Montenegrin fine artist of the younger generation, Zdravko Beli Delibašić, presented his work as part of the exhibition of the Association of Fine Artists of Montenegro "26<41", for which he chose an untitled work in the charcoal on board technique that was created about five years ago. Delibasic tells "Vijesti" that this work belongs to the cycle he worked on in previous years and explains what his focus was when creating it.
"I have already exhibited this work once in this space - the Art Pavilion, but at the annual exhibition of the ULUCG. The drawing is from a cycle created in previous years, in which I combined several different materials. Specifically, this work does not have a name, but it belongs to a whole that is specific because of the light I researched, as well as the selection of material through which I tried to move my previous research on paper. In that process, I tried to materialize the phenomenon of light on the presented face-model, so that the texture of the wooden surface contributed to its tangibility", he says about this work. Delibašić has so far presented himself to the public mainly at collective exhibitions and says that such exhibitions contribute to the context of considering the work. .
"I insist on exhibiting at collective exhibitions rather than solo exhibitions, precisely because of the correlation or communication with other artists. This type of presentation gives your work a new context, which opens up the possibility of interaction with other works in the same space. As far as this exhibition is concerned, I would say that the setting is very harmonious. It exudes a rejuvenated energy, and care has obviously been taken to represent all media, as well as various individual artistic poetics. This is exactly what gives this exhibition a special energy", says Delibašić.
Delibašić also participated in the first Montenegrin Biennale of young artists "ART EX YU", which closes today. When it comes to that setting, Delibašić and Petar Delijević represented the young Montenegrin art scene. Although both exhibitions are collective and gather "young power", it is precisely the difference between them that contributes to profiling.
"At the exhibitions, the artist presents something he worked on in the previous period or emphasizes his current artistic process, which I consider precious. The difference between these two exhibitions is that we from ULUCG already know each other and have an insight into the work of our colleagues, while the work of artists from the region who had the opportunity to exhibit at this year's Youth Biennale is less well known. The very concept of the Biennale represents cooperation between countries, art critics, institutions and artists. This gives us the opportunity to look at the artistic and research works of artists from the region, to consider where we are positioned in relation to the market, what are the tendencies of our artistic practices and, of course, that all works engage in communication with a new audience", says Delibašić.
He points out that cooperation in the world of art is very important, and he sees the willingness and desire of local artists to break out of the existing framework of creativity as an important segment of cooperation.
"It is necessary for our artists to mobilize more and go out into the regional space, that is, to work on global visibility. It seems to me that within the confines of familiar spaces, galleries, and society, a certain claustrophobia and saturation can occur. Because of all this, I would say that it is necessary to get out of the boundaries of your social milieu, your society, your environment and place your work in the context of another place, another artist, audience, different artistic atmosphere, and in that way achieve new communication. That mobility is of crucial importance for every artist, I would say," says Delibašić. He also told "Vijesta" that he is still not thinking about an independent exhibition, but that he has dedicated himself to researching his own artistic expression.
"I am still considering and analyzing my art research, which could soon find itself in a different context. So, in that context, I will probably conceive one or more solo exhibitions in the coming time. For now, I try to exhibit at collective exhibitions where I can present what I'm working on. The concept of collective exhibitions offers a particularly interesting point of view on creativity and expression," Delibašić concluded in an interview with "Vijesti".
Is a virtual art space more visible than a gallery space?
Zdravko Beli Delibašić completed his doctoral studies at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, the study program Applied Arts and Design, and completed his basic and master's studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje, during which he stayed and trained in France at the "Ecole Nationale Superieure d' Art de Nancy”. "This year I should publish the final artistic research that I worked on in previous years and put an end to my doctoral studies. That final work is more experimental and offers me a transformation from previous artistic practices. Specifically, I am researching the virtual space of social networks and trying to establish a correlation between the real and virtual space offered by today's Internet platforms. That space is virtual, but apparently it is more visible and accessible," explains Delibašić.
In this research, he deals with the following:
"The question arises as to how a work of art travels to the audience in the era of contemporary digital technologies - whether visibility is more direct in a gallery or in the virtual space of the Internet... It is definite that today's achievements enable a faster flow and creation of information, i.e. artistic messages, which means that they they don't even have to exist in a physical form... That phenomenon of creation motivates me right now, so I directed my research towards that," he says.
Considering the topic he is dealing with in his doctoral research, "Vijesti" was also interested in whether the artist would remain within the framework of more classical art forms.
"It seems to me that I have completely replaced the visual message of the expression. Until now, I have been dealing with a typically classical approach to drawing, charcoal on paper or similar techniques. Something completely different is at stake here. It is an approach to digital processing with computer software manipulations, so technically it cannot even be identified with classical drawing because it concerns a more virtual - social space. Visually, what I'm working on is significantly different from everything I've done before, but I don't know if it will pull me away from my previous approach to visuals. I allow myself that experiment and to discover it spontaneously", says Delibašić.
Bonus video:
