MIRZA ČIZMIĆ
2022, X Vitamin Galerija, Beograd
MIRZA ČIZMIĆ
MIRZA CIZMIC
Potpis / Author’s signature
Brajan Vojinovic
Clear cultural determinants of Čizmić’s artistic practice are evident in the environments he creates in each work. At first, bizarre scenes, incomprehensible relationships and humorous elements deconstruct unusual (however, very familiar to us) family dynamics and heteronormative matrix. Almost cinematographic scenes in which the visual parameters are close to the social aesthetics of Southeast Europe, point us towards a one-way conclusion, but only at first glance. Families, and family values are shown in their reality, not the ideal they are supposed to represent. However, it is a „thought reality”- a subconscious flow that illustrates the difficulties and the struggle with assigned roles and gender roles in particular. With a dynamic composition and a specific color palette, the artist establishes the atmosphere of a warm and safe family home. This is precisely where the trap lies for many, since their personality is very different from the imposed gender/social role they are expected to fulfill. A home is a haven, and a haven should be a place of enjoyment and regeneration. As the heterogeneous setting of reality comes “from home”, its dissolution takes place, in the same place.
Jasne kulturološke odrednice Čizmićeve umetniče prakse su očigledne u ambijentima koje formira u svakom radu. Isprva bizarni prizori, neshvatljivi odnosi i duhoviti elementi dekonstruišu neobičnu (međutim, nama jako poznatu) porodičnu dinamiku i heteronormativnu matricu.
Gotovo kinematografske scene u kojima su vizuelni parametri bliski socijalnoj estetici Jugoistočne
Evrope, upućuju nas ka jednosmernom zaključku, ali samo na prvi pogled. Porodica i porodične vrednosti bivaju prikazani u svojoj realnosti, a ne idealu koji bi trebalo da predstavljaju. U pitanju je ipak „misaona realnost“, podsvesni tok koji ilustruje nemogućnosti i borbu sa zadatim (rodnim) ulogama. Dinamičnom kompozicijom i specifičnom paletom boja, umetnik uspostavlja atmosferu toplog i bezbednog porodičnog doma. Upravo tu leži zamka za mnoge, budući da se njihova ličnost umnogome razlikuje od nametnute rodne/društvene uloge koju treba da ostvare. Dom predstavlja utočište, a utočište bi trebalo da predstavlja mesto uživanja i regeneracije. Kako heterogena postavka realnosti dolazi „iz kuće“, dešava se disolucija istog, na istom mestu.
Lepo sećanje na detinjstvo, Čizmić artikuliše postavkom Diznijevih likova unutar fantazmogoričnih scena u svom radu. Najbolja skulptura ikad
Brajan Vojinović
Čizmić articulates a fond memory of childhood by placing Disney characters within phantasmogorical scenes in his work. The best sculpture ever made (2022, oil on canvas, 30x42 cm) is the result of the appropriation of Milorad Mica Stajčić’s existing sculpture, Over the Rainbow, and is a collaboration between two contemporary artists. Using these well-known and strong symbols, fellow artists manage to provoke the viewer at first sight and lead him to think.
The opposite of this work is the Iron Curtain (2022, impregnated paper, 76x56cm), which nevertheless deals with similar themes. An important aspect of civilizational development is human rights, as well as the right to freedom. The use of the “iron curtain” as well as two homoerotic figures in such a relationship, as two basic symbols, arouses the curiosity that we also see in regard to the girl who peers “from the other side”.
Confronted with the works from the Stolen Memories series, we find ourselves in the position of a voyeur, a hidden and uninvited observer. An atmosphere is created in us, a certain response to the work itself, that is, the experience we get when meeting the object of experience.
Individual perception determines the meaning of the work itself, which opens up the range for each observer project his own values into the work in front of him.
