Good evening ladies and gentlemen,

I am deeply honored to be here today at the Strongin Gallery for the opening of the exhibit “Light of Paris” featuring the art of Simonida Perica Uth.

I arrived in DC a little over a year ago, in the middle of the pandemic. During the first months, I was coming to my office two or three days a week, but the Embassy was almost empty, the hallways were dark, silent, and cold. All the cultural venues were closed, including La Maison Française, where we use to organize most of our events. It was hard for me, although I have my wife and my son here with me, I was also missing home, Paris, my parents, and my friends.

To change my mind and keep hope for the future, I would wander in Maison Française, brighter than the rest of the Embassy, and would discover the works of art displayed on the walls.

One piece in particular caught my attention. It depicts the coat of arms of Paris, a sailboat braving the winds and waves symbolizing the Seine. On the boat, the main monuments of Paris held onto each other, as if to illustrate the motto of the city, “Fluctuat nec mergitur”, “beaten by the waves but not sinking.” In the painting’s background, the base is warm gold color on the lower part, pure blue sky on the upper part.

Somehow, this painting gave me a sense of hope, allowing my mind to travel back to Paris for a few moments, returning to the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Sacré Coeur, the Notre Dame of Paris, to go back to those recent years when I could walk freely in the streets of Paris. Whenever another wave of lockdown came and things get difficult again, I found myself stood in front of this painting.

A few weeks ago, I discovered that you painted this, Simonida. So, I would like to thank you for accompanying me during these difficult times. And I am especially happy today to discover your new paintings, which are invitations to travel not only to the great Parisian monuments that you represent with talent, but also to your Balkan homelands, and within ourselves.

Your paintings represent more than just monuments. You compare architecture to the construction of the human body. For you, they both live and give us a glimpse into the secret of what time truly is. Your paintings also have a mystical dimension, notably through your use of gold, which remind us of byzantine icons.

As you said, “For me, the art is a journey into our sub-consciousness. Although we long for peace and harmony, we inevitably face torments in our life journey. Art faces both aspects and helps us understand ourselves, while reflecting on our time and society. The purpose of art is to talk to us and guide us to our inner emotions. In the end, it is like looking into a mirror.”

Thank you Simonida for taking us on your travels, for these bridges, the connections you weave.

I would also like to warmly thank Robin Strongin for organizing this wonderful exposition and inviting me today. I couldn’t imagine a better place for this exhibit.

We are very happy to be returning to the Strongin Gallery November 29th and December 3rd as part of the Novembre Numérique, the French international digital cultures festival, where virtual reality tours of monuments highlighted in the works of Simonida such as Notre Dame de Paris and the Eiffel Tower will take place in the gallery.

Thank you again. I wish you a pleasant evening!

Denis Quenelle,

Cultural Attachée, Cultural Services Washington DC, Embassy of France in the United States