Gordana Blagojević, PhD, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Ethnography SASA, participated in the Second International Conference “Digital Folkloristics 2.0 – Folk Culture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” held from 16 to 18 October 2026 on the islands of Rhodes and Chalki, Greece. On this occasion, she presented a paper in Greek entitled “Μεταξύ πινέλου και pixel: μετασχηματισμοί της ναΐφ ζωγραφικής στη Σερβία στην εποχή της ψηφιακής κουλτούρας” (“Between Brush and Pixel: Transformations of Naïve Painting in Serbia in the Age of Digital Culture”). Her presentation explored changes in the ways cultural heritage is represented, interpreted, and transmitted in contemporary digital environments.
Blagojević, PhD, has been researching Slovak naïve painting in Serbia since 2012, examining its ethno-anthropological dimensions and its role in shaping and expressing cultural identity. An important contribution to this research is the second, expanded edition of her book Slovak Naïve Painting in Serbia: An Ethno-Anthropological Study of Identity Practices, published in 2023 by the Babka Foundation in Kovačica in three languages.
This cultural heritage extends beyond the boundaries of a local artistic tradition and holds international significance. In 2024, the naïve painting of the Slovak national minority in Serbia was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, further highlighting the importance of its study, documentation, and transmission to future generations.
Continuing her research into this valuable cultural heritage, Blagojević, PhD, is also exploring its transformations in digital environments and the opportunities contemporary technologies offer for its representation and preservation. The conference provided a valuable opportunity to exchange scholarly knowledge and experience with colleagues from the international academic community.