Therefore, we can place the motifs in Mirza Čizmić’s work in different ways. A clear sociological background dictates only one aspect of viewing his work. It is important to emphasize the origin of the artist who was born in Banja Luka (BiH), and today lives in Helsinki (FI). Čizmić’s vibrant works contain different elements of European cultures that cooperate and contribute to the multi-layered meaning of his work. By combining humor, banality and intensity, it simultaneously archives, demystifies and problematizes current problems.
napravljena (2022, ulje na platnu, 30x42 cm) rezultat je aproprijacije postojeće skulpture Milorada Miće Stajčića, Over the Rainbow i predstavlja saradnju dva savremena umetnika. Koristeći ove poznate i jake simbole, kolege umetnici uspevaju da na prvi pogled provociraju posmatrača, nateraju ga na preispitivanje.
Suprotnost ovom radu je Gvozdena zavesa (2022, impregniran papir, 76x56cm) koja ipak obrađuje jednu od zajedničkih tema. Važan aspekt civilizacijskog razvitka su ljudska prava, kao i prava na slobodu. Korišćenje “gvozdene zavese” kao i dve homoerotične figure u takvom odnosu, kao dva osnovna simbola, budi znatiželju koju vidimo i u pogledu devojke koja viri “sa druge strane”. Konfrontirani sa radovima iz serije Ukradena sećanja, nalazimo se u poziciji voajera, skrivenog i nepozvanog posmatrača. U nama se formira ugođaj, određeni odgovor na sam rad, dakle iskustvo koje dobijamo u susretu s predmetom iskustva. Individualna percepcija određuje značenje samog dela, što otvara dijapazon svakom posmatraču da projektuje sopstvene vrednosti na rad koji je pred njim.
Samim tim, motive u radu Mirze Čizmića možemo postaviti na različite načine. Jasna sociološka pozadina diktira samo jedan aspekt sagledavanja njegovog rada. Važno je naglasiti poreklo umetnika koji je rođen u Banja Luci (BiH), a danas živi u Helsinkiju (FI) . Čizmićevi vibrantni radovi u sebi sadrže različite elemente evropskih kultura koje sarađuju i doprinose višeslojnom značenju njegovog rada. Kominacijom humora, banalnosti i intenziteta, istovremeno arhivira, demistifikuje i problematizuje aktuelne probleme.
Aida Bičakčić historičarka umjetnosti
MIRZINA TRI NASUMIČNA KOMADA
iz ciklusa Ukradena sjećanja (Stolen memories)
Aida Bicakcic Art historian
MIRZA’S
THREE INCIDENTAL
PIECES
from the series „Stolen memories“
But the texture of memory is denser than I can ever even grasp. Innumerable voices are murmuring in the background, and I feel unable to do justice to them all. Miake Bal, Loving Yusuf, 2008.
Mirza Čizmić (1985) was born in Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This town, from which he was forcibly separated, remains to this day a place with which Mirza identifies the vision and feeling of home, without however allowing for ‘home’ to define him. His experience of home is founded in fluid and elusive personal memories and impressions of his family.
My clearest memories of Mirza are those of our competitions in ugly writing when we were nine
Ali tekstura sjećanja je gušća nego što se ikad može shvatiti. Nebrojeni glasovi mrmljaju u pozadini i osjećam se nesposobnim da im svima učinim pravdu. Miake Bal, Voleti Yousufa,2008.
Mirza Čizmić rođen je u bosanskohercegovačkom gradu Banja Luka 1985. godine. Ovaj grad od kojeg je nasilno odvojen, ostao je do danas mjesto s kojim Mirza identificira sliku i osjećaj doma ne dopuštajući da ga “dom“ odredi. On doživljaj doma temelji na fluidnim i neuhvatljivim ličnim uspomenama i sjećanjima, te uspomenama i sjećanjima svoje porodice.
Moja najjasnija sjećanja na Mirzu su ona u kojim se kao buntovni devetogodišnjaci nadmećemo u
years old. No matter how hard I tried, Mirza would always win. I didn’t stand a chance against his genuine talent to execute every idea by hand. Now I believe that for Mirza this game served as a space of intense expression which remains a characteristic of his expression. What is interesting is that for Mizra the described or depicted event never actually took place.
Memories are not only elusive – they are an unreliable and fickle object of desire which we change and rearrange depending on the context of the frame in which we reach out for them. It is precisely that characteristic of memories that allows the game of provocative narratives which then become the midpoint of Mirza’s recent creative reflections. Mirza has always been a painter and that capacity is the only thing that defines him. Painting as a continuity of his life mirrors every layer which make him – him: boy –entertainer – refugee – soccer player – adolescent – painter – Bosnian – family – Swede – Finn –academic painter – father – husband.
In three pieces from the series Stolen memories the observer is introduced to the theme of gender stereotypes and roles, sexual fantasies, alienation and violence.
Mirza’s approach to the specter of these important and serious topics isn’t deliberate but rather intuitive. The works from this series remind us of a contorted photo frame made unskillfully and in a moment of spontaneous happiness –made from a need document the moment that is too important to be left to the tricky memory. This is certainly not Mirza’s memory. He is in the role of a voyeur just like the observer, gallery audience or an art collector. Still the traces of Mirza’s memories of Bosnia, his experience of home and family fill out the composition of the painting, becoming his signature. If Mirza
ružnom pisanju. Ma koliko sam se trudila Mirza je ipak pobjeđivao jer protiv prirodnog talenta da rukom izvede svaku zamisao nisam imala izgleda. Danas mislim da je ova igra za Mirzu bila prostor ekspresivnog izražavanja koje je do danas ostalo značajka njegova slikarskog rukopisa. Zanimljivo je da se za Mirzu opisani događaj nikada nije desio.
Sjećanja nisu samo neuhvatljiva, ona su nepouzdan i promjenjiv predmet čežnje koji mijenjamo i prilagođavamo zavisno od konteksta u čijem okviru za njima posežemo. Upravo karakter sjećanja omogućio je igru provokativnih narativa koja će postati središtem stvaralačkog promišljanja Mirzinih posljednjih slikarskih ciklusa. Mirza je oduvijek slikar i ta sposobnost jedino je što ga određuje. Slikarstvo kao kontinuitet njegovog života zrcali sve slojeve koji ga čine dječak - zabavljač - izbjeglica - fudbaler - adolescent - slikar - Bosanac - porodica - Šveđanin - Finac - akademski slikar - otac - suprug.
U tri komada iz ciklusa Ukradena sjećanja (Stolen memories) posmatraču su predstavljene teme podstaknute rodnim stereotipima i ulogama, seksualnim fantazijama, otuđenjem i nasiljem. Mirza u ovaj spektar važnih, ozbiljnih tema ne ulazi tendenciozno već više intuitivno. Radovi iz ciklusa Ukradena sjećanja svojom kompozicijom podsjećaju na iskrivljeni kadar fotografije napravljene nevješto u trenutku opijenosti osjećanjem sreće, iz potrebe za materijalnim dokazom o proživljenom trenutku previše važnom da bi ga se prepustilo varljivom pamćenju. To svakako nije Mirzino sjećanje, on je u ulozi voajera baš kao i posmatrač, galerijska publika ili kolekcionar. Ipak tragovi Mirzinih bosanskih sjećanja, onoga što je njegov doživljaj doma i porodice ispunjavaju kompoziciju slike postajući slikarov potpis. Da je Mirza birao sopstveno, autentično sjećanje vjerovatno bi to bila djetinja avantura krađe cd-a ili PlayStation-a koja ga je koštala roditeljskog povjerenja, pro -
had chosen his own authentic memory, it would probably had been one of childish adventures such as stealing a CD or a PlayStation, which cost him the trust of his family, and woke a true aversion towards the snitch from his school. Perhaps it would have been a vivid scene from his Banja Luka home in Šeher community or one of the many temptations form the new midst that would see him as a stranger. Instead he trespasses the memories of others. Perhaps his Finnish countrymen, or even Swedes who are the other for him just as he is for them, setting them up in a familiar ambiance of childhood.
In Incidental piece one / dimensions 56 x 76 / technique oil on prepared paper / 2021, the observer is confronted with a vertical composition with a dynamic display of events that seem to depict a party. The position of the characters, the shortening of the room and the table, are skillfully executed with just a few minor distortions which add to the feeling of expression in the execution. Six characters that carry the narrative of the painting are gathered around the table and are engulfed with mutual relationships. The dynamic of the scene is based on three female characters. Middle aged woman with a children’s toy gun which is pointed towards a chubby male figure, a younger woman shown in lascivious position on the table – her gaze directed towards an unknown observer, and a woman with a gun (also a template for a woman with a children’s toy gun) on a black and white newspaper cover with the words “Fuck you!” written beside her. With regards to the analysis of the composition, the cover is shown in a ‘inserted photo’. The newspapers are held by a man who in his appearance invokes the heroes of the golden age of Hollywood, or a toxic masculinity which dominates this epoch, which we inherit today. The feeling of intrusion in this, in its essence unnatural situation, is ac-
budila istinsku averziju prema cinkarošu iz školske klupe. Možda bi to bio jasan prizor iz njegovog banjalučkog doma u naselju Šeher ili neka od brojnih kušnji unutar novih sredina koje bi ga redovito označavale kao stranca. On umjesto toga upada u sjećanja drugih, možda njegovih kasnijih sugrađana Finaca, Šveđana koji su za njega drugo baš koliko je on drugo za njih, postavljajući ih u poznat ambijent njegova djetinstva.
U nasumičnom komadu jedan / dimenzije 56 x 76 cm / tehnika / ulje na impregniranom papiru / 2021 godina / posmatrač upada u vertikalno postavljenu kompoziciju sa dinamičnom predstavom događaja koji izgleda kao zabava. Pozicija likova, skraćenja sobe, stola izvedena su vješto s tek malim iskrivljenjima koja doprinose dojmu ekspresivnosti ukupne izvedbe. Šest likova koji nose narativ slike okupljeni su oko stola zaukupljeni sopstvenim odnosima. Dinamiku prizora nose tri ženska lika. Srednjevječna žena sa dječijim pištoljem kojeg je uperila prema debeljuškastoj muškoj figuri, mlađa žena prikazana u lascivnoj ležećoj pozi na stolu pogleda usmjerenog prema nepozvanom posmatraču, te žena s pištoljem (ujedno predložak za ženu s dječijim pištoljem) na crno-bijeloj naslovnici novina. Osim žene koja je pištolj usmjerila prema posmatraču, na naslovnici je ispisan tekst „Fuck you!“. U pogledu analize kompozicijskog postupka, naslovnica je prikazana na „umetnutoj slici“. Novine drži muškarac koji u svojoj pojavnosti priziva junake filmova zlatnoga Holiywooda ili toksični muskulinitet koji dominira ovom epohom, a koji baštinimo do danas. Osjećaj upada u situaciju koja je u svojoj prirodi neprimjerena naglašava usnuli dječak glave oborene na stol. Prostor u kojem se odvija zabava, naročito u detaljima asocira na enterijere jugoslovenskih domova 50tih i 60tih – luster, postavka slika, stolnjak. Upravo u scenografiji umjetnik otkriva osjećanje nostalgije i ličnog u cjelokupnom prizoru.
centuated by a sleeping boy with his head lying on the table. The space in which the party is taking places associates us with the interiors of the Yugoslavian homes of the 50s and 60s –chandelier, paintings on the wall, table cloth. It is in the scenography that the artist achieves the feeling of nostalgia and the personal in the image.
In Incidental piece two / dimensions 56 x 76 / technique oil on prepared paper / 2021, the artist again chooses the vertical format in which the observer is confronted with an intimate scene of a part of a room with a sofa. A man is sitting on the sofa, holding a colorful ball, while a black cat approaches from the right. The protagonist is in a state of paradox, aware of the observer and emotionally uncovered, although at first glance hidden under the mask of a monkey.
Is the mask in the service of self-reflection? The melancholy in Incidental piece two is now juxtaposed with the dynamic “crowd” in Incidental piece one which is the rhythm of the series Stolen memories. The absence of a dynamic narrative enables the viewer to notice details which suggest the memory of the spaces of home from Mirza’s memory – Bosnian rug of intense colors in the lower right corner of the composition with a small table with lamps, or a pale wall decorated with floral motives.
