About
The Center for Digital Curiosity is a dynamic transdisciplinary laboratory and digital art studio nestled within the vibrant ecosystem of art galleries, maker-spaces and science promoters in Belgrade, Serbia. Our center, housed within the Faculty of Media and Communications, serves as a nexus for the worlds of art, design, humanities, critical thinking, and information technology.
At the heart of our mission lies a profound exploration of aesthetics, ethics, politics, and the poetics of our contemporary, AI-driven society. We are deeply fascinated by the transformative power of generative technologies, including machine learning and AI. And we are excited, interested in and critical of how these algorithms are reshaping the fabric of our social landscape in terms of design, culture, and multimedia creativity.
Our activities are as diverse as the digital realm itself. From organizing engaging exhibitions, hands-on workshops, thought-provoking discussions, and people-focused seminars to fostering a culture of intellectual exploration through essay writing, data visualization and storytelling, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the world of digital art.
But our mission doesn’t stop at our doorstep. We’re committed to raising awareness within our local community about the profound significance of digital, generative, and algorithmic media. And, we strive to empower local talent through mentorship and fellowship programs, enhancing their capabilities in these exciting fields, and fostering connections with kindred spirits and organizations around the globe.
We invite you to join us on this creative journey as we delve deeper into the promises, perils and complexity of our digital world. Together, let’s chart new frontiers in the world of art, technology, and critical imagination.
Founders
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Uroš Krčadinac /
Co-Founder and Data Artist
(b. 1984) is a digital artist, technologist, writer and educator. Holds a PhD in affective computing and generative art. His transdisciplinary art practice includes programming, writing, animation and cartography.
He has published research papers in top IEEE journals and has exhibited artworks at numerous exhibitions, festivals and conferences worldwide. As an educator and public lecturer, he designed and held over 100 public lectures, forums and workshops. He is the co-author of an infographic travel novel about the Balkans and Africa. He had several solo exhibitions. He holds a PhD in Informatics from the University of Belgrade. Currently, he works as an Associate Professor of Digital Art and Computing at the Faculty of Media and Communications, Singidunum University, Belgrade.
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Jacques Laroche /
Co-Founder and Afrofuturist
(b. 1980) is a political activist, technologist, writer and educator who holds a Bachelors in Computer Science and a Minor in English.
In New York, NY he was involved in the Occupy movement and worked with the activist collective Strike Debt to struggle against, educate about and abolish unjust debts. Later, in Miami, FL he worked with various local organizations, grass-roots initiatives and activists at the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In addition to activism, Jacques uses his technological and philosophical training to explore the intersection of science, politics and society. He has written on, been interviewed about and discussed these topics in various forums and publications around the world.
Executive Board
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Danica Bojić /
Center Coordinator and Articulator
(b. 1991) is an emerging manager in art and culture, a PhD candidate in Anthropology, a design thinker, and a social entrepreneur. As a young activist, she served on various task forces shaping youth and education policy in Serbia and the EU, representing youth organizations in both public bodies and international associations.
Her professional experience includes working in higher education institutions as an expert for international projects, founding a social business startup called Stiglo, establishing an international conference “Design for a Better Society”, collaborating with galleries and involvement in several NGOs. Danica is committed to converging all her passions and interests to facilitate collaboration, experimentation, and innovation between academia, the civil sector and business. At the Centre, Danica keeps supporting young talents and experts to articulate forward-looking projects.
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Dušan Pavlović /
Data Scientist
(b. 1990) is a machine learning engineer and data scientist, specializing in multimodal machine/deep learning and cutting-edge AI applied to the world of multimedia data. In the CDC, he is engaged in projects oriented towards audio data, sound, speech and music, machine learning and statistics applied to social activism and art.
Additionally, he is interested in data visualization and data journalism. Beyond that, he is a passionate science educator and science journalist, hosting the podcast “Radio Galaksija,” where he adeptly navigates complex scientific subjects for an audience interested in science, with extensive experience in informal science education from Petnica Science Center.
Fellows
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Andrej Alfirević /
Visual Artist
(b. 2001) is a visual artist, designer, software developer, and interdisciplinary researcher. His work bridges theory, technology, and artistry in a versatile manner, creating exciting novelties.
Andrej’s portfolio includes several group art, research, and technology projects, along with two solo, art exhibitions Light and Basilisk Dissolution. He is the author of an interdisciplinary publication that explores the practice of LLM hacking as a new form of tactical art. Three of his creative coding projects are showcased on the p5.js front page, having won a place in an open call. He is a competitive CTF player and has held creative coding workshops as a Teaching Associate at FMK.His proficiency extends to software development, 3D modeling, sculpting, graphic design, and various other technologies and art forms.
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Željko Petrović /
Graphic Designer
(b. 1999) is a graphic designer on a perpetual quest for the sweet spot where UX/UI design meets the vibrant world of new media. In his design exploration, he embarks on a journey similar to a treasure hunt, uncovering the extraordinary within the ordinary and shaping something with a unique essence.
There’s an ongoing love affair with UX/UI design in Željko’s work, a seamless blend of functionality and aesthetics to make digital spaces not only useful but visually appealing. Beyond this, Željko is captivated by new media – the kind that pushes boundaries and challenges the norm, serving as a creative playground for experimenting with the latest techniques and technologies.