La Divina: The Eternal Callas
June 17, 2025
White Palace, Belgrade (Serbia)
La Divina: The Eternal Callas, an immersive performance based on the original concept by Pavel Kir, became the first show of its kind in Serbia, merging opera, drama, and painting into a unified artistic experience.
Held at the White Palace, the three-act performance invited the audience into the tragic and inspiring story of Maria Callas, whose image was revealed through the arias performed by opera star Marija Jelić, a dramatic monologue by acclaimed Serbian actress Katarina Radivojević, and the live painting of Pavel Kir.
Marija Jelić, a renowned soprano, delivered iconic arias of the legendary diva with emotional depth and technical finesse. Katarina Radivojević, one of Serbia’s leading actresses, added dramatic density to the image of Callas, allowing the audience to feel her inner contradictions not as a tale of the past, but as a raw and vivid reality.
Pavel Kir acted not only as the conceptual author of the performance but also as the creator of its visual dimension. Throughout the show, he painted live on stage, giving visual form to the emotional and musical impulses of the performance.
This artistic triad became a true example of synergy between painting, music, and theater.
Marija Jelić
Pavel Kir
Katarina Radivojević
The evening’s atmosphere was curated with great attention to detail: the halls of the White Palace, period costumes from the 1950s, a guided tour of the historical interiors, and live interaction all contributed to the immersive effect, plunging guests into the aesthetic world in which Maria Callas lived and created.
The event received wide media coverage in Serbia, with major outlets calling it a one-of-a-kind cultural happening and highlighting it as a new format for the national cultural scene.
The performance marked a significant milestone in the development of PK-Art, clearly demonstrating the potential of interdisciplinary synthesis and innovative modes of artistic expression. All funds raised during the event were directed toward supporting young operatic talent in Serbia, emphasizing not only the aesthetic but also the social mission of the project.
La Divina: The Eternal Callas was not merely a precedent or a tribute to the great Callas — it was an act of artistic co-presence, in which Pavel Kir emerged as a mediator between past and present, between memory and a new vision of myth.
Photos: Globalglam.com, artist’s personal archive.