In Incidental piece three / dimensions 56 x 76 / technique oil on prepared paper / 2021 the viewer is a voyeur of an event shown in a vertical format. The composition is horizontally divided and is dominated by a mysterious relationship between three women. One of them is lying nude on the bed, while a woman shown from her behind is touching her. The third woman is placed on her right side, and is supervis -
U nasumičnom komadu dva / dimenzije 56 x 76 cm / tehnika ulje na impregniranom papiru / 2021 godina / umjetnik ponovno bira format vertikalno postavljenog pravougaonika u kojem pred posmatrača postavlja intimni prizor dijela prostorije sa sofom na čijem kraju sjedi muškarac koji u rukama drži šarenu loptu dok mu s desna prilazi crna mačka. Protagonista prizora je paradoksalan, svjestan posmatrača i emocionalno razotkriven, naspram skriven pod maskom majmuna. Da li je maska autorefleksija? Melanholija koja je dominantno osjećanje prizora nasumičnog komada dva suprotstavljena je dimičnoj „gužvi“ nasumišnog komada jedan što je ritam cjelokupnog ciklusa Ukradena sjećanja. Odsustvo dinamičnog narativa posmatraču omogućava sagledavanje detalja koji sugeriraju uspomenu na prostore „doma“ iz Mirzinog sjećanja - bosanski ćilim intenzivnog kolorita u donjem desnom uglu kompozicije na kojem je stolić sa lampama ili bljedunjavi zid ukrašen floralnim motivima moleraja. U nasumičnom komadu tri / dimenzije 56 x 76 cm / tehnika ulje na impregniranom papiru / 2021 godina / posmatrač je voajer događaja predstavljenog u formatu vertikalno postavljenog prvougaonika. Pred posmatračem je horizontalno podjeljena kompozicija kojom dominira mistični odnos tri žene od kojih jedna leži naga na krevetu dok ju žena prikazana s leđa u sjedećoj pozi dodiruje, treća žena postavljena s njene desne strane stoji i fokusirano nadzire radnju. Iako odnos, odnosno čin nisu jasno prikazani prizor na posmatrača djeluje senzualno, seksualno sugestivno. Kao u nasumičnom komadu jedan slikar poseže za kompozicijom „umetnute slike“. Iznad uzglavlja kreveta je slika sa temom Disneyevih likova koju je Mirza obrađivao u svojim ranijim slikarskim ciklusima. Disneyevi junaci sa dječakom na čijem se licu raspoznaje zaprepaštenje, pogled su usmjerili prema nepoznatom ali šokantnom činu. Usmjerenost posmatrača na mistični čin, dodirivanje nagog ženskog tijela, Disneyevi junaci koji u simboličkom
ing the act of touching. Although a bit unclear, the scene has somewhat of a sensual feel to it, almost sexually suggestive. As in Incidental piece one the painter uses the ‘inserted photo’. A painting of Disney characters is located above the bed, which Mirza processes in his earlier works. Disney heroes with a boy whose face doesn’t hide surprise – all looking towards the unknown but shocking act. The attention of the viewer is directed to the mysterious act, the touching of the naked body, and the Disney characters who represent the innocent child’s imagination are suggesting the grotesque in the scene before them.
Mirza Čzmić is a painter of European modernism and layered paintings which is determined by a shifting in migration policies, the perception of gender equality and gender roles, alienation, sexual and growing ideological differences. The narrative which is the template of all his compositions, no matter the challenges of the theme itself, is abundant in irony and sarcasm which he realizes through extraordinary talent and technical skill, thus creating the viewers “objects of desire”
Mirza Čizmić was born in 1985 in Banja Luka, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He attends elemantary and middle school in Zenica and Sarajevo. He got his Masters at the Academy of Fine Arts at the University for Art in Helsinki, Finland. He has had solo shows and participated in group shows in Sweden, France and Finland.
smislu predstavljaju nepatvorenu dječiju maštu sugeriraju groteskni karakter prizora.
Mirza Čizmić je slikar evropske suvremenosti i suvremene slojevitosti koju determinira prekretnica u migracijskim politikama, percepciji spolne ravnopravnosti i rodnih uloga, otuđenosti, seksualnosti i rastućih ideoloških razlika. Narativ koji je predložak svake od njegovih kompozicija, bez obzira na izazove same teme, obiluje ironijom i sarkazmom koje realizira izvanrednim talentom i tehničkom vještinom, stavrajući tako „predmete želje“ posmatrača.
Mirza Čizmić rođen je 1985. godine u Banja Luci, Bosna i Hercegovina. Osnovno i srednjoškolsko obrazovanje sticao je u Zenici i Sarajevu. Diplomirao je 2019. godine na Akademiji likovnih umjetnosti Univerziteta za umjetnost u Helsinkiju, Finska. Izlagao je samostalno i grupno u Švedskoj, Francuskoj, Finskoj...
Bajka o pravoj nevesti, 2022, ulje na platnu, 150 x 144 cm
Fairytale about the True Bride, 2022, oil on canvas, 150 x 144 cm
Diznilend, 2021, impregniran papir, 76 x 56 cm
Disneyland, 2021, impregnated paper, 76 x 56 cm
efekat, 2021, impregniran papir, 76 x 56 cm
effect, 2021, impregnated paper, 76 x 56 cm
Kaligulin
Caligula’s
Volim te Martine, 2021, impregniran papir, 76 x 56 cm
I love you Martin, 2021, impregnated paper, 76 x 56 cm
Gresi naših očeva – Neispričana priča, 2022, impregniran papir, 100 x 70 cm
Sins of our Fathers – The Untold Story, 2022, impregnated paper, 100 x 70 cm
Horsemen od the Apocalypse, 2022, impregnated paper, 100 x 70 cm
Četiri jahača apokalipse, 2022, impregniran papir, 100 x 70 cm
Four
Srećan Dan majki, 2022, impregniran papir, 76 x 56 cm
Happy Mothers’ Day, 2022, impregnated paper, 76 x 56 cm
Gvozdena zavesa, 2022, impregniran papir, 76 x 56 cm
The Iron Curtain, 2022, impregnated paper, 76 x 56 cm
Alkatraz, 2022, impregniran papir, 76 x 56 cm
Alcatraz, 2022, impregnated paper, 76 x 56 cm
Srećan Dan očeva, 2022, impregniran papir, 76 x 56 cm
Happy Fathers’ Day, 2022, impregnated paper, 76 x 56 cm
Sanjarenje o Supermenu, 2022, ulje na platnu, 42 x 30 cm
Dreaming about Superman, 2022, oil on canvas, 42 x 30 cm
Dario treći deo, 2022, ulje na platnu, 42 x 30 cm
Dario part III, 2022, oil on canvas, 42 x 30 cm
Najbolja skulptura ikad napravljena, 2022, ulje na platnu, 30 x 42 cm
Best Sculpture Ever Made, 2022, oil on canvas, 30 x 42 cm
Metamorfoza Deo II, 2021, ulje na platnu, 180 x 150 cm
Metamorphosis Part II , 2021, oil on canvas, 180 x 150 cm
Dan venčanja, 2022, impregniran papir, 76 x 56 cm
The Wedding Day, 2022, impregnated paper, 76 x 56 cm
Pomračenje, 2022, impregniran papir, 76 x 56 cm
Eclipse, 2022, impregnated paper, 76 x 56 cm
Bez naziva, 2022, kombinovana
tehnika na papiru, 42 x 30 cm
Untitled, 2022, combined technique on paper, 42 x 30 cm
Bez naziva, 2022, kombinovana
tehnika na papiru, 42 x 30 cm
Untitled, 2022, combined technique on paper, 42 x 30 cm
Bez naziva, 2022, kombinovana tehnika na papiru, 30 x 42 cm
Untitled, 2022, combined technique on paper, 30 x 42 cm
Gospodin Astor ima društvo, 2022, kombinovana tehnika na papiru, 30 x 42 cm
Mister Astor has company, 2022, combined technique on paper, 30 x 42 cm
Bez naziva, 2022, kombinovana tehnika na papiru, 40 x 40 cm
Untitled, 2022, combined technique on paper, 40 x 40 cm
Bez naziva, 2022, kombinovana tehnika na papiru, 40 x 40 cm
Untitled, 2022, combined technique on paper, 40 x 40 cm
Moment After, 2016-17,
Trenutak posle, 2016-17, ulje na platnu, diptih 2 x 140 x 100cm
oil on canvas, diptych 2 x 140 x 100 cm
Bez naziva, 2022, kombinovana tehnika na papiru, 40 x 40 cm
Untitled, 2022, combined technique on paper, 40 x 40 cm
Bez naziva, 2022, kombinovana
tehnika na papiru, 42 x 30 cm
Untitled, 2022, combined technique on paper, 42 x 30 cm
