15 minutes with Nenad Stankovic
Recent works being shown at Galerie Goncourt, The Hague.
By Paul Bastiaans
Nenad Stankovic was born in 1965 in Belgrade. Since 1992 he lives and works, together with his wife Mariana Lazarevic, in the Netherlands. He started in this year his artistic formation at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague. From this moment his work was characterised by strong architectonical and sculptural forms. In the next years, this way of working resulted in a personal artistic language. A clear shift can be noticed by analyzing his recent works. In Stankovic's entire oeuvre always existed a tension between craftsmanship and artistic hood. This artistic hood is the dominating factor in the new works of Stankovic. His new paintings, objects and video-artworks distance themselves from the mainly architectonical character where the circle seems to be the most dominant subject.
Paul Bastiaans [PB]: You live in the Netherlands since 1992. Has this change of environment influenced your artistic development?
Nenad Stankovic [NS]: Every change has an important value, especially when you change from place and habits. Moving from Belgrade to The Hague brought me an improvement in my personality and work. Taking a distance from 'the roots' and moving to a different environment inspired me positively and gave me a different art perspective.
PB: Your new work shows many differences from your old work, with the exception of works like 'cube' (p/x). Could you explain this shift?
NS: All of my works have a certain connection. Things change as deep as I go into the subject. That's the process.
PB: In the medias and techniques used by you there is a lot of variation. Your works consist of objects, paintings, photographs and video artworks. Is this the result of a certain learning process?
NS: I think that the use of different expressions is very natural and necessary, especially in the creation process. I call this questions and answers. These are constant experiments, striving for something new and essential. Yes, it's a constant learning process and my sphere of curiosity is without favourites; I observe everything with equal attention.
PB: Do you prefer a certain medium?
NS: I don't like repeating myself. Because of this, there isn't a certain medium I prefer. All medias, techniques and experiments are connected and complement each other.
PB: In your recent works, like 'Eye' and 'Vega' you introduce a new element: the circle. Like the title says, it can be interpreted as an eye. For these works you also mainly use primary colors. What is your starting point by these forms and colors?
NS: The circle and the eye are forms of strong capacity and understanding. They are not only geometrical forms but they also represent strong symbols of life, time and eternity. These forms build up as three-dimensional objects using primary colours and reflective materials create a new dimension with an interaction between inside and outside.
PB: In a recent conversation you told me about your interpretation of the three dimensions: height, width and depth. How do you connect this theory to your works?
NS: Dimension, perception and time are mutually connected elements. The need for understanding three-dimensionality is linked with our perception of space and the human urge to create.
PB: Your two recent untitled works (p. x and p. x) rather diverge from your other works. A raster like composition has substituted the circle. Have you taken distance from your subject or is this a prolongation of this subject in a new form?
NS: Macro and micro. Sometimes I am close and sometimes I am far away. These are philosophically similar works; I start from one element, then I multiply it creating an infinite space and then this process is reversed. Repetition, structure and depth are the basics of my work. Like a constant travel through time and space. That's the reason why some of my works are difficult to focus on or to understand its depth.
PB: One last question: can you place yourself in an artistic style or contemporary movement?
NS: No, I think that being an artist is already 'placed' enough. My work is about energy. To answer questions I use different methods and develop them from philosophy to creation. I achieve this through experiments, techniques and respect. I am an artist of the present time.
The Hague, April 2005