on an Erasmus program. I think I gained a lot of valuable knowledge and experience and met a lot of great people. I was lucky to have the opportunity to attend the Jan Matejko because of its equipment, studio space and knowledgeable professors.
