A young Montenegrin academic graphic artist and educator, Aleksandar Radević, presented one of his new works at the 75th Traditional Exhibition of the Association of Fine Artists of Montenegro, which was realized virtually.
At the end of last year, in an interview with "Vijesti", Radević pointed out that he plans to venture into a new segment of his creativity and discover what the rest of the motifs that inspire him bring, and he presented his works to the audience then, and then continued to work on them. .
"The motive was to take a step further from the portrait - wandering... To try to present a part of the environment in which my soul wanders when I sit in silence. Since in previous works I presented a portrait of my soul, now I want to discover a part of the rest of the world", he said earlier, now he confirms that he chose exactly such a work from a recent cycle at the ULUCG exhibition.
"I chose it to be an oil on canvas called 'Above the Sky' (Par Dela La Ciel)' - a work that symbolizes my rebirth in the idea, freedom from rigid anatomical forms in my creativity and stepping out towards the fictional, as well as giving form to phenomena in to nature and the cosmos, which have always impressed me", he explained, announcing the solo exhibition that will come when the artist collects impressions, motives, works...
He praised the organization of the exhibition, pointing out that it would be good to think about this kind of practice for further work, and to make fine art more accessible to an audience that is either not in the habit of visiting galleries or is not informed about what is happening in cultural institutions.
In addition to talking about art, he also talked about the online obligations he has as a professor, but also about the overall situation that led to the virtual exhibition, online school lectures and the like, noting that he finds it particularly difficult that he can't take long walks with his dog.
You also presented yourself at the traditional ULUCG exhibition. What work is it about and on what basis was it chosen?
Well, the policy of the association is such that the authors are presented with one latest work that has not been exhibited or presented before. So, I chose it to be the oil on canvas "Above the Sky (Par Dela La Ciel)" a work that symbolizes my rebirth in the idea, freedom from rigid anatomical forms in my work and stepping out towards the fictional, as well as giving a face to the phenomena in nature and the cosmos which always impress me. Of course, this does not mean that I am severing all ties with the portrait forever...
The work was chosen by me, primarily because of the spiritual need in the presentation. I probably have works that are technologically better and that would catch the eye of professors or curators, but it is my choice that my settings have more to do with my spiritual state than to be technologically correct, after all, I consider the way of presentation and exhibition to be a medium equal to canvas or paper.
Considering the situation we are in, how do you view the move to hold the exhibition virtually?
A surprisingly and refreshingly good move by which the Director, Council and staff of ULUCG prove that they are no less than the founders and inventors of our association and that they are leaders in the region in terms of the idea and realization of cultural events. I would personally like to see this universal way of communicating with the audience that they chose for this year's traditional exhibition remain a practice in the future. I believe that it would be a phenomenal step towards reaching even more audiences who may not be in the condition or situation to be physically present, but also to popularize the local scene.
Do you use this time to create more, perhaps, what topics and motives occupy you at the moment?
For me, this does not represent a big difference compared to my usual routine, except that now I can't walk with the dog for long distances... I create, of course, contemplate, write down and dare to work on what I started at the end of last year. I would prefer to talk about the motives a little later, when I have collected the impressions of the work and when I crown it all with an independent exhibition, I would not like to reveal too much for now, because it is still in that stage of the author's self-criticism and insecurity, so it is not ripe for the light of day. (laughter)
What would you say to your colleagues or citizens in general?
To focus on their loved ones... This is an ideal situation to strengthen ties (which in this fast-paced world are weakened due to lack of time and patience) with relatives and loved ones. It's as if someone from above is warning us that we don't love and respect each other enough...
Would you like to add something?
We've been through worse, so I'd add that we're strong enough to handle this too. Stay at home, be with the ones you love, show them how much you love them without expensive gifts and material things... Presence, word, attention and understanding are real gifts and expressions of love. My prayers are all these nights for my people. That's all from me.
The challenge he needed for professional growth
You should not ignore the fact that you are an educator. How is it going now, online, how are the students, how are you?
Thanks to the good organization of the ministry and the school, classes take place regularly, we have a little more responsibilities and it's a little more difficult for all of us to adapt, and frankly there are some jitters, but we are slowly overcoming all the obstacles. For me, this was the challenge I needed for professional growth. Through this form of communication, it's as if I'm learning how to better reach out to the students so that it's not burdensome for them, but they still learn as much as possible. Since I am young and have no family responsibilities (except for the dog (laughs)), this situation does not represent an effort for me, but the complete opposite, it diverts my attention from the situation, which is serious and ugly, and I hope that the same effect is realized on the students, but I imagine that this is very difficult for colleagues who have children and spouses. However, I still notice that they are very efficient and I learn a lot from them, especially from older colleagues, so I must say that I am privileged to work at the "Radojica Perović" Elementary School and that our director and management are leadership-minded, ps. and help us overcome worse working conditions. For example, I would hardly be able to (personally) manage this well in the new situation if we were not headed by such a director and deputies.
Bonus video:
