World’s Best Contemporary Cubists: PAUNOVIĆ, LEFF, PARKER, CECHOVA, OGUNLADE & CHASOV / 2025 WORLD ART AWARDS
Artists from 58 countries competed in the 2025 WORLD ART AWARDS where 20 of the most revered galleries in the world were sent online images to score in drawing, painting, sculpture, digital and photography. The 300+ winning works, 1st to 6th Place (and ties) in all 50 categories, will be revealed in this column one category at a time, and also an upcoming movie.
The WINNERS in CATEGORY 9. CUBISM CUBIST represent SERBIA, USA, MEXICO, UK, DENMARK, NIGERIA & RUSSIA.
BIO of 1st Place winner:Dragoljub Paunović:
I am Dragoljub Paunović, a digital artist from Belgrade, Serbia, working under the artistic name Straggler Art. With a background in software development spanning over three decades, my transition into digital art began in 2007 as a philosophical and aesthetic response to the expanding relationship between humanity and technology. My work explores identity, transformation, and the shifting nature of human experience in the age of AI. Through AI-assisted workflows and symbolic storytelling, I construct narrative-based triptychs that reflect on posthumanism, transience, and the existential tension of the digital era. In 2024, I was awarded the Grand Winner prize at the 3rd AI Art Contest (ai-arts.org). As Straggler Art, I seek not to explain, but to evoke — to build visual spaces where meaning emerges through emotion, symbolism, and silence. https://stragglerart.com/eng/
WINNER WEBSITES AND CONTACTS:
CATEGORY 9. CUBISM CUBIST
1st Place DRAGOLJUB PAUNOVIĆ SERBIA https://stragglerart.com/eng/ “Three Times A Lady” Various sizes Digital art.
2nd Place — Tie SUSIE LEFF USA/MEXICO www.leffart.com “Looking For Answers” Digital art.
2nd Place — Tie SEAN BW PARKER UK https://www.saatchiart.com/en-gb/seanbwparker “Ricky Gervais” 40x30cm Acrylic, watercolour and ink.
3rd Place — Tie KATERINA A. CECHOVA DENMARK www.katerinacechova.com “Boy Playing Guitar For His Puppy” 90x70cm Oil on canvas.
3rd Place — Tie BABATUNDE OGUNLADE NIGERIA 60x48” www.Instagram.com/babatundeogunladestudio1 “The Chronicles Of Caps Bearers” Acrylic.
4th Place — Tie KATERINA A. CECHOVA DENMARK www.katerinacechova.com “Marengo, Napoleon’s Horse” 90x70cm Oil canvas.
4th Place — Tie YOURI CHASOV RUSSIA chasoffart@gmail.com “Bird Of Happiness” 32x48cm Tempera on paper.
5th Place — Tie SUSIE LEFF USA/MEXICO www.leffart.com “The Third Eye” Digital art.
5th Place — Tie BABATUNDE OGUNLADE NIGERIA https://www.instagram.com/BABATUNDEOGUNLADESTUDIO1/ “The Specialist” 60x48” Acrylic on canvas.
6th Place — Tie KATERINA A. CECHOVA DENMARK www.katerinacechova.com “Anna Karenina” 160x120cm Oil on canvas.
Art collectors can see hundreds of winning images and contact info to all 50 CATEGORIES of winning artworks:
In 2025, WORLD ART AWARDS had submissions from these 58 countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe.
The World Art Awards 20 Best Galleries & Museums for 2025 who were asked to score art: (in alphabetical order by country):
20 BEST INTERNATIONAL GALLERIES
Best in Cyprus: Lumière Contemporary Art Gallery
Best in Denmark: Galleri Christoffer Egelund
Best in Hong Kong: Pekin Fine Arts
Best in Iceland: Phenomenon Art Studios & Gallery
Best in Indonesia: Baik Art
Best in Malaysia: The Gallery des Artistes / Gallery@Tropicana
Best in Morocco: Comptoir des Mines Galerie
Best in Myanmar: New Treasure Art Gallery
Best in The Netherlands: The Arden Art Gallery
Best in Nigeria: The Thought Pyramid Art Centre
Best in The Philippines: Gravity Art Space
Best in Slovenia: Visconti Fine Art
Best in Sweden: Wetterling Gallery
Best in Taiwan: 1839 Contemporary Gallery
Best in Ukraine: Art Ukraine Gallery
Best in USA: California: CODA
Best in USA: New Mexico + Texas: Thornwood Gallery
Best in USA: Colorado: Mirada Fine Art
Best in USA: Florida: MAC Art Galleries
Best in Zambia: Zeela Art Gallery & Homestay
