The warmth, peace and spirit of a small coastal town were brought to Vienna, one of the most luxurious and imposing cities in the heart of Central Europe, by a Montenegrin painter. Bosiljka Bakočević presenting herself at the international exhibition "Nature" at the Toolip Art Gallery. Soon, the audience in Podgorica will have the opportunity to see the same, the artist announced in an interview with "Vijesti", on October 23rd at the Cultural Events Center "Ribnica".
"Only five of my works have been exhibited in Vienna. I will also be showing some of the works from that cycle at the Ribnica Center of Contemporary Art, where, at the invitation of my colleague Ivan Stanić and the KUNST Cultural Base, my eighth solo exhibition titled 'Treasure of Light' will open on October 23rd. The exhibition will be opened by art historian Iva Vukotic, Bakočević announces.
As part of a group exhibition in Vienna, for which Bakočević passed a juried selection, she is showing paintings from the series “Risa Moments.” The exhibition opened on October 3rd in front of a large number of art lovers and admirers, and Bakočević followed the ceremony online and via the gallery’s social media posts.
"During the application for the exhibition competition and submission of the portfolio, the curators were particularly struck by the watercolors from the 'Risa Moments' cycle. In the invitation letter, they suggested that I send 15-20 works, but I decided to present myself with five, in my opinion, the best ones," she reveals in an interview with "Vijesti".
She emphasizes that this exhibition is both recognition and motivation for her.
"As an artist whose career is still developing, it meant a lot to me to present myself in a European metropolis. The gallery is smaller, family-run, with a direct relationship with the artists, which gives a sense of belonging and welcome," Bakočević reports.
She also said that presenting herself abroad independently is demanding and financially challenging, and she expresses her gratitude to the Tourist Organization of the Municipality of Kotor, which supported her, while the "Artica" gallery from Podgorica provided her with logistical support.
"I think that every artist who is serious about their work and thinks about what they are doing has a dose of doubt about their work. I saw the invitation from the Vienna gallery as a form of confirmation. At some points we need feedback from colleagues and the professional public," Bakočević told "Vijesti".
The curators, he says, reacted to the "transparency and sincerity of the motifs."
"In a painting, the movement of the brush reveals everything: emotion, sincerity, energy that is pulsating or dead, or its flow. I strive not to suffocate the painting with too much work. It takes balance and knowing when to stop. Perhaps the curators noticed that," the artist notes.
Bosiljka Bakočević's previous works are also well-known - created in the watercolor technique that, as she previously pointed out to "Vijesti", intoxicated her, and then she continued to use it to explore her achievements, life and the world that unfolds, but also to question some, seemingly quite ordinary, processes. The Mediterranean and all its colors, emotions and scents still dominate her canvases. Now she reveals how "Risa Moments" were created and what those moments are.
"The 'Risa Moments' cycle came about spontaneously, precisely from discipline in my work. I promised myself that I would do one watercolor every day and carried painting materials with me everywhere. A considerable number of works were created depicting the Risan square, beach, park, and promenade. In some watercolors, I included human figures, which I had not done before," she says.
Watercolor is a demanding technique that does not tolerate many corrections and requires complete presence, and it is also one of the "basics" when it comes to fine art.
"Painting with watercolors is as natural to me as breathing, which is probably why I am devoted to this technique. Sometimes I paint with tempera, oil, and I draw with dry techniques, but I very quickly return to watercolors. The essence of watercolors is water, lightness, transparency - a prism through which we can observe the Mediterranean, in this case Risan," says Bakočević.
Her works exude a sense of calm, but also a strong emotion of the place, the epicenter of which is Risan.
"Risan is my oasis of peace and I always carry it with me. Its nature, people, customs and the warmth it gives me have shaped me as an artist. The watercolors inspired by this small place are a kind of diary," the artist states.
Considering that only five works from the "Risa Moments" series are exhibited in Vienna, further exhibitions are expected...
"The biggest incentive for me is the transience of life, or rather the awareness that we are on this planet for a very short time, so I strive to do as much as possible to fulfill my purpose and in some way justify the gift I have been given," concludes Bakočević...
On traditional and conceptual expression, on man, nature and the world
In a time when contemporary art is often conceptual and digital, Bosiljka Bakočević emphasizes a return to nature, water, light, but also to more traditional artistic expressions.
"Painting is considered a traditional expression and digital expression will never be able to surpass it. It carries energy within itself, it is alive. Although perhaps they cannot be compared. Conceptual art is not close to me, I do not understand it and I do not feel it. I believe that if a work needs an explanation in order to be understood, it has not achieved its purpose. A work of art is felt," he says.
When asked how the dynamics of life and art, as well as life in a small town, correspond to each other, and how he sees man and nature in today's whirlwind of everything, he answers:
“Thinking about this question, I remembered the great painter Vojo Stanić, who created great works while looking out the window of his studio in Herceg Novi. For him, the events on the Novi promenade were the entire universe. Art is not conditioned by the size of the place in which it is created. Travel enriches us and broadens our horizons, but in the end we return to where we came from,” he says, adding:
"Regarding the relationship between man and nature, you said it well - a vortex of everything, so it is difficult to observe objectively. Here I would use the statement of Dr. Jane Goodall, who said that we are the species with the greatest intellectual potential that has walked the planet, but we are not intelligent. If we were intelligent, we would not destroy our only home. The situation is alarming, we are destroying nature, which we witness every day. In the interview, we are talking about Risan, so I would also mention the case of a sea turtle that was killed by reckless boat traffic, it was found on the beach. The Institute of Marine Biology announced it. There are forest fires, mostly caused by human factors. When you look at it, the whole situation is not good... With my works, I celebrate nature, but at the same time I think about everything that happens that I do not let influence my artistic world," Bakočević points out.
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