MEET Málaga Tabacalera Presents the Expressive Art of Vladimir Veličković
A major new exhibition at the MEET Málaga Espacio Expositivo Tabacalera introduces visitors to the intense, movement-focused world of Vladimir Veličković. Titled Huida, vértigo y caída (Flight, Vertigo, and Fall), this collection marks a significant presentation of the late Serbian artist’s work in Spain, highlighting his unique contribution to the international contemporary art scene over the last half-century.
The display brings together more than fifty pieces, including engravings, lithographs, and silkscreen prints, all centered on the raw representation of the human form in motion.
What to Expect at the Vladimir Veličković Exhibition in Málaga
The exhibition centers on Veličković’s career-long fascination with tension, speed, and human vulnerability. Visitors will encounter figures captured in moments of extreme physical exertion—running, leaping, escaping, or falling. His compositions depict characters driving forward into darkness or struggling against their inevitable fates.
Veličković’s style was shaped by several major artistic influences. His work carries the raw, fragmented anatomy reminiscent of Francis Bacon, the sequential motion studies of photographer Eadweard Muybridge, and the agonizing expressionism of German Renaissance painter Matthias Grünewald.
The exhibition showcases several of the artist's most famous thematic cycles. These include his series on "orators"—figures shown mid-implosion in a complex web of lines—as well as his athletic studies, animal depictions, and deeply moving crucifixion scenes. Throughout the galleries, the feeling of vertigo connects each piece, capturing a desperate human attempt to resist mortality.
The Story Behind the Artist's Powerful Imagery
Understanding Veličković’s background helps contextualize the weight of his imagery. Born in Belgrade, he spent his early childhood navigating the horrors of World War II, including the 1941 aerial bombings of his hometown. The sights of smoke, ash, and human suffering left a permanent mark on his creative consciousness, driving a lifelong artistic mission rooted in empathy and respect for victims of conflict.
Although he trained in architecture, Veličković dedicated himself fully to the fine arts. After representing Yugoslavia at the Paris Biennale in 1965, he relocated to the French capital. He became a prominent figure in the European art community, teaching at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts for nearly two decades and receiving the French Legion of Honour. Throughout his long career, which ended with his passing in 2019, he maintained a remarkably consistent aesthetic focus on the human body's expressive limits.
Planning Your Visit to MEET Málaga
Located inside the historic Tabacalera building, MEET Málaga offers an expansive space perfectly suited for these dramatic, large-scale graphic works.
The exhibition galleries are open to the public from Tuesday through Sunday between 09:30 and 20:00, and the venue remains closed on Mondays. For ticketing details and further information about the current program, you can consult the official exhibition announcement.
To discover more cultural events and galleries across the city, let Musemap (musemap.art) guide your journey. You can easily browse museums in Málaga or view the interactive city map to plan your next art walk.
