Braga projects its international strategy in Media Arts and gender equality in Novi Sad

From 20 to 23 December, at the invitation of the city of Novi Sad, UNESCO Creative City in the field of Media Arts, Joana Miranda, coordinator of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for Media Arts, will participate in the event "Mileva: Decoding", dedicated to the life and legacy of Mileva Marić, as part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of her birth.

The event is dedicated to the Serbian scientist and mathematician Mileva Marić, a pioneer of women’s access to higher scientific education in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the first wife of Albert Einstein. Mileva Marić has come to symbolise the many women whose contributions have been overlooked in the history of science. Today, her legacy is increasingly being revisited through cultural, scientific, and artistic initiatives that seek to reassess women’s contributions to scientific knowledge, promote gender equality, and critically examine the ways in which the history of knowledge has been constructed.

The programme brings together more than one hundred participants from diverse artistic, scientific, and cultural fields, representing a wide range of countries. It offers a contemporary interpretation of Mileva Marić’s figure through exhibitions, performances, digital installations, and public debates.

The panel features Veronika Kristina Liebl, Director General of Ars Electronica, and media artist Andrea Stojanović, and will be moderated by Monika Bilbija. The discussion aims to encourage reflection on the role of women in contemporary artistic practices and in the development of international media arts networks. The event also includes a panel dedicated to Women in Science, along with several complementary initiatives highlighting the importance of diversity, inclusion, and women’s participation across cultural, scientific, and technological fields.

During her stay in Novi Sad, Joana Miranda will also meet with local policymakers and key stakeholders to discuss strategic issues related to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. These discussions will focus in particular on strengthening international cooperation, developing joint projects in the field of media arts, and examining the role of Creative Cities in addressing contemporary challenges at the intersection of culture, technology, and citizen participation.