Bez naziva, 2022, kombinovana
tehnika na papiru, 42 x 30 cm
Untitled, 2022, combined technique on paper, 42 x 30 cm
BIOGRAPHY
Mirza Cizmic, born in 1985 (Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina). He graduated from High School of Applied Arts in Sarajevo. He holds a master’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, Department of Painting. In addition to contemporary painting, he is also involved in sculpture, performance, and film. In recent years he has held several solo exhibitions and has participated actively in group exhibitions both in Finland and abroad. His work is found in numerous private collections and his work can be found in public collections such as the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, National gallery of Finland and Hanaholmen, Swedish cultural center, Finland.
Stolen memories – Chronicles Like in life, but in the context of painting, I would say that for me, painting is the process that takes me from confusion to understanding...
Memories from my past are based on stories of my parents and relatives. I have no my own childhood photographs, that is why I am using someone Elses photos in order to construct the message according to my own concept. Images (photos) became instruments that are necessary in order to serve the concept of making narrative for the Stolen Memories series. I paint what I feel, not what I see. It is a pure response to the idea of my own memories. Some responses are illogical, and I am allowing them to emerge, suspending my critical judgment. In the context of my childhood, paintings were supposed to mimic subjective experience of events that happened. Most of the paintings are made as a combination of multiple old polaroid photographs. It is basically an extension or amplification of the collage approach. I am constantly fighting with my past; it is an infinite fight with no winners. Freedom is my goal; courage is my ally. The questions such as “Who I am?” and “What I have become?”. Next to my internal fear of the unknown makes me wonder where I belong?
Education:
2005 High School for Applied Arts Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2012 Folkhög konstskolan Munka – Ljungby (Helsingborg, Sweden)
2016 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Academy of Fine Arts of Uniarts Helsinki
2019 Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Academy of Fine Arts of Uniarts Helsinki
Solo exhibitions:
2022 Memories of loud silence, Hang tough Contemporary Gallery, Dublin, Irland 2022
2021 Metamorphosis, Aleksic gallery – Kragujevac, Serbia
2021 Stolen Memories – Chronicles, Pogo galleria, Helsinki, Finland
2020 Artist in Isolation, Brodac Gallery, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2020 Situations, Galleria Contempo, Helsinki, Finland
2019 Broken Fragments, Contempo Gallery, Helsinki Finland
2018 Springs were so cold, Project Room, Helsinki, Finland
2016 Don’t think about Art - The night of the arts 2016, Helsinki, Finland
2011 Landscapes, OP GALLERY HELSINGBORG, Helsingborg, Sweden
2011 One hundred chairs, GALLERI K2, Munka-Ljungby, Sweden
Selected group exhibitions:
2022 Papa Hood, Taoyoan Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan
2022 Art Taichung, Taiwan, represented by Equal Lab
2022 Double worlds, gallery Rankka, Helsinki, Finland
2022 Nesvrstani, Poola gallery - Lauba, Zagreb, Croatia
2021 Robert Fontaine Gallery, Miami, United States (during Art Basel week 2021)
2021 Hang Tough Editions Winter Print Show, Hang tough Contemporary Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
2022 Art Taipei, Taiwan
2021 Art Taichung, Taiwan
2021 Portrait NOW, The Museum of National History, Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark
2021 Portrait Now II, Ljungber Museum, Kronoberg, Sweden
2021 For the love of, Hakola studio – Helsinki design week, Finland
2021 Winners Exhibition, Delphian Gallery – Unit1 Gallery, London England
2021 Private & Public, NV gallery, Siroki Brijeg, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2019 Fantome Aave, Galerie Au Medicis, Paris, France
2018 Kuvan Kevät- Spring show, Exhibition Laboratory, Helsinki, Finland
2018 Microsites, Helsinki, Finland curated by Pontus Kyander
2017 Närmare Borta, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm, Sweden
2016 Bachelor degree exhibition 2016, Helsinki, Finland
2016 Portraits, Collegium Artisticum, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2016 Porvoo Pre-Triennial (Porvoo, Finland) – “JOY IMPORT EXPORT” – collaboration with Finish artist group “JOY MEN”, Angel Mix / Enkeli Mix / Porvoon Taideyhdistys with Petri Hytönen
2015 Exhibiting Painting 2, Open Art – Biennale, Örebrö, Sweden
2015 Basware 2015, Finland, Helsinki 2015 Exhibiting Painting 2, Open Art – Biennale, Örebrö, Sweden
2015 Exhibiting Painting, Kuva Tila, Helsinki, Finland
2014 Performance with Petri Hytönen, Liisa Risu-GALLERI SIC, Helsinki, Finland
2013 Who is IN? FAFA GALLERY, Helsinki, Finland
2012 Big Bang, SKÅNES KONSTFÖRENING MALMÖ, Malmö, Sweden
2012 You are art, GALLERY CKA-CHARLAMA, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2012 Time, RÖDA KVARN, Helsingborg, Sweden
2011 Hans Christian Andersen, JÄRNVÄGENS MUSEUM, Ängelholm, Sweden
Grants and awards
2018 The Anita Snellman Foundation
2018 Paulon Säätiö
2018 Suomen Taideyhdistys - Finnish Art Society
2019 Vantaa City 2020 Taike – Arts Promotion Centre Finland
2020 Taike – Arts Promotion Centre Finland
2021 Finland cultural foundation
2021 Frame
Works purchased for public collections/Public artworks and commissions : Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Finland
Taoyoan Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan
Päivi ja Paavo Lipposen Foundation
Swedish-Finnish Cultural Center Hanaholmen, (Helsinki, Finland)
Aleksic collection
Private collections
Mirza Čizmić / Mirza Cizmic
X VITAMIN
Resavska 19, Beograd / Belgrade
Izdavač / Editor:
Umetnička kolekcija Aleksić / Aleksic Art Collection
Za izdavača / Authorised: Dejan Aleksić
Produkcija / Production:
Umetnička kolekcija Aleksić / Aleksic Art Collection
Kustos / Currator of the exbition: Dejan Aleksić, Ksenija Marinković, Brajan Vojinović
Tekst / Text author:
Aida Bičakčić, Brajan Vojinović
Prevod na engleski / Translation:
Vojislav Ćupurdija, Brajan Vojinović
Fotografija / Photography:
Slavoljub Radojević, Dejan Aleksić
Dizajn i priprema / Design : Borko Petrović
Štampa / Printed by: Grafostil Kragujevac
Tiraž / Circulation: 300
Godina / Year: 2022
Umetnička kolekcija Aleksić je zbirka savremene umetnosti, autora druge polovine XX veka do danas. U kolekciji se nalazi preko 500 radova više od 50 umetnika. Cilj ovakvih izložbi je približavanje i prikazivanje umetničkih radova javnosti uz katalošku obradu dela.
Osnivač Umetničke kolekcije Aleksić Dejan Aleksić
The Aleksic Art Collection is a collection of contemporary art from the second half of the 20th century to the present day. The collection includes over 500 works by more than 50 artists. The goal of such exibitions is to bring the works of art closer to the public and to catalog the artworks.
Founder of the Aleksic Art Collection Dejan Aleksic
@aleksic_art_collection_
@ a l e k s i c a r t c o l l e c t i o n
