Persistence, creativity, desire and love for creativity are the main assets of the work, but also of the character of the Montenegrin artist Hajdana Kostić, better known as Hajdi, who tirelessly and diligently creates opportunities for herself, and is happy to use them.
Her works are in the collections of world-famous names such as John Malkovich, Keanu Reeves, Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas, Skye Edwards from the band Morcheeba, Sandra Nasić from Guano Apes and others, and her studio constantly attracts international visitors and is a meeting point for the exchange of inspiration, energy, motivation and exclusively positive vibes. Her new solo exhibition "Fusion" opened yesterday in Belgrade, in the Transformart gallery, and with this exhibition Kostić opens the door to visitors to a world where humans, artificial intelligence and art meet.
With the installation of works from the new cycle "Fusion", Kostić explores the "dynamic and sometimes challenging relationship" between human beings and artificial intelligence, while through optimism and faith in the synergy of technology and human creativity, the exhibition explores the potential for miracles to emerge from this cooperation, according to the announcement. .
"More large-format images will encourage you to think about an important topic - the integration of humans and artificial intelligence, but also about the consequences of that process. Already powerful, and just at the beginning, artificial intelligence is becoming a powerful tool, a tool that can change the world, both for the better and unfortunately for the worse. The power is within us, and we need to think about how to use it and learn from the mistakes of the past", says the artist, for whom this is her fifth solo exhibition in Belgrade.
The exhibition was co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro, and will be open until November 2023. In an interview with Vijesti artistana, she said that every confirmation of her work, effort, perseverance and creativity means a lot to her, and there is no shortage of such confirmations. The painter and graphic designer from Montenegro recently participated in the "She's next" event in Podgorica, was the national winner at the Red Bull doodle art competition 30, spoke at the TEDx Podgorica event that year, Oxford University published her work on their social networks, as well as numerous world famous personalities. She organized several charity exhibitions where she collected more than XNUMX euros, which she earmarked for various purposes, and there are many more achievements...
As part of this year's edition of the Exit festival, four selected artists had a unique opportunity to present their creative works to the frontman of the Black Eyed Peas band at the "Culture FYI'rs" meet-up in Novi Sad. Together with Vladimir Samardžić, Dejan Ilić and Ivan Knežević, two of her works later ended up in the collection of Will.I.Am, who only had words of praise for the Montenegrin artist.
"Heidi is really fantastic! I really like not only her art, but also her heart and soul and how she represents her country in the right way," he said about Kostić.
With her example, hard work and persistence, she showed and proved, and in an interview with Vijesti, she confirmed that living and creating in an environment that is smaller compared to the world's metropolises, does not mean that there are no opportunities, but only that it is more difficult to break through, and then and fight for your place...
"Even though I come from small Montenegro, various things are happening in our region and opportunities are opening up," she says, and she does not hide that her works and studio are often the reason for the visit of numerous art lovers from abroad. There were, he reveals, also interesting situations.
"For example, when I had one of my first exhibitions, I constantly sent invitations to people, both before, during and after the exhibition. I also sent invitations to one girl and she continuously thanked me and said she would come, but she never came to the exhibition. I wasn't lazy, so I sent her one more message just before closing, and she came with her sister from abroad. Two days later, my sister and her husband bought twenty of my drawings from that exhibition. I called that girl, among others, because I sincerely wanted as many people as possible to see that exhibition. This is one of the many interesting examples that happened to me, or that I created myself. I think it helps me a lot that I am so persistent and that I care with all my heart that what I do is successful," she tells Vijesti.
For her, she says, every such event is a confirmation that she can achieve a lot, but also that it is possible to break into the world stage, even though there are aggravating circumstances.
"There are many talented people in Montenegro who are at the world level, as far as abilities are concerned, but there are also many complicating factors for development, above all the money that is needed for the production of works", she says and states that all of this creates an unfavorable climate. on the domestic cultural and artistic scene.
When asked whether artists, from her perspective, receive adequate satisfaction for their work and effort, and then the possibility of existence and further creation, and also the position they should have in society, Heidi says that "they do not receive anything from of the above to the extent that it should" and explains why...
"But in poor countries, culture suffers first. What good is art to us if it is not eaten? It is very difficult to deal with something so uncertain and uncertain, especially on barren soil. I am 31 years old, and my hair is all streaked with gray. And sometimes I tell my friends that if they want to see what it's like to be an artist in Montenegro, just let them look at my hair. Honestly, it's too hard. But I personally don't feel sorry for myself, because I was created to fight, and I see all this as a challenge that I have to win. Of course, that path requires a great sacrifice. But when you love it, it's easier to endure inevitable difficulties", says Kostić.
Thus, he describes the Montenegrin art scene as unsuitable for development, which is defied by hard-working individuals who are trying to change it.
"Incredible apathy reigns and people consume the worst content for short entertainment. So the answer to the question is that the climate is difficult and unsuitable for development. But, at the same time, there are intelligent people, capable, who recognize the right things, who do the right things and who are a breath of refreshment. So, in spite of everything, I am an idealist and I imagine a better world and I try to contribute to it with my example", Kostić points out.
He often shows such a world in his works, if not with motifs, then definitely with bright colors that evoke positive feelings and energy, which somehow always returns...
"At the beginning of the summer, my solo exhibition 'Beauty of Life' opened in the lobby of the One&Only hotel, which I realized with the Pizana gallery. The exhibition was successful, attended, and even the spokesperson of the city of Paris was at the opening. These are some situations that restore your faith that you can succeed, and that all this effort is not in vain. The painting that was exhibited there went into the hands of Kijan Rivs," Kostić said, and what Vijesti previously wrote about...
When asked about her plans for the future, the artist answers: "creation, creation, creation"...
Challenge 365 evolved into 800, as a proof to myself and the world
Hajdana Kostić became interesting to people on social networks during the so-called "365" challenge, which she designed and set for herself. This meant daily creation of new works and their publication on social networks. That's how she became noticed, but also evolved as an artist...
"In 2018, I started the 365 challenge, during which I posted one drawing per day for a year. That challenge lasted 800 days in a row. That's how my career started. For me, it was necessary to prove, first of all to myself, that I have what it takes, which is talent, imagination, and then the second most important thing, which is discipline. I have evolved in every sense since that challenge, I have improved my technique, I work on larger formats, I think more deeply, I present ideas better, and that makes me extremely happy", Hajdi points out.
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