Pictures that speak of the cruelty of passion in all of us

"We all need to look into the dark side of our nature - there is energy, passion. People are afraid of that, because that is where the parts of us that we persistently deny are located," said the American writer. Sue Gradton, which is reminiscent of the Montenegrin academic artist Jelena Vušurović, announcing their new independent presentation to "Vijesti".

Jelena Vušurović's exhibition "Ferox" will open today in Nikšić, at 20 p.m. in the lobby of the Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy. This will be her 19th exhibition, and visitors can undoubtedly expect a unique experience and a blend of different emotions and artistic expressions. In addition to the author and representatives of the organizers, special guests will also be present at the exhibition, Vušurović reveals.

The exhibition organizing team consists of Milos Nenezic i Stevan Kilibarda, and the guests of the exhibition will be a graphic designer Mateja Martinović and academic sculptor Anastasia Filipovic, and Vušurović also announces the popular rap musician Random (Marko LubarduThe exhibition is sponsored by the Municipality of Nikšić and the Zahumlje Public Institution.

The exhibition will be officially opened by the artist and professor Angelina Janjušević, who noted in the accompanying text that in Jelena Vušurović's works, motifs and colors bring a fusion of emotions.

"The bull reappears on her canvases - a powerful, archetypal symbol, representing strength, perseverance, fertility and stability. It is the force of instinct, passion and life. Its presence brings unrest, but also liberation. In the encounter between woman and bull, a space of struggle and dialogue is created, a space in which light pierces the darkness. The colours in Jelena's paintings are not just tones - they are emotions. Pure emotion. They flare, disintegrate, collide and merge," Janjušević points out.

And it is the bull that stands out as the most expressive motif of her work, as an interesting and frequent motif. In the characteristic palette of colors that blend with the painting, Jelena Vušurović's motifs exude strength, energy and emotion, and in all of this, one can glimpse both women and nature, as well as their power.

"Most of the time, the topic is the bull... And what is this bull - anything but an animal. It was only brought to the present day by my thoughts. The bull as a form with its structure merges with a woman, with a touch of abstraction, and does not create a wall but stability, giving us a fire that makes us stronger. In order to survive, we must remember, and forgetting is in our genes. Therefore, we must return to our basic sources, and nature is the only thing that is relevant," Vušurović previously told "Vijesti".

Thus transposed, personified and atmospherically depicted motifs evoke a sense of authority, mysticism, respect, and sublimity, while at the same time penetrating the depths of the soul and thought, opening a dialogue with the observer and a series of paths in the labyrinth of the mind. Jelena Vušurović's bulls seem to have come to life scenes from various myths and legends, representing a universal symbol of strength, endurance, and stability, but also insatiability and hidden danger. Thus, the bull is both a symbol of power, determination, and stability, and the embodiment of human drives and passions.

"The 'Ferox' exhibition speaks about the ferocity of the passions of all of us," Vušurović explains to "Vijesti".

And "ferox" is a Latin word that represents exactly those epithets that go with a bull - brave, strong, fierce, unbridled, savage, impudent, conceited, untamable... That will be the theme of her exhibition today, set in an environment atypical for gallery displays, but appropriate for everything that Jelena Vušurović's paintings convey.

"With every painting, I learn something new that pushes me to work harder, and such an approach has countless undiscovered doors," she told "Vijesti", inviting all interested parties to visit the exhibition and discover some new doors for themselves, open them and experience what lies behind them.

Jelena Vušurović completed her basic studies at the department of graphics, in the class of M.Sc Vesne Boskovic at the Faculty of Fine Arts (FLU) in Cetinje. She graduated in painting in the class of M.A. Branislav Sekulić, also at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje. She completed her master's studies in Banja Luka, in the class of M.A. Jelena Rubil. She has received numerous awards, commendations and recognitions. She is the coordinator of the Student Gallery in Cetinje and a participant in numerous colonies, symposiums, biennials... In addition to solo exhibitions, she has exhibited at over 100 collective, international and national exhibitions both in Montenegro and the Balkans, as well as throughout Europe, Africa, Asia...