Galleri Brandstrup is delighted to present Double Moon, a solo exhibition by Dragan Zdravković. The exhibition will open on 12 January, 2023 and will be on display until 4 February, 2023. The exhibition consists of oil and acrylic paintings that are all a part of his series of art works titled “Double Moon” created specifically for his presentation at Galleri Brandstrup.
Serbian contemporary artist Dragan Zdravković (Belgrade, 1969) studied at the University of Arts in Belgrade achieving his BFA in 1994 and his MFA in 1999. Zdravkovic’ obtained his PhD in 2018 at the Faculty of Contemporary Art in Belgrade. Since 1996 he has been member of the Serbian Artist Union ULUS. He taught painting as full-time professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade since 2000 till 2014. In 2004 he taught painting (as visiting professor) at the SACI Studio Art Centre International, Florence.
The starting point for each of Zdravković’s works entails comprehensive sketching where he uses a vast variety of drawing techniques, including digital, followed by painting with layers of thin acrylic paint, then continuing the process with oil painting. Zdravković’s work draws features from the non-objective, biomorphic paintings of Spanish Joan Miro and Cubists such as Braque and Picasso, combined with elements from realism, surrealism, metaphysical painting, minimalism, pop-art, photorealism, and the new Leipzig school of painting.
Zdravković's art works are rooted in his hometown of Belgrade and offer a unique perspective on the city's urban landscape. The paintings, which are devoid of people, convey another dimension of reality through seemingly flawless sceneries. These bare landscapes encourage the viewer to reflect on the stresses of contemporary human life and our isolation, which can be exacerbated by the demands of our fast-paced society and the constraints of social norms. Zdravković's paintings are characterized by a sense of calmness and silence that arouses the viewer's curiosity about what might be taking place behind these idyllic landscapes. They offer a refuge from our frenetic reality, offering a glimpse into worlds of idyllic order and harmony, where the dignity of both humanity and nature is restored.
The artist states about his practice:
“I am constantly trying to portray the places in which time loses its strength and energy, heart ‘decelerates’ and its rate decreases, the places of melodic silence and eternal play. These are nonverbal notes of space within which we all may encounter and truly recognize ourselves. I mostly use the objects found in my surroundings, taken from the world of advertising and mass media and incorporate them into my paintings. I need all these objects because they represent the commonplace of perception. Then, I further model these objects according to my completely arbitrary plan, and my internal intuition, and with minimum of any intervention I bring new meaning to them (and even convey new meaning), perhaps even the metaphysical meaning, to such extent that up until then, all well-known and recognizable objects lose their former purpose, meaning, and function, and thus, they become “non-objects”, essentially space and time of the mental picture, spiritual and innermost self.“
In 2011 Dragan Zdravković received scholarship for the artistic-research programme in Germany (Leipzig): “LIA-Leipzig International Art Programme”. He was a member of Art Council of the Gallery “73”, Belgrade (2007-2013), a member of the advisory board of the Ministry of Culture and participated in the selection of the artist-representative of the Republic of Serbia for the 58th Venice Biennale. His artworks are represented in several public art collections, as well as numerous private collections: Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, Christen Sveaas Art Collection (Oslo, Norway), Museu do Douro (Portugal), Art Collection of Madlena Zepter, National Museum Vranje, Museum of Mladenovac, Cultural Centre Sopot, LIA - Leipzig International Art-Program (A-L. Rolland), donated work: Human Aid at the invitation of the curator Lisa Schiff (Lisa Schiff, SFA Art Advisory | NY, LA, London) for Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation (LDF Foundation), private collections in Berlin (A. Schlag / IMV GmbH), Leipzig (Lenzer), Vienna (Zepter, Graf), Belgrade.