APOSTOLOVIĆ JOKSIMOVIĆ KRGOVIĆ PETROVIĆ
Počeci i uticaj Nove britanske skulpture
Krajem osamdesetih godina dvadesetog veka, umetnici Srđan Apostolović, Zdravko Joksimović, Dobrivoje Krgović i Dušan Petrović okupili su se u okviru Likovne radionice galerije Studentskog kulturnog centra u Beogradu. Spojili su ih sličan umetnički senzibilitet i isti pogled na savremenu umetnost, pogled koji su delili sa, desetak godina starijom, Novom britanskom skulpturom. Tadašnja likovna kritika daje im naziv pod kojim su i danas poznati u stručnoj literaturi – Nova beogradska skulptura, naziv koji direktno aludira na sličnost jezika vizuelnog izražavanja, materijala, forme i koncepta Nove britanske i Nove beogradske skulpture. Ali, sličnost ove dve grupe umetnika ne završava se ovde – kao što su ključnu ulogu u afirmaciji Nove britanske skulpture imali galerija Lisson i njen osnivač Nicholas Logsdail, u slučaju Nove beogradske skulpture to su bili galerija SKC-a i njen kustos Biljana Tomić.
Ipak, između dve navedene umetničke pojave postoji i značajna razlika – umetnici Nove britanske skulpture nikada nisu bili međusobno blisko povezani, dok se Apostolović, Joksimović, Krgović i Petrović do današnjih dana druže, razmenjuju ideje, iskustva i razmišljanja o umetnosti, međusobno pomažu i sarađuju u okviru različitih zajedničkih projekata.
Individualne prakse
Nikad brutalan, agresivan, bazičan ili jednoznačan, rad Srđana Apostolovića karakteriše vrhunska obrada materijala, izuzetna elegancija i istančanost u izvođenju forme i odabiru kolorita, konciznost ideje, preciznost izrade i ironični nazivi. Apostolovićevi radovi su autonomni umetnički objekti vrhunske estetizacije koji plene svojom likovnom čistotom, skladom i elegancijom. Apostolovićev istančan odnos prema površini, formi, materijalima i boji doprinosi vizuelnoj atraktivnosti njegove umetničke prakse. Dvosmisleni nazivi radova, u isto vreme i bukvalni i ironični, ističu značaj ugla i jezika vizuelnog pripovedanja umetnika i ukazuju na istovremeno postojanje „obične” i inverzne realnosti njegovih radova.
Apostolović postavlja objekte u prostor uzimajući u obzir njegove osobine, kao i osobine objekta; rad je postavljen tek kad postigne sadejstvo prostora i objekta na način koji pruža dodatni kvalitet, težeći postmodernističkom Gesamtkunstwerk-u.
Zdravka Joksimovića oduvek su privlačile neuobičajene kombinacije različitih materijala, oblika i boja bilo da je reč o nađenim (i odabranim) predmetima iz svakodnevnog života ili o odabiru likovnih elemenata u procesu stvaranja rada. U svojim radovima umetnik uvek preispituje i njihove pikturalne vrednosti; takđe, za njega je boja izrazito važan element vizuelne strukture kompozicije.
Njegovi radovi često poseduju neočekivanu dosetku (nekad formalističku, nekad semantičku, skoro uvek metonimijsku) kao element iznenađenja koji podstiče publiku na odgonetanja ovih vizuelnih zagonetki. Joksimović pretežno stvara kolaže, asamblaže i skulpture; u poslednjih par godina fokus njegovog interesovanja
Beginnings and Impact of New British Sculpture
In the late 1980s, artists Srđan Apostolović, Zdravko Joksimović, Dobrivoje Krgović and Dušan Petrović gathered as a part of Belgrade Student Cultural Centre Gallery Art Workshop. What brought them together was a similar artistic sensibility and the same perspective on contemporary art, which they share with ten years older New British Sculpture. The contemporary art critics gave them name by which the professional art literature of today still recognize them - The New Belgrade Sculpture, a name that alludes directly to the similarity of New British and New Belgrade Sculpture language concerning visual expression, material, form and concept. But the similarity between the two groups of artists does not end here - while the Lisson Gallery and its founder Nicholas Logsdail played the key role in the affirmation of New British Sculpture, in the case of New Belgrade Sculpture it was the SKC Gallery and its curator Biljana Tomić.
However, there is a significant difference between the two above mentioned artistic phenomena - the artists of the New British Sculpture have never been closely interconnected, while to this day Apostolović, Joksimović, Krgović and Petrović socialize, exchange ideas, experiences and thoughts about art, help and cooperate as part of various joint projects.
Individual Practices
Never being brutal, aggressive, plain or unambiguous, Srđan Apostolović’s artworks reveal a superior material processing, exceptional elegance and refinement in the articulation of form and selection of colour, the precision of the idea and craftsmanship, and ironic work titles. Apostolović’s artworks are autonomous artistic objects of supreme aestheticization that seize the public with their artistic purity, harmony and elegance. Apostolović’s refined apprehension of surface, shape, materials and colour ads to the visual appeal of his artistic practice. The ambiguous artwork titles, both literal and ironic, emphasize the importance of angle and language of the artist’s visual storytelling and indicate the simultaneous existence of the “ordinary” and “inverse” reality of his artworks.
Apostolović places the objects in ambient, taking into account its properties as well as those of the objects; the display is ready ones the author achieves the harmony of space and objects, providing additional quality and striving for the post-modern Gesamtkunstwerk.
Unusual combinations of different materials, shapes and colours perpetually attract Zdravko Joksimović, both in his dealing with finding (and selecting) objects from everyday life and deciding on visual elements in the process of creating art. Joksimović persistently questions the visual qualities of his work, especially the colour, since he considers it to be a particularly important element of the optical structure. His works often have an unexpected catch (sometimes formalistic, other times semantic, but almost always metonymic) as an element of surprise that encourages the audience to solve these visual puzzles. Joksimović primarily creates
predstavlja istraživanje izražajnih mogućnosti transponovanja linije iz 2D u 3D, podstaknuto umetničkim opusom Bore Iljovskog. Sve svoje radove Zdravko Joksimović dovodi do elegancije piktoralne svedenosti znaka.
Radovi sa početka karijere Dobrivoja Krgovića (kao i ostale trojice umetnika) mogu se opisati kao prečišćene geometrijske forme u krajnje redukovanim kompozicionim rešenjima koja se oslanjaju na nasleđe minimalizma.
Iako je Krgović postepeno izmestio fokus svog interesovanja sa objekta na koncept, umetnika i danas inspirišu predmeti koje pronalazi na buvljim pijacama, otpadima, internet berzama ili privatnim kolekcijama – inkorporirajući ih u svoje radove, umetnik oko njih formira nove narative. Veliki potencijal Krgovićevih konceptualnih radova ogleda se u, kako sam umetnik kaže, mogućnosti njihovog “daljeg razvijanja“ i “uspostavljanja mnogostrukih veza elemenata strukture“ – Krgović smatra da njegovi radovi ne predstavljaju “zatvorene forme, već otvorene strukture”; sa druge strane, u odnosu na publiku, njegovi radovi otvaraju različite nivoe iščitavanja (jasne, prikrivene, simboličke) formirajući pogodno tlo za nove ideje i kontekste.
Dušan Petrović izvodi svoje radove pretežno u prirodnim materijalima – drvetu i kamenu, ali i u metalu i staklu (ili u kombinaciji ovih materijala). On izvlači maksimalni prirodni potencijal svakog od ovih materijala, nezavisno od stepena umetničke intervencije. Njegovoj umetničkoj prirodi ne odgovaraju veštački materijali poput gume i plastike, ne inspirišu ga na stvaranje ili, kako sam umetnik kaže, na “otkrivanje forme” u materijalu. Petrovićevo primarno interesovanje za formu u umetničkom radu ogleda se i kroz umetnikovo eksperimentisanje različitim vidovima obrade izabranog materijala što utiče na krajnji izgled rada i snažan utisak koji ostavlja na posmatrača. Dušan Petrović uvek insistira na čistoti svojih radova u formalnom, materijalnom i likovnom smislu. On uvek predvidi put i način na koji će pogled posmatrača otkrivati vizuelnu celovitost rada.
Međusobni uticaji – da li ih ima ili ne i zašto
Mada tema međusobnih uticaja umetnika Nove beogradske skulpture sigurno zahteva temeljnu naučnu analizu, ovom prilikom ne možemo da se ne zapitamo: da li su ova četiri umetnika uticali jedni na druge i, ako jesu, u kojoj meri i na koji način?
Od početaka njihovih praksi u SKC-u do danas, njihov umetnički izraz povezuje isti odnos prema vrhunskoj estetizaciji forme i poštovanju prirode materijala, sklonost ka preformulaciji i rekontekstualizaciji, kao i naglašen intelektualni pristup pri stvaranju umetničkog dela. Ipak, svaki od ove četvorice umetnika je izraziti individualista, snažna kreativna ličnost karakterističnog umetničkog senzibiliteta. Zajedničke izložbe Apostolovića, Joksimovića, Krgovića i Petrovića izuzetno su zanimljive jer predstavljaju retku priliku da na istom mestu, jedne uz druge, vidimo njihove radove i na taj način nam pružaju mogućnost da potražimo odgovor na pitanje međusobnih uticaja koji često ostanu nedovoljno vidljivi, neiščitani negde u dubljim slojevima umetničkog dela.
collages, assemblages and sculptures; in the last couple of years, he has shifted the focus of his interest to exploring the expressive possibilities of transposing a line from 2D to 3D, actuated by the artistic oeuvre of Bora Iljovski. One of the main characteristics of Zdravko Joksimović art practice is that he brings all of his artworks to the elegance of pictorial reduction of the sign.
We can describe artworks from the beginning of Dobrivoje Krgović’s career (as well as the other three artists’ works from this period) as refined geometric forms in extremely reduced compositions which rely on the legacy of Minimalism.
Although Krgović shifted the focus of his interest from object to concept, objects that the artist finds in flea markets, landfills, internet market and private items collections still inspire him – the artist incorporates them into his artworks, creating new narratives around them. Krgović’s conceptual artworks reveal their great potential in the possibility of, as the artist states, “further development” and “making multiple connections between elements of structure” – the artist considers his artworks not to be “closed forms, rather open structures” which upgrade can become the basis of new artwork. On the other hand, concerning the spectators, the artworks open up different levels of reading (explicit, hidden, symbolic), thus forming a proper ground for developing new ideas and contexts.
Dušan Petrović creates his art mainly in natural materials - wood and stone, but he also works in metal and glass (or a combination of these materials). He brings about the maximum of each of these materials natural potential, regardless of the scope of his artistic intervention. The artificial materials such as rubber and plastics do not meet the needs of his artistic persona; they do not inspire him to create or, as the artist states, “discover a form” in the material. Petrović’s experiments in various ways of processing the selected material also reflect the artist’s primary interest in the form of the artwork, which affects the final appearance of the work of art as well as the strong impression it has on the viewer. Dušan Petrović steadily requests the formal, plastic and visual purity in his art. He always anticipates the direction and style in which the observer’s gaze will reveal the visual integrity of the artwork.
Mutual influences - whether or not they are present and why
Although the topic of the New Belgrade Sculpture artists’ mutual interaction certainly requires a thorough scientific analysis, we cannot help but wonder: did these four artists influence each other and, if so, to what extent and in what way?
Since the beginnings of their practices in SKC, the identical approach to the highest aestheticization of form and respect for the nature of the material, a tendency to reformulate and recontextualize, as well as an accentuated intellectual approach to the creation of art has connected the artistic expression of these four artists. However, each of them is a distinct individual with a strong creative personality and a unique artistic sensibility. The group exhibitions featuring Apostolović, Joksimović, Krgović and Petrović are very interesting because they represent a rare opportunity to see their artworks in the same space, side by side, thus enabling us to seek the
Ukoliko uporedimo njihove prakse tokom vremena, primetićemo sličnosti u redukovanom, smirenom koloritu Petrovića i Krgovića, duhovitim i ironičnim nazivima radova i nadgradnji nasleđa pop-arta Apostolovića i Joksimovića, inkorporaciji prisvojenih predmeta Krgovića i Joksimovića, snazi izraza Petrovića i Krgovića... Ipak, odmah ćemo naići na prepreku –ne možemo izdvojiti niti jedan uticaj specifičan za nekog od ovih umetnika koji se odnosi na ostalu trojicu, ni na sve radove, niti možemo odrediti precizan period uticaja (jer se ponavljaju) na njihove umetničke prakse, a ponajmanje možemo odrediti njegovo tačno poreklo.
Možda bi trebalo krenuti drugačijim logičkim putem, kroz negaciju i postaviti pitanja: da li bi njihove umetničke prakse bile drugačije da se nikada nisu upoznali? Da li bi se njihovi radovi razlikovali od postojećih da se nisu skoro svakodnevno družili sve ove godine?
Nijedan čovek, pa ni umetnik, nije ostrvo „za sebe“ i ne stvara u izolaciji. Mišljenja sam da međusobne kreativne uticaje četvorice umetnika treba tražiti u domenu konceptualnog, u načinu rešavanja problema (formalističkih, semantičkih, stilskih...) na koje svaki umetnik nailazi u procesu stvaranja umetničkog dela. Nekad je u pitanju odnos boja, nekad rešenje dela forme, nekad kockica koja nedostaje u oblikovanju načina iskazivanja ideje – zavisi od slučaja do slučaja, odnosno od toga gde je problem u realizaciji rada nastao. Veoma je moguće da ovi uticaji nisu čak ni deo svesne odluke umetnika, već podsvesno prizivanje iz registara memorije odgovarajuće informacije prikupljene tokom dugog niza godina razgovora, saradnje i prisnog druženja. Zbog toga se njihovi međusobni uticaji ni ne mogu lako iščitati, jer dok je kod svakog umetnika „osnova“ rada uvek prepoznatljivo lična, „uticaji/rešenja“ predstavljaju deo „potke“, uvek drugačije pozicionirani i, posledično, skoro neuhvatljivi.
Izloženi radovi, pored distinktivnog, individualnog i karakterističnog za vreme i mesto, u sebi sadrže likovnu, misaonu i ličnu povezanost ovih umetnika. Svaki od ove četvorice umetnika poštuje umetničku slobodu i podržava individualnost izraza onog drugog. Svaki od njih najbolje poznaje rad, talenat, htenja, želje i namere onih drugih; oni su jedni drugima najbolji kritičari, mentori, asistenti i pomoćnici, ali nikad rivali.
Umetnici Srđan Apostolović, Zdravko Joksimović, Dobrivoje Krgović i Dušan Petrović, iako formalno ne čine umetničku grupu, to zapravo jesu. Izložba “4/prostor 5” ostavlja nama kao publici u zadatak da otkrijemo tu kreativnu crtu koja spaja ove umetnike, da uočimo koje su moguće, a koje ostvarene veze između njihovih praksi i da identifikujemo načine na koje oni sebe povezuju i stavljaju u poziciju u kojoj se nalaze.
Ivona Fregl
answer to the question of the mutual influences that often remain invisible, unread, hidden somewhere in the more profound layers of their artwork. If we compare their practices over time, we shall notice similarities in Petrović and Krgović’s reduced, calm colour schemes, Apostolović and Joksimović’s witty and ironic artwork titles and upgrades of the Pop art heritage, Krgović and Joksimović’s incorporation of the appropriated objects, Petrović and Krgović’s powerful artistic expression. Nevertheless, we shall immediately encounter an obstacle - we cannot single out any influence specific to any of these artists that applies to the other three artists or all the artworks, nor can we determine the precise period of impact on their artistic practices (because these influences repeat over time), and the least we can determine their exact origin.
Maybe we should take a different logical path, through negation and ask the questions: would their artistic practices be different if they had never met? Would their work be different from the existing ones if they had not been together almost every day all these years?
No man, not even an artist, is an island and does not create in isolation. In my opinion, one should seek the mutual creative influences of these four artists in the domain of conceptual, in their method of solving the dilemmas (formal, semantical, stylistic) that each artist encounters in the process of creating art. Sometimes it is about a relationship of colours, other times the answer to how to articulate a part of the form or a missing link in the way of expressing the ideas - it depends on a caseby-case basis, i.e. where from the problem in creating originated. It is highly possible that these mutual influences are not even a part of the artists’ conscious decisions; they are more likely the subconscious recalls from registers with relevant information gathered in their memories over many years of conversation, collaboration and close socializing. For their mutual influences are not easily legible because, while for each artist the “basis” of the work is always recognizably personal, the “influences/ solutions” are part of the “weft”, every time positioned differently and, consequently, almost elusive.
Aside from the distinctive, individual and characteristic of space and time, the exhibited artworks comprise the artistic, intellectual and personal connections of these artists. Each of these four artists values artistic freedom and encourages the individuality of each other’s expressions. Each of them knows best the art practices, talents, passions, ambitions and intentions of the others; they are each other’s best critics, mentors, assistants and helpers, but never rivals.
Although Srđan Apostolović, Zdravko Joksimović, Dobrivoje Krgović and Dušan Petrović do not formally make an artistic group they do. The exhibition 4 / Space 5 leaves us, as the audience, tasked with discovering that creative line that brings these artists together, to identify what are possible connections and what are the achieved ones between their artistic practices, and to identify how they connect and place themselves in a present position.
Ivona FreglSRĐAN APOSTOLOVIĆ
VOJVODA OD URBANIZMA / Duke of Urbanism, 2019, 120 x 150 cm, papir, furnir, metalna piljevina i magnet / paper, veneer, metal swarf and magnet
VOJVODA OD GEOMETRIJE / Duke of Geometry, 2019, 120 x 150 cm, papir, furnir, metalna piljevina i magnet / paper, veneer, metal swarf and magnet
NE MRZIM POVRŠNO / I Don’t Hate Superficially, 2018, promenljive dimenzije / variable dimensions, hrast, španska trska, bakar / oak, cane webbing, copper
WILLKOMMEN, 2018, 52 x 22 x 20 cm, aluminijum, neon, napojni kabl / aluminium, neon tube light, power cable
DUAL ACTIV, 2016, 2x (67 x 124 x 75 cm), drvo i tekstil / wood and fabric
ZDRAVKO JOKSIMOVIĆ
NI POČETKA NI KRAJA II / There’s No Beginning and There’s No End II, 2019, 56 x 124 x 2 cm, alubond i klingerit / Alubond and klingerit
PLAVI STUB / Blue Column, 2019, (Levo / Left) 189 x 40 x 40 cm, aluminijum, guma, akrilik / aluminium, rubber, acrylic
KOŽNI PEČAT / Leather Stamp, 2019, 40 x 35 x 3 cm, koža i drvo / leather and wood
RAZGOVOR U ČETIRI OKA / Conversation One-on-One, 2019, 90 x 135 x 12 cm, guma, drvo / rubber, wood
DOBRIVOJE KRGOVIĆ, IVAN KRGOVIĆ
NOĆNI VIDEO / Night Video, 2015, video instalacija / video installation dokumentarni video: crno-belo, bez zvuka, 6 min 57 cec, 7 flip bookova, 10 x 16.5 cm x 240 str, 7 tanjira R=28 cm, mobilijar Kulturnog centra Banski dvor, 5 infografika “Migration Patterns” 2015-18, 45 x 60 cm /
documentary video: black and white, silent, 6 min 57 cec, 7 flip books, 10 x 16.5 cm x 240 pages, 7 plates R=28cm, furniture and equipment courtesy of the Banski Dvor Cultural Centre, 5 infographics “Migration Patterns”, 2015-18, 45 x 60 cm
Video frames: Noćni snimak SLO Policije migranata, koji prelaze Sutlu, Objavljeno 22. oktobra 2015. / Slovenian police night shots of migrants crossing Sutla river, published on October 22, 2015
Detalj instalacije, Kulturni centar Banski Dvor / installation detail, Banski Dvor Cultural Centre
DUŠAN PETROVIĆ
BUK / Rapid, 2013, (Levo / Left) 92 x 180 x 400 cm, drvo / wood
LETAČI II / Flyers II, 2018, (Gore / Above) drvo, aluminijum, mesing / wood, aluminum, brass
LETAČI I / Flyers I, 2018, 205 x 60 x 60 cm, drvo / wood
ZVEZDICA / Little Star, 2018, (Gore / Above)
37 x 17 x 15 cm, drvo, metal / wood, metal
UPROLAZU / Within The Opening, 2013, drvo / wood
Imprint:
4/prostor5
Srđan Apostolović Zdravko Joksimović Dobrivoje Krgović Dušan Petrović
Organizacija i realizacija izložbe:
ART-ZOOM
Kulturni centar Banski dvor
Izdavač: ART-ZOOM
Za izdavača:
Ivona Fregl
Kustos:
Ivona Fregl
Tekst i prevod na engleski:
Ivona Fregl
Grafičko oblikovanje: KAPJ
Fotografija:
Borislav Brezo
Dobrivoje Krgović
Projekat: ART-ZOOM
Štampa:
Jovšić Printing Centar
Tiraž: 200
Beograd, 2019.
Република Србија Министарство културе и информисанја
Grad Beograd Sekretarijat za kulturu