Maja Vidaković Lalić facts for kids

Maja Vidaković Lalić (Serbian Cyrillic: Маја Лалић) was born on April 30, 1972. She is a Serbian architect. Maja is famous for starting and leading the Mikser Festival in Belgrade, which began in 2006. Some people have called her one of Belgrade's most exciting architects.

About Maja Vidaković Lalić

Maja Vidaković was born in Smederevo. She studied architecture at the University of Belgrade. Later, she earned a master's degree in architecture and urban design from Columbia University in the United States.

Maja's father is from Serbia, and her mother is from Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is married to a writer named Ivan Lalić. They have two children, a daughter and a son.

Maja's Work and Projects

Early Career in New York City

From 1999 to 2002, Maja lived and worked in New York City. She worked for a company called Kramer Design Group. There, she helped manage projects for big fashion brands like Donna Karan and Escada. Through Columbia University, she also helped improve city areas in New York City, Brussels, and Prague.

Starting the Mikser Network

When Maja returned to Serbia in 2002, she helped create the Mikser network. This group later grew into a larger organization. Through Mikser, she started many important projects. Her first big event was a conference in Belgrade in 2003. A famous architect named Rem Koolhaas was the main speaker. Maja had met him earlier in New York City.

The Mikser Festival

In 2006, Maja started the Mikser Festival. This is an event that happens every year in Serbia. It celebrates design, architecture, city planning, new technology, art, music, and communication. The festival brings together experts from Serbia and other countries. They share ideas about creative industries.

At the festival, you can find many activities. There are talks, competitions, and workshops. You can also see exhibits, enjoy concerts, watch films, and see theater plays. In 2017, about 75,000 people visited the Mikser Festival.

Other Mikser Projects

The Mikser Festival is part of the larger Mikser organization. This group also includes the Mikser House. It is a gallery and cultural space in the Savamala neighborhood. Other parts of the group are reMiks Studio, Mikser TV, and the Mikser Organization. There is also the Miksalište Refugee Center, Mikser Café, and the Balkan Design store.

In 2008, Maja helped bring designer Karim Rashid to Belgrade. He designed the Majik Café there. Through reMiks Studio, Maja also led the redesign of major stores for Telekom and Telenor in Serbia. She also worked on the Beolab Laboratory. Maja designed Belgrade’s first concept store called Supermarket. It opened in 2009. This store sells clothes, books, and art prints all in one place. It also has a spa, a restaurant, and a hair salon.

Helping Refugees and Young Designers

In August 2015, Maja helped create the Miksalište Refugee Center. This center helps people who are traveling through Serbia to reach Western Europe. It has helped over 100,000 people.

Since 2015, Maja has also helped young Serbian designers. She has shown their work at the Milan Furniture Fair. This has helped them get attention from media in Italy and other countries. In 2017, she opened a Mikser House in Sarajevo with her husband, Ivan Lalić. Maja also signed the Declaration on the Common Language. This declaration is about the shared language of people in the Balkans.

Recent Work and Recognition

In 2019, Maja was named a "Big SEE Visionary." This award recognized her work with the Mikser platform and festival. She is now planning another Mikser festival. This one will focus on making things sustainable. She is also working on a program for schools. It will teach about the circular economy, working with the United Nations Development Programme.

Awards and Honors

Maja Vidaković Lalić has received many awards for her work. In 2016, she won the European Citizenship Award. She has also received several prizes from Belgrade's Architectural Salon.

From Columbia University, she was given the Lucille Smyser Lowenfish Memorial Prize and the Kinne Fellows Memorial Prize. She also received a European Movement Award in Serbia. Maja was awarded the Fulbright Prize for her work with refugees at the Miksalište center, which she started in 2015.