SIMON KOCJANČIČ
I never know
February 12 –
March 08, 2019
I never know
February 12 –
March 08, 2019
LOCATION
RAVNIKAR GALLERY
Prešernova ulica 10A
1000 Ljubljana
RAVNIKAR GALLERY
Prešernova ulica 10A
1000 Ljubljana
CURATOR
Piera Ravnikar
TEXT
Teja Kosi
Piera Ravnikar
TEXT
Teja Kosi
︎︎︎STATEMENT
Simon Kocjančič is an artist who works in the fields of drawing, painting, graphics and artistic fanzines. His painting process involves a mass of colours and shapes, the undefined or semi-recognisable motifs of which address us with their fragility and delicate compositions. These deformed images do not submit to recognisable logic, but invite a multitude of interpretations. The absence of a storyline is replaced by a feeling, a sense, a possibility of identifying with and delving into the creation. The artist says that his interest lies in the interplay between figuralism and abstraction, where, with an emphasized stroke of his brush and the search for coincidences, he depicts the departure from the presentation of reality. As a starting point, he often applies pre-existing images, sometimes based solely on memory or a (past) feeling. His canvases are inhabited by more or less abstracted images that, without burdening the image’s fragmentation, create an entirely new totality, which has very little in common with the starting point. In this process, a very important role is played by experimental researches that are not connected to a predetermined goal. The artist is no stranger to the underground scene, which defies the inevitable and the obvious. He applies this defiance to both motifs and colours that strive toward the blurred and unrecognizable. Since his early ventures into the world of art, Simon has experimented with his unique oil painting technique, avoiding clean, primal colours. In recent years, he has also used acrylic and interior paints, especially on larger formats. His choice of shades puts the viewer in a rather awkward position of not knowing whether something is grey, blue or green. Sometimes he is more inclined to figuralism, where contours of hybrid grotesque monsters may appear, while on other occasions he prefers gentle abstraction. The artist most often succeeds in attaining a balanced intermediate space, where his intuitive strokes of the brush, despite the risk of uncertainty, intermediation and confusion, create a unique, authentic image.
The exhibition I Never Know represents the author’s latest works, created in the calm rhythm of rural life, away from the noise of the inner city. Despite personal criticism of today’s society and relevant events, he finds mirroring the latter on canvas rather challenging. The new wave of images thus represents a repository of thought, presenting us with a feeling of homeliness and, at the same, that of alienation. The artist has never flirted with the idea of revealing to the viewer what exactly is depicted on his paintings and how they should be interpreted, as he does not wish to deprive us of the pleasure of searching for and imagining new meanings. By looking at the canvases, the final conclusion may be identical to the initial outline: I never know.
Simon Kocjančič is an artist who works in the fields of drawing, painting, graphics and artistic fanzines. His painting process involves a mass of colours and shapes, the undefined or semi-recognisable motifs of which address us with their fragility and delicate compositions. These deformed images do not submit to recognisable logic, but invite a multitude of interpretations. The absence of a storyline is replaced by a feeling, a sense, a possibility of identifying with and delving into the creation. The artist says that his interest lies in the interplay between figuralism and abstraction, where, with an emphasized stroke of his brush and the search for coincidences, he depicts the departure from the presentation of reality. As a starting point, he often applies pre-existing images, sometimes based solely on memory or a (past) feeling. His canvases are inhabited by more or less abstracted images that, without burdening the image’s fragmentation, create an entirely new totality, which has very little in common with the starting point. In this process, a very important role is played by experimental researches that are not connected to a predetermined goal. The artist is no stranger to the underground scene, which defies the inevitable and the obvious. He applies this defiance to both motifs and colours that strive toward the blurred and unrecognizable. Since his early ventures into the world of art, Simon has experimented with his unique oil painting technique, avoiding clean, primal colours. In recent years, he has also used acrylic and interior paints, especially on larger formats. His choice of shades puts the viewer in a rather awkward position of not knowing whether something is grey, blue or green. Sometimes he is more inclined to figuralism, where contours of hybrid grotesque monsters may appear, while on other occasions he prefers gentle abstraction. The artist most often succeeds in attaining a balanced intermediate space, where his intuitive strokes of the brush, despite the risk of uncertainty, intermediation and confusion, create a unique, authentic image.
The exhibition I Never Know represents the author’s latest works, created in the calm rhythm of rural life, away from the noise of the inner city. Despite personal criticism of today’s society and relevant events, he finds mirroring the latter on canvas rather challenging. The new wave of images thus represents a repository of thought, presenting us with a feeling of homeliness and, at the same, that of alienation. The artist has never flirted with the idea of revealing to the viewer what exactly is depicted on his paintings and how they should be interpreted, as he does not wish to deprive us of the pleasure of searching for and imagining new meanings. By looking at the canvases, the final conclusion may be identical to the initial outline: I never know.
︎︎︎ABOUT THE ARTIST
Simon Kocjančič (1979) is active in the fields of painting, drawing, graphics, photography and artistic fanzines. He studied painting at the College of Visual Arts in Ljubljana. He has exhibited at numerous group and solo exhibitions at home and abroad. He lives and works in Truške pri Kopru.
Simon Kocjančič (1979) is active in the fields of painting, drawing, graphics, photography and artistic fanzines. He studied painting at the College of Visual Arts in Ljubljana. He has exhibited at numerous group and solo exhibitions at home and abroad. He lives and works in Truške pri Kopru.