Diana Weber: ODMARANJE / RESTING

A very witty piece, containing a high amount of self-criticism.

We can immediately identify the state of mind which, unfortunately, befalls all artists very frequently - and that is the dreaded lack of inspiration. 

The creator of it is depicting himself as empty and tired - utterly abandoned by the Muses.

What is interesting here is the depth achieved by adding mirror to the composition - which symbolizes the intimate communication of the artist with herself.

We are the witnesses to the artist's questioning of creative blocks, futile pursuit of inspiration, searching for the answers within... and also to the internal dialogue rich with a whole spectrum of contradictory emotions - the artist is angry, persuasive, blackmailing, promising, bribing, begging, raging, suffering...and in the end, we are witnessing the surrender, defeat and passive waiting - which is one of the hardest things, difficult for any of us to accept...

Duhovit uradak – koji nosi veliku količinu samokritike.

Naime, odmah možemo iščitati da se ovdje opisuje stanje koje se, nažalost dosta često, javlja kod svih umjetnika –a to je strašni gubitak inspiracije.

Stvaralac  ovdje sam sebe prikazuje kao praznog i umornog – potpuno su ga napustile njegove muze.

Ono što je zanimljivo jeste dubina koja je postignuta uvođenjem ogledala u kompoziciju – čime je prikazana intimna  komunikacija umjetnika  sa samim sobom. 

Vidimo njegovo preispitivanje  blokada, bezuspješnu potragu za inspiracijom, traženje odgovora od sebe samoga … Svjedočimo njegovu unutrašnjem dijalogu koji obiluje čitavom lepezom oprečnih osjećaja – on se ljuti, uvjerava , ucjenjuje, obećava, podmićuje, moli, bjesni, pati… da bi na kraju svjedočili i njegovoj predaji, prepuštanju i pristajanju na čekanje – što je jedna od najtežih stvari, na koju svi nerado pristajemo…

Sanela Majstorović: KIŠNO JUTRO / RAINY MORNING

I usually do not give negative reviews - but this time I have to make an exception.

What sort of a title is 'Rainy Morning'?! The point has been completely missed here!

And if the artwork itself wasn't extremely attention-worthy, I would have refrained from commenting, but this piece is a genuine PEARL which simply demands for the correction of the injustice done to it by the clumsy choice of title.

Obviously, what is represented here is a love affair between a man and a woman. We can easily recognize the ebbing passion and the escalation of the relationship in which one of the partners demands, blackmails, manipulates and threatens the other one, and uses his obsession to suffocate the other's freedom.

This is an intense, neurotic relationship based on the sexual attraction, painted with a surgical precision with a large dose of fear and passion - which testifies about the sincerity of the author who, obviously, tells the story from a personal experience.

My suggestion for the title: Time of Anguish

Also, this artwork reminds me of a lithograph by Joan Miró (shown below) which, under its inconspicuous title ('Green') hides the defeat and humiliating surrender of one side in the end of such a toxic relationship.

Poglavito ne dajem negativne kritike – ali ovoga puta pravim iznimku.

Kakav je to naziv “Kišno jutro”? Pa tu je potpuno promašena poanta!

I da samo djelo nije vrijedno pažnje ne bih se ni ja pačao u to, međutim ovo je BISER koji zahtijeva da se ispravi nanešena mu nepravda izazvana nezgrapnim odabirom naslova.

Ovdje je, naravno,riječ o ljubavnoj vezi između muškarca i žene. 

Prepoznajemo narastajuću strast i razvoj odnosa u kojem jedan zahtijeva, ucjenjuje, manipulira i prijeti, te svojom  opsesijom guši slobodu onog drugog. 

To je intenzivan, neurotičan odnos zasnovan na seksualnoj privlačnosti, oslikan hirurskom preciznošću uz veliku dozu straha i strasti - što nam samo svjedoči o iskrenosti autora koji, očito, pripovijeda iz ličnog iskustva.

Prijedlog naslova: Doba strijepnje

Također, ovaj rad me podsjetio na niže prikazanu litografiju Joana Miróa, koja iza neutralnog naslova ('Green') skriva prikaz poražavajuće predaje jedne strane na kraju takve toksične veze.

Joan Miró, 'Green'

Lavinija Erdinger: OTETO / RAPTURED

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What is immediately obvious here is the author's contemplation of the question - 'is there a life after death'.

We clearly see the notions of forgiveness, reconciliation and letting go of the toxic fear of tomorrow, pain and existence. Lavinija has surrendered after a futile struggle and refusal to confront the complexity of life's situations which grind her into dust and demand a constant war with the inner hell and its demons. The ability to believe and to hope - even to be afraid - have been taken away from her.

This is an extremely strong and intimate confession...

Odmah se može uhvatiti zamisao autorice koja kontemplira nad pitanjem   - postoji li život nakon smrti.

Ovdje jasno iščitavamo oprost, mirenje i opuštanje nakon grčevitog straha od sutrašnjice, boli i bitka. Lavinija se predala nakon uzaludne borbe i odbijanja da se suoči sa kompleksnosti životnih situacija koje ju melju i traže svakodnevnu borbu sa unutrašnjim paklom i demonima.

Njoj je oteta mogućnost da vjeruje i da se nada - čak i da se plaši. Ovo je izuzetno snažna i intimna ispovijest...  

Nikica Drogbaba: KAD JE JUNG SREO FREUDA / WHEN JUNG MET FREUD

The two phallusoid vertical objects which symbolize Jung and Freud have been skilfully juxtaposed with the passive, feminine openness of the horizontal lines, barely visible in the background.
The pulsating Eros is almost tangible here, mixed with a sense of guilt - simmering hypnotic sexual desire that regularly gets repressed during the upbringing, which is irresistible as much as it is threatening, capable to annihilate the laws of behavior and living and bring confusion and pain due to overpowering change and penetration of the unknown - which is something that the Western civilization (which we are a part of) is genuinely terrified of.


Falusne vertikale - kojima su ovdje simbolički prikazani Freud i Jung majstorski su povezane sa pasivnom ženskom otvorenošću horizonatalnih linija, ovlaš naznačenih u pozadini.

Tu se naprosto može napipati pulsirajuća erotičnost pomiješana sa osjećajem krivnje – tinjajuća hipnotička seksualna želja  koja se redovito potiskuje zbog odgoja, a koja je neodoljiva i ujedno prijeteća, sposobna razoriti zakonitosti  ponašanja i življenja te donijeti  pometnju i bol zbog nastale promjene i ulaska u nepoznato - čega se duboko u sebi Zapadna civilizacija, (koje smo i mi dio), iskreno užasava.

Deanna Kowalski: COLLATERAL DAMAGE OF PERSONALITY TRANSFORMATION / Kolateralna šteta transformacije osobnosti

Well chosen title.

Frightening in its openness, this work dissects our psyche and moves boundaries.

Here, human being is seen as completely vulnerable, without psychological safety brakes which have been discarded during the transformation process. Here, with completely exposed instinct of death which was originally pointed towards self-destruction, we are allowed to suppose that, after the violent shedding, all of the primal urges will now be directed at the outward destruction - fueled by strong libido which is rooted in the essence of every human being...

Odlično odabran naziv. 

Užasavajući u svojoj otvorenosti, ovaj rad secira našu psihu i pomijera granice. 

Ovdje je čovjek potpuno ranjiv, bez psiholoških amortizera koji su odbačeni u procesu transformiranja. Ovdje, sa posve ogoljenim nagonom smrti koji je prvotno bio usmjeren prema samouništenju, dozvoljeno nam je naslutiti da nakon silovitog odbacivanja, svi iskonski nagoni sada postaju nagoni za uništavanjem - pokretani snaznim libidom koji je ukorijenjen u esenciju svakog ljudskog bića...

Tamara Jakovljević: Ako nisi s nama, onda si protiv nas / If you're not with us, you're against us

Tamara Jakovljević: Ako nisi s nama, onda si protiv nas / If you're not with us, you're against us

Tamara, tvoj rad je jako slojevit - paznju posmatraca naprosto zakiva za ovdje vjesto prikazane turobne osjecaje patnje izazvane neprihvacanjem drustvenih konvencija od stane pojedinca. To je prikaz drustva koje odbacuje one koji su drugaciji, koji se ne uklapaju u njegove standarde...zbog cega se javlja moranje...prisila...kompleks...zelja da se udovolji...zbog cega se i javlja oponasanje (jaje zaogrnuto ljuskom luka) u zelji da se ostvari PRIPADANJE.

Tako jednostavno i ujedno snazno prikazan potisnuti osjecaj gnjeva koji kljuca i svakog trena prijeti eksplozijom revolucije. 

Velicanstveno!! 

Tamara, your work is indeed very multi-layered - the viewer's attention is simply chained to skilfully portrayed gloomy feelings of suffering caused by individual's lack of acceptance of social conventions. This is an exposé of a society which rejects anyone who is different, who doesn't fit in with its standards...which leads to compulsion...forcing...complexes...the will to please...which leads to imitation (egg coated in onion peel) out of desire to experience BELONGING.

Such a simple yet powerful depiction of a supressed rage that keeps pecking from the iside of a shell and threatens with the explosion of a revolution. Magnificent!