Stone and wood.
Nature, space, time and life.
Za Mijo Mijušković that was enough for him to create authentic and monumental sculptures, objects, beings and worlds until the last day of his life, which will permanently record his name and work in the world of fine arts.
Although he was (somewhat?) forgotten among his own people, Europe appreciated him and showed him deep respect both during his lifetime and after his death in October 2022. However, it is extremely important that after a rather muffled time, people started talking about Mi and that his work and creativity come alive, his lifelong companion told "Vijesta". Oil, at the opening of the exhibition of works by Mijo Mijušković in Podgorica.
"This is very significant and I hope that the exhibition is just the beginning," she said on the occasion of the event organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro (MSUCG).
"In the beginning there was stone" or "In the beginning there was stone" is the name of the exhibition that is available to visitors of the MSUCG Gallery from Tuesday evening. The exhibition was realized in cooperation with the "ForA" gallery from Berlin, and exhibits from the collection were presented Natalie Pervak, as well as from the author's private collection. The exhibition will be open to the public until May 23, and in mid-May, a luxury monograph dedicated to Mijušković, published by MSUCG, will be promoted.
Mijušković's inspiration and muse, as the curator called her at the opening Nikola Markovic, for "Vijesti" she also shared her regret that there is no trace of him in Nikšić, where he was born in 1931, where he came from and to which he contributed at various levels... The situation is not better in Bar, where Mijo spent his last years life, in Sutomor, under the slopes of Mount Rumija.
"It is a pity that there is no trace of Mij in Nikšić. Due to circumstances, I visited Nikšić several times, where he spent a large part of his life, but there is no longer any trace of him there. I was amazed that such a condition, even something that existed in front of the hotel (Onogošt), is no longer there. When it comes to the Bar, even there in the public space there is no sign of Mij, but in the private one, in the hinterland above the city, everything is very interestingly set up and the space is beautifully formed," she said.
Mijo Mijušković's lucid, visionary, gentle, but extremely skillful and unique approach can be seen in all the works that make up the carefully designed exhibition in the former "Centar" gallery. The importance of his work is also evidenced by the large audience that attended the opening. Although there were no academic artists, as is sometimes the case, the exhibition was attended by gallerists, collectors and art historians from Germany, as well as numerous Montenegrin curators, theorists and art historians and fans of Mijušković's work.
Art historian Olga Lytsova she addressed the audience on behalf of the "ForA" gallery from Berlin, which organized a year-long exhibition of the Montenegrin sculptor a few years ago.
"At first glance, I was fascinated by the art of the extremely talented sculptor and artist Mijo Mijušković. On behalf of the ForA platform for contemporary art from Berlin, I congratulate the organizers of this wonderful exhibition in Montenegro... Mijo began his life as a scientist, meteorologist and stone collector. He collected stones and thought that each stone had its own soul. Then he started working and creating as an artist, as a sculptor, all with natural materials. He works exclusively with natural materials, stone or wood. Sometimes he connected wood and stone, but he never used artificial materials and never damaged any tree, any bush, he just collected the old. Despite that, at this exhibition you can see quite magnificent sculptures in which wood and stone are combined, in symbiosis," said Lytsova.
She pointed out that Mijušković's creativity is very complex and deep...
"And his inspiration was always nature, which itself hides many secrets and special codes. He, as an artist, searched for those secrets, codes and ciphers... He also worked not only with stone and wood, but also with rare materials like real meteorites. Can you imagine? These are materials that are thousands of years old and, of course, have many enigmas and secrets in them. "Nature is matter that has many codes and symbols in it, and Mijo Mijušković tried to bring these symbols and codes, his fascination, into our common lives with his art," Lytsova said.
Curator of the exhibition Nikolina Zuber she pointed out that by transforming the original form from nature, Mijušković created a creatively designed and free world of art.
"A creative idea was born that guided him - natural form and creative processes. In the sculptor's imagination, these two worlds were one whole. He wanted to discover what is hidden in the enigmatic nature of matter... The sculptor, who as a meteorologist and naturalist had many years of experience with processes in nature, knew that the found form was not the right one, he searched for it", said Zuber.
She emphasized that with his work he marked the space of the entire former Yugoslavia, remaining creatively inexhaustibly connected with Montenegro, its stone and wood, which he gave new life to.
Exhibition curator Marković expressed his gratitude to the team of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro and the director Vladislav Šćepanović who initiated the project "and thereby gave a new direction of possibility for the important works of Montenegrin artists represented in foreign collections to reach our audience in the right way".
"We are remembering the work of one of the greatest artists and sculptors that Montenegro has had in its long history of culture and artistic creativity. It is about Mijo Mijušković, a dear colleague and friend with whom I had the honor and privilege to collaborate and socialize intensively during all these years that flew by like minutes. He lived modestly, fully dedicated to his work and family. He never did any of his sculptures indoors. He never cut down a single tree to create his works, he liked to emphasize, thus almost saintly, pure and innocent with all his being, he preserved what is the very essence of ecology and nature, which he always returned with joy and inspiration," Marković said at the opening.
Lystsova added that many sculptures by Mijo Mijušković have a magical and sacred quality.
"Therefore, the obvious parallels with ancient sculptures are not surprising - stone sculptures made of green limestone remind of ancient Egypt, black granite - of Hindu art and white marble of ancient Greece", she said, pointing out that Mijušković is often compared with Brancusi or Peaceful.
"Nevertheless, the artist never associated his work with existing art schools or movements and created his own, unique style in which the sacred character of nature is the source of inspiration and the primary content," she stated. Lytsova also shared her impressions with those present after recently visiting Mijušković's atelier under a clear sky...
"I recently had the good fortune to visit his studio, which is truly a holy place. I felt so inspired by the fantastic energy in that space. I heard that he never worked inside, he always worked outside, under the sky, night, day, under the stars, under the sun. His works were born in that fantastic, magical place in one of the mountains in Montenegro," she said, while Mij's partner acknowledged his idea and desire for a museum...
Bonus video:
