Ana Aleksić
Ana Aleksić (1992, Montenegro) finished Grammar school “Slobodan Škerović” in Podgorica and bachelor and specialist degree in Painting on Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje in 2017, under the mentorship of prof Dragan Karadžić. During specialist studies she spent a semester in École Supérieure d’Art de Lorraine, Metz, France (2016).
Currently she’s doing her master degree in Painting in the Faculty of Fine Arts Belgrade, under the mentorship of prof Radomir Knežević. As a French government scholarship holder she resides in École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris (academic year 2020-2021). She had a solo exhibition in Centre for contemporary art of Montenegro (2019). Since 2014. she’s participated in numerous exhibitions, workshops and residencies, among which: workshop Matrices organiques – Antwan Horfee, Paris, France (2021), exhibition Preobražaj je temelj sveta, Nova galerija vizuelnih umetnosti, Belgrade, Serbia (2021), exhibition Masterpieces II, U10 Art Space, Belgrade, Serbia (2020), exhibition Goodbye Balkans? Goodbye, Balkans!, Centre for contemporary art, Podgorica, Montenegro (2018), Kotor APSS Architecture Summer School with Numen / For Use (2017), Kotor, Montenegro, Festival Via Pontica, Balchik, Bugarska (2015), residence in Dukley Art Centre, Kotor, Montenegro (2015), mural painting – a collaborative project, Ratkoviće večeri poezije, Bijelo Polje, Montenegro (2014).
UNSTABLE: 1,2
UNSTABLE: 1.2 is an installation which examines (un)stability, ambiguity, and transformability of space, where the focus is on the process of those phenomenons rather than their consequences or causes. The starting point is a photograph from a personal archive, but as well the experience of habitating between:
Safe places turning hostile
Unknown places turning safe
Unfinished buildings waiting construction
Finished buildings waiting demolition
Natural and urban landscapes that are drastically and forcefully changed
Changes of toponyms
Changes of territory
Transforming the initial image by alternating diametrically opposed processes such as integration and disintegration, detraction and extraction, The artist is not trying to find a solution or to create a new narrative, but to understand the transformation that takes place and create a spatial situation/entity. Once installed, it's up to external conditions to continue the formation of the work, thereby showing the process to the spectator.
Interview
What is the language in common for the young people today?
Language in common of young people is precisely the one to which the Youth Biennial gives space: the language of creation and exchange.
What does the process of making one of your pieces look like?
At the beginning there is an idea accompanied by a vision, more or less clear, of a future work. It serves only as a starting point for work - the process is completely intuitive and I leave it to him, I allow him to guide me and the work that is being done. The goal is not the result, but the process, and the completed work is completely inseparable from the process and serves as a testimony to its origin.
Which challenges have you faced while making art as you know it?
Sometimes I want to work with more forethought - I think I would save a lot of time. Admittedly, I would use that time in the same way as before.
Do you consider yourself an artist, and what does that word mean to you?
I consider myself an artist and I consider anyone an artist who is able to show us new truths and new worlds, and / or to present what we already know but are not aware of. "Connecting man with the whole world - that's the meaning of the film." - Tarkovsky
What is your escape from reality? Do you even have a need to escape from something?
I have a need, my escape is exactly my creative process.
What does the word innovative mean to you?
When I think of an innovative man, I mean the child and his fascination with the world, which intensifies the desire to further discover it.
Do you have a plan for the future? Where can your artistic practice take you?
I treat life like work - I leave all the doors open and go where the road opens. I hope that thanks to my work I will have the opportunity to get to know various world art scenes.
What made the biggest influence on you to become what you are today and do what you do now?
I didn’t always know I was going to do art, but I was always creating and I’ve always been interested in all the arts. The great need for expression had a great influence.
How would you describe Serbian (Balkan or European-depends on where you live and work) contemporary cultural scene?
Full of potential, but unfortunately without enough support. The solution should be better networking of artists among themselves and creating a strong scene independent of institutions.
In which way does your creative process shape you or changes you as a person, if it does at all?
Learning, discovering, getting to know a new work, the world and myself through this process not only changed me, but also shaped me.