Vladimir Veljašević’s Studio
A studio speaks volumes about an artist. Jung interpreted the dream of a house as a symbol of the deepest parts of the Self, relating its appearance to the dreamer’s mental state. An artist’s studio is akin to a house of imagination—a space of creation, an organized (or disorganized) dimension of creative intimacy. Entering a studio offers a direct insight, or perhaps more accurately, an intrusion into someone’s spiritual core. Exploring an artist’s studio often reveals more about the creator’s personality than observing their work.
Vladimir Veljašević’s studio is a fantastic place for curious intruders. Even if you don’t notice the collectible dinosaur figures and One Piece manga figurines neatly arranged on a shelf (which alone would be impressive for a curious geek), you’ll surely notice the airplane model prominently placed in the center of the workspace. It’s part of a diorama, an ambitious 3D comic project that includes an impressive collection of robots—all original creations by the artist.
The studio reveals Veljašević’s creative versatility. The walls are adorned with mixed-media works on canvas, the mentioned robots, open bookshelves, and closed cabinets for storing artwork. In the far corner of the room, diagonally from the entrance, stands a large letterpress printing press, giving the space the feel of an old master’s workshop. Despite the modernity of all visible objects, the entire atmosphere of the studio—with its sculptures, oil paintings, books, and the press—possesses a “Leonardesque” quality, as it reflects a spirit inclined toward artistic experimentation. Veljašević’s interests and his body of work are eclectic, straying far beyond his primary medium—printmaking.
Veljašević is primarily known as a printmaker, though you might not guess this upon first entering his studio. He teaches printmaking at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade and calls it his “first choice,” while remarking that “such divisions are meaningless.”
If we applied the Renaissance principle, which suggests painting should emulate poetry, to his prints, Veljašević’s works would be akin to the art of haiku. A good haiku demands significant effort, aiming to create an appealing lyrical piece that, using abstract concepts from nature, celebrates the moment in which it was conceived—all within the spatial limitation of 3 lines and 17 syllables (5-7-5). Veljašević’s prints also belong to the realm of thoughtfully reduced art, where, in a condensed form shaped by natural elements, the artist’s influences are imprinted, capturing fleeting moments of existence. His landscapes are modern ukiyo-e, reduced to their basic elements. They also share a connection with Japanese prints through their specific angle and framing, influenced by Japanese printmasters Hiroshige and Utamaro.
Veljašević’s art is, above all, entertaining, while in its most reduced forms, its minimalism becomes associative. A prime example of this associative quality is one of Veljašević’s minimalist triptychs, which I interpreted as the stages of an egg cell: before, during, and after ovulation. The artist himself revealed to me that these were actually segments of his unpublished non-narrative comic—fragments that, when enlarged, transform into standalone works of art. The conceptual essence of Veljašević’s printmaking aligns with his diorama figures, both hybrids constructed from various influences, with the most obvious being comics. Veljašević quotes Ranko Mutinić when he refers to comics as “the stepchild of all the arts it loves—film and Japanese prints.” He is interested in comics both as an artistic and sociological phenomenon, and his passion for them has endured “since his grandmother bought him his first Mickey’s Fun Book.” It’s no surprise that the artist, in addition to his many creative endeavors, is also an illustrator and comic book creator.
Veljašević’s first published comic, Free Fall, was a project of the Graphic Arts Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade, released in 2017 by Besna Kobila publishing. The publication is dedicated to Ljubomir Micić, founder of the avant-garde movement Zenitism, and is executed as a pictographic biography that, through clever illustrations, depicts key moments of Micić’s life and philosophy. Once again, Veljašević’s visual language is pared down to the essentials—symbols that manage to capture and convey the humor, love, ideals, and tragedy of a life.
An artist’s studio is like Alice’s journey through Wonderland: just when you think you’ve seen it all, some unexplored corner always appears. And just when it’s time to leave the space, the artist remembers a folder full of vivid drawings and sketches, an unpublished doctoral comic… but about them, I neither wish nor am able to write, as I can’t find the right words… The hallmark of good art is that it never fails to surprise the viewer.
Jovana Pikulić