From fantastical inventions to vivid paintings, Vladan Sibinovic's work emerges from an bold desire to understand the world and the human psyche. The artist's exploration of play, happiness, and the unconscious invites viewers into a visual dialogue, where simplicity meets profound complexity.
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How has your upbringing or cultural heritage shaped the themes and techniques you explore in your art today?
Ever since I can remember, I have had a strong desire to create something new and give form to the innumerable ideas that swirled around in my head. This manifested in various ways: creating elaborate storylines for toy characters, inventing fantastical contraptions like a bicycle with wings, writing fairy tales and poems, drawing a comic about a robot named "Kvik Kvik," and painting with soft pastels. I am still convinced that I once managed to propel myself a few centimeters off the ground and soar through the air on that flying bicycle, before descending at high speed down the street.
I believe that a child's life is very creative and that children at an early age endlessly enjoy and learn through play and creativity. The first few years of education are also creative and include making paintings, collages, sculptures and other craftworks. What often happens, when people grow up, most of them stop doing it on a daily basis. The artists continue with that practice. I did the same thing, I've never stopped playing, making art and I guess, I've never grown up in a way. At the age of ten, I took a more serious step into the world of art by enrolling in my first painting lessons. Remarkably, just three years later, I held my first solo exhibition – a perhaps childish but undeniably ambitious undertaking.
Some of the themes I explore in my art today are directly or indirectly linked to my childhood and my enduring desire to understand the world around me.
Closely intertwined with the phenomenon of happiness, which serves as the cornerstone of my latest series of works, is the motif of game. It appears repeatedly in my paintings in the form of marbles, which occasionally extend beyond the canvas as site-specific installations. Through play, we liberate ourselves from ingrained patterns, venture into uncharted territories, descend into the depths of the unconscious, and gain deeper insights into the various facets of our psyche, the elements from which the human being is woven: the archetypes, the shadow, the self (as described by Carl Jung). In this process, we come to understand others through a profound understanding of ourselves.
How important is it for viewers to understand the intended message of your work? Does ambiguity add value, or do you seek clarity in your expression?
I would say that the characteristics of my visual expression are precision and purity, a harmonious arrangement of only a few colors that give the composition balance and create a sense of meditative peace and an atmosphere of creative melancholy. Working within a chosen thematic framework, I manipulate iconographic elements - a space enclosed by walls with openings, a group of diverse objects and figures - creating a kind of stage for wonders. Although at first glance purified and restrained, my paintings are layered in composition and narrative, so the very motifs we can see in them often have multiple meanings. I enjoy it when the viewer, in that multitude of symbols, recognizes or senses some of the messages that the work sends, but at the same time, I am also excited when they assign a meaning that I may not have intended to depict. I believe that my work has a role to awaken emotion in the audience, to spark imagination and inspire, to provoke thought, to ask questions and establish new internal or external dialogues. I believe that a painting lives through that exchange between the audience and the work.
Can you take us through the evolution of an artwork, from that first spark of inspiration to the finished piece?
Most often, I find inspiration in poetry, music, films, books, especially works by Gaston Bachelard, Mircea Eliade, and Carl Jung. I have been returning to the foundations of Jungian thought and his teachings for many years, and it seems to me that his profound observations on human nature provide an inexhaustible source of inspiration. I am particularly interested in his reflections on the personal and collective unconscious, archetypes, symbols, and individuation. Furthermore, I seek inspiration in the history of art, as well as in the works of contemporary artists. I then combine these initial ideas with my own personal experiences, desires, and needs. In this way, the material for a new artwork begins to slowly gestate. It takes a considerable amount of time for the idea for a new work to take tangible shape in my mind and mature enough to be ready for materialization. I rarely make sketches; instead, I visualize the entire composition and its constituent elements, and then I translate this vision onto the canvas.
I deeply enjoy the very process of art-making and pay meticulous attention to the techniques and materials I employ. At first glance, my paintings might appear simple to execute, as they are composed of large, predominantly monochromatic surfaces. However, this technique demands a great deal of patience, time, precision, and practice. Achieving smooth, seamless surfaces without visible brushstrokes is a challenging endeavor, requiring careful canvas preparation to attain a perfectly smooth surface, as well as the use of specialized natural bristle brushes made in Japan and specific acrylic paints. When we factor in the inclusion of various detailed painted elements, it becomes clear that I often dedicate two or three months to the creation of large-scale paintings.
Do you have any rituals or habits that help you enter a creative state of flow?
To enter, and more importantly, to stay in a creative flow state, continuity is of particular importance to me. An ideal day (which isn't always feasible) would involve: morning exercise (yoga or running), breakfast, and visiting one of my favorite cafes where I can dedicate time to reading, journaling, and contemplating a new painting or work in progress. This coffee ritual serves as a kind of preparation or meditation for the day ahead in the studio.
Besides the preparation itself, the technical aspect of creating a piece is also of particular importance to me, so that the creative process is as efficient as possible. I believe that, just like in professional sports, it's essential to be in regular training - to maintain continuity in the practice of creation, both mentally and in terms of craftsmanship. Personally, it helps me to stick as closely as possible to the plan and schedule I've set for the workday because even if inspiration is lacking, I believe that consistency in routine keeps us in creative mode.
Do academic institutions still play a vital role in shaping artists today, or has self-taught creativity disrupted this tradition?
In my opinion, the foundation in every field of activity is important, be it work, sport, art, or human relations. If the foundation is solid and secure, and we have our craft and tools in our hands, then we have the knowledge and freedom to create, experiment, to play.
The answer to this question is not simple because many factors influence the shaping of an artist. I believe that academic education (if it is of high quality) plays an important role in empowering artists and creating that foundation. I see it as a very desirable, even indispensable step for most people. At the same time, I believe it is not necessary for exceptional individuals.
Do you think art that is created for commercial success loses its integrity, or can it still hold meaning?
When art is created solely for commercial gain or to meet specific demands, then it can definitely retain its meaning and strength, but it can also very easily lose its artistic value and become something superficial because it is somehow conditioned by others. Similarly, artists who blindly follow current agendas and do not truly identify with the theme they are addressing. Ultimately, if an artist's primary goal is commercial success and their entire body of work is directed towards that, I believe they are on the wrong path.
Are there any upcoming projects or dreams that you’re particularly excited about?
This year, which has just begun, promises to be particularly exciting and inspiring for my creative journey. Soon, in just a few days, on January 21st to be precise, I will open a solo exhibition at the ULUS Gallery in Belgrade, a gallery of significant importance for the Serbian capital. Shortly after the exhibition closes, I will participate in the "Cité Internationale des Arts" Artist in Residence program in Paris, France.
Later this year, I will return to Serbia where I will have the opportunity to integrate my creative practice with the history of the Terra Museum and its rich collection of terracotta sculptures. In the studios of this special place, I will have the opportunity to create new "Marbles" sculptures, but this time in clay – a material intrinsic to Terra. These explorations will culminate in a solo exhibition at Terra in September, where I will present these works along with paintings.
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Sibinovic’s art bridges the tangible and the abstract, offering a layered narrative that invites contemplation and personal interpretation.