Weekly Photo Challenge: Life Imitates Art

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art, Dragana Jurisic, Ireland, Life Imitates Art, My Own Unknown, photos, photos photography, Weekly Photo Challenge, Weekly Photo Challenge: Life Imitates Art, Wexford, Wexford Arts Centre

On Saturday I took the train down to Wexford to be at the opening of my friend’s Exhibition. For one month Dragana Jurisic will be showing the first chapter of her current work ‘My Own Unknown’ in Wexford Arts Centre.

It was well worth the trip – the work is thought provoking and beautiful. I traveled down with Dragana and we spent some time in the Gallery before the opening, I got a sneak peak at the work, she documented the exhibition.

I couldn’t resist when I saw the artist taking a photo of a portrait of herself to take a photo too – life imitating art in a very multidimensional way.

portrait of the artist taking a photo of a portrait of herself

photo-book – YU: The Lost Country

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art, Dragana Jurisic, Dragana Jurisic YU: The Lost Country, photo-book, photography, photos, YU: 'The Lost Country'

Photographs, like memories, are fleeting; they capture a moment in time and frame it forever. And like memories, photographs invite us to imagine, dream and conjure up stories to help form our identities.

The photo book YU: The Lost Country is Dragana Jurisic’s visual account of her search for her own identity. Born a Yugoslav she sees herself as an exile, a wanderer who has no roots since the destruction of the utopia that was Yugoslavia in 1991.

To help her find a path through a country that no longer exists Dragana Jurisic sought the guidance of the British writer Rebecca West. Published in 1941, West’s masterpiece Black Lamb and Grey Falcon weaves three separate trips through the Balkans into one complete memory of what the Yugoslav identity was about.

Following in West’s footsteps, Dragana Jurisic captures glimpses of these memories through her lens and recreates a fictional version of a modern day Atlantis. The muted palate of colours and hazy, sometimes a little out of focus, contours add to the sensation of memories once forgotten, now remembered, a dreamlike world just beyond our reach.

Punctuating these images with words, a combination of her own and West’s, Dragana Jurisic allows the viewer to enter into the images and gain an insight into a lost world. And while memories may be subjective, just as the creation of photographs is subjective to the viewfinder of the photographer, the memories become real, an objective representation of something nearly forgotten.

YU: The Lost Country challenges the idea of what defines identity and encourages the reader to rethink what they believe to be true, but it does this in a very delicate, subtle way. This understated approach is also reflected in the sophisticated exterior of the book, its canvas cover is pleasant to the touch, and the elegant design invites the eye to linger and revisit. A small issue is the closeness of the print to the edge of the pages; one or two millimetres would have saved the illusion of toppling off the edge.

Not only is YU: The Lost Country an unusual photo book, as it gives more than just imagery and frames the stunning photographs with words, memories and history, it also resembles a time-capsule that stores lost knowledge for generations to come.

YU:The Lost Country

YU:The Lost Country

 

living with an artist

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art, artists, books, Dragana Jurisic, Dragana Jurisic YU: The Lost Country, Dublin, photography, photos

Over the past week I have been sharing my home with my wonderful friend and gifted photographer Dragana Jurisic. It had been an exciting week for her as her long awaited book YU: The Lost Country was launched, she was part of a group exhibition –  (It’s kind of like) telephone – as part of Photo Ireland and the English Independent Magazine featured her work in it’s weekend supplement.

For me it has been a busy and interesting week as well – for many reasons – and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. Between writing and appointments I have relished experiencing, first hand, what living with an artist is like.

Lounging in bed for most of the morning seems to be big a part of it, but it’s not lazy dreaminess that keeps the artist trapped between the sheets, its the cozy comfort and  proximity to the plugs attached to the socket in the wall that keep her captivated. Her laptop and iPad balanced on her knees while her fingers hurry across the keys, always communicating, always working, her ears covered in bright-red earphones, drowning out the sounds of the mundane world outside.

Always the good hostess I have provide coffee and breakfast in bed, prepared healthy, hearty lunches and savoured the insightful banter, laughs and creative chit-chat along with my salad dressing.

The afternoon then beckons the artist to leave her retreat and a flurry of showers, ironing and clothing decisions accompanied by a plan ushers the artist out the door and into a waiting world – a mixture of appointments (both work and social),  is a well constructed cocktail that paves the way into the evening which is filled with exhibitions, launches, free wine and lots of networking until late into the night.

After my week living with an artist and witnessing how productive this way of life can be, I am now – even more so than before – a firm believer that nine to five really doesn’t fit all and doesn’t always allow a creative mind to find it’s wings.

Dragana, beautiful inside and out (selfportrait part of the exhibition (It’s kind of like) telephone)

Th Independent Magazine goes all out

Dragana’s beautiful book YU: The Lost Country

Weekly Photo Challenge: Muse

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Dragana Jurisic, Muse, nudes, photo challenge, photos, quote, Weekly Photo Challenge, Weekly Photo Challenge: Muse

Recently my life has been filled with muses and all be cause of a project I took part in.

My good friend Dragana Jurisic, who is currently skipping around Paris working on her new project “My own Unknown”, recently decided to capture 100 Muses on film, photograph women as they are, not as the world deems them to be.

So Dragana invited 100 women from all walks of life, all ages and all body types to join her in her photo studio and show themselves in their naked glory – no retouching, no makeup, no hiding.

So while I may not have taken these photos, I am one of the muses and through it am discovering what muses are all about, and I wrote about my experience of being one in photographic session.

You should treat a muse like a fairy

Paulo Coelho

100 Muses by Dragana Jurisic

 

 

 

 

#100Muses inspiring Dublin

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#100Muses, art, ArtBox, Dragana Jurisic, Dublin, Exhibition, Ireland, Irish Times, muses, photography, RHA, Royal Hibernian Academy

Just around the corner of St Stephens Green, tucked  away on Ely Place is the wonderful RHA (Royal Hibernian Academy). For the 185th time the RHA Annual Exhibition is opening its doors to show more than 500 pieces of art (26th May – 9th August).

Like every year most works are curated through an open submission, and like every year it is a visual feast and a thought provoking experience.

This year one of the pieces that caught quite a lot of attention is Dragana Jurisic’s #23 of 100 Muses. This study of a seated nude is not only beautiful but raw, and shows the female form without any excuses.

As the Irish Times puts it in today’s paper:  Dragana Jurisic’s photograph, #23 of 100 Muses, a study of a seated, nude figure, is a considerable work. Jurisic is a well-established photographic artist, and this piece, from a project on the “female gaze”, has real gravity and presence and none of the flimsiness increasingly identified with photography as disseminated through Instagram and other digital platforms.

But #23 of 100 Muses is just a taste of what the project #100 Muses has in store. As part of a much larger project the 100 Muses sadly won’t been on display just yet. But to wet the appetite ArtBox is allowing a sneak peek of the work.

For one whole month (29th May – 27th June) ArtBox is exhibiting the first chapter of Dragana’s work.  #100Muses inspiring Dublin to embrace a true celebration of the female form in all it’s complexity, beauty and power.

#100 Muses

late night encounters

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100 Muses, Dragana Jurisic, Dublin, Ireland, late night encounter, North Strand, photography, photos

late night on North Strand

I was teaching late last night so I decided to drop in Dragana and see how her wonderful project #100Muses is coming along, and I have to say it is looking stunning. I brought a bottle of wine and we sat and chatted until very late into the night.

It was close to 2am when I left and as I wandered down the nearly deserted North Strand I couldn’t help but feel very grateful for the place that I live in. The moon was nearly full and illuminated the sleeping world around me.

I was close to home when I heard my name being called and as I turned around someone I know was on her bike right behind me. It was such an odd place and time to meet, but I hadn’t seen her in a while and we chatted for a while, as if it were mid-afternoon, not well past midnight.

After a hug and a promise to meet for coffee, she cycled off into the night and wandered the few hundred meters home alone, a smile on my face loving my late night encounter.

 

having a happy Easter

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100 Muses, baking Easter loaf, Dragana Jurisic, Easter, music, photography, The House Presents

Having a quiet Easter is turning out to be wonderful. Yesterday afternoon I spent my time baking an Easter loaf and this morning I am loving the fact that I did, it really does make for a very yummy breakfast.

Last night my friend Dragana invited me and another friend D. over to dinner. She cooked a delicious chickpea and  chorizo stew. As the three of us sat over bowls of comfort food and filled Dragana’s new home with laughter I couldn’t but think of Shakespeare’s three witches, but in the best possible way.

As the evening grew dark we walked down to my local, the Annesley House, and enjoyed a night of poetry, music and dance. The first performance we saw was by the incredible duo Nic Gareiss and Maeve Gilchrist from “This is How we Fly”.

Maeve was like some sort of delicate elfin being who plucked her harp with grace, creating wonderful melodies that Nic danced along to. I have never seen such a magnificent combination, his soft shoes tapping out a beat to support the harp, sand changing the sound, the height of his jumps mixing up the beat. If you haven’t heard of them before, do check them out you will be in for an incredible treat, just click here and enjoy: Maeve Gilchrist and Nic Gareiss.

Over G&T we then listened to poems by Demitra X and later to the punk influenced by BeRn, and as the night came to an end Dragana met a few future muses (#100Muses outtakes of #MyOwnUnknown) and that alone was worth the night.

Today I just enjoy a few marzipan Easter Eggs, maybe later a walk on the beach and I will use my free time to write and just enjoy the day. All in all I have to say I really am having a perfectly happy Easter.

 

 

 

photographic session

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Dragana Jurisic, My Own Unknown, nude pics, photo session, photography, photos

So that happened – but maybe I should start at the beginning:

My wonderful photographer friend Dragana Jurisic is currently working on a very interesting project titled “My Own