A big dreamer, with the wind in her hair

The windy and cold Podgorica night did not prevent the "Great Dreamer" from looking at the sky from the roof of the Perjanički dom in the park in Kruševac. With the wind in her hair, she allowed the stars to illuminate her face, and the moon to take her much further away from the place she was in with its fullness. The boundaries between reality and imagination have almost disappeared, and the entire space has, at least for a moment, agreed to the logic of dreams - the absolute freedom of the wind.

That feeling of displacement, authenticity of character and upward gaze, and that quiet rebellion against the gravity of everyday life will overwhelm visitors to the exhibition "With the Wind in Your Hair" by the artist Katarina Tomašević Crawford (Crawford). Opening at the Perjanički Dom of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro on Tuesday evening, the exhibition brings a unique look at oneself, through all the cracks of life. The exhibition itself defies expectations and extends beyond the interior and exterior spaces, growing from the gallery and going further over the roof, thus building a subtle but powerful dialogue with the audience, between the material and the intangible.

"The exhibition is about dreamers, small and big, and I hope and believe that many will recognize themselves in them," said Tomašević Krawford, summarizing the exhibition for "Vijesti".

The exhibition includes wire sculptures, portraits, human figures, completed or not, but which breathe, let in light, air, and even a view inside and through them. Like the works themselves, the exhibition acts as a network of thoughts, feelings, traces of different processes, all of which point to the search for one's own, meaning, and self-discovery, layer by layer, while we allow dreams to be infinite - "With the wind in our hair".

"The works are created using a specific technique of 'wire sculpting', through the process of intertwining and shaping materials into complex, airy forms that simultaneously preserve mass and actively use negative space. Combining metal wire with epoxy clay, resin and paint, Katarina Tomašević Kraford builds sculptures with a pronounced textural quality and strong presence," the MSUCG states, and the artist reveals to "Vijesti" and comments on the creative process herself, stating how she experiences her own wire sculpting technique.

"With wire, I want to convey the idea of ​​human imperfection. We all 'weave' something through life in some way, we build on and connect, and it's never perfect, but there are always some holes. As we move forward in life, we add more character to ourselves and as we grow, we create that network. That's the reason for wire as a material," Tomašević Kraford told "Vijesti".

The contrast between the fluttering, daydreaming and imagination on the one hand, and the wire as a material and the associations it evokes is interesting. In the contrast of symbols - wire and wind in the hair, the artist brings a combination of opposites and awakens a new and different symbolism, perfectly intertwined.

"I often think about it during the process itself, which can be very meditative. As I knit, embroider and sew this wire, it is impossible not to think about life, the paths of life, how they overlap and refract. Just as a spider weaves its web, so human life develops, but so do my sculptures, only they do not have superpowers," says Tomašević Crawford.

The Japanese technique of kintsugi, which the artist resorts to in most cases, emphasizes the perfect imperfection and beauty of experience, or the visible traces of time. Tomašević Kraford associates the kintsugi technique with the “perfecting of life”.

"Basically, we are all imperfect, as humans. I believe that ideals of perfection do not exist. Our flaws are our character traits that mark us and distinguish us from others. I really like this Japanese technique. I really like the approach of them paving and filling the cracks of broken objects with gold, and most of my sculptures are inspired by that. The fragments are collected and filled with gold, which makes them even more valuable, but also visible, they are not hidden, but shown," she points out.

On the other hand, she is aware that we cannot transfer this symbolism to a society that denies us in itself. In that case, we need to notice the flaws and realize that there is no single ideal that can be applied everywhere. That is why we need to turn to ourselves, starting with ourselves as individuals.

And the curator Marina Celebic At the opening, she assessed that the sculptures on display, whether they are portraits or stylized figures, convey precisely the beauty of imperfection, introspective moments, and emotional depth.

"Each work is a dialogue between material and feeling, between craft tradition and contemporary artistic expression. Her sculptures connect the past and the present, craft and contemporary language, statics and movement, creating a space in which emotion is translated into material," Čelebić pointed out.

She recalled that Katarina Tomašević Krawford was born in Titograd, but has been living and working in London for more than 25 years. This exhibition is a rare opportunity for the domestic audience to see the works that the artist has presented at numerous international exhibitions where she has won awards. Visitors to the exhibition can also see the sculpture "Exhalation", for which the author won the "Nathan David" sculpture award of the Royal Society of British Artists in 2023, as part of the 200th anniversary of the Association's founding, among a large number of then selected authors.

In addition, Čelebić presented a special curiosity that makes the exhibition itself, but also the event, even more significant.

"For our exhibition, Katarina specially created the 'Great Dreamer', a sculpture after which the exhibition is named 'With the Wind in Her Hair', which you will have the opportunity to see properly only when night falls. Feel the power and subtlety of this unique art world and let this exhibition inspire you and move you to your own reflection," said Čelebić.

Speaking about "The Great Dreamer", which is perhaps the central work of the exhibition, Tomašević Crawford admits that it tired her, but reveals its messages...

"I have to admit that 'The Big Dreamer' tired me a little, but I'm glad we managed to edit everything on time. You'll see 'The Big Dreamer' at night. What it brings to us, if you ask me, is an attempt to convey the feeling of that wind in your hair, the feeling of freedom and harmony with nature. It's a feeling that we often lose as we grow up, while children know how to enjoy it and it's natural for them to feel it. In my opinion, it's important that we return to that feeling and learn how to experience the world in that way and feel them the way children feel them," the author emphasized.

Why at night and where is the “Great Dreamer”, he says:

"She didn't fall or burst into the gallery here, but rather broke through the space and its boundaries because she wanted to look at the stars and the moon."

She brought her world to her native land

Katarina Tomašević Crawford was born in Titograd, and has been living and working in London for over 20 years. She graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje, and studied in France as a visiting student at the Lille Academy. During her career, she has worked in stage and costume design for theatre and film, traditional furniture making, glass modelling, as well as pedagogical and therapeutic work in the field of fine arts.

Addressing the audience at the opening, the artist expressed her gratitude to the MSUCG and curator Marina Čelebić, at whose invitation she "brought her world to her native country."

She also told "Vijesti" that she was a little more nervous than usual.

"I'm just thinking about not embarrassing my mother with my work. Basically, the only thing I can do is give my best. Every artist represents their inner world and that's what I tried to do here," Tomašević Crawford pointed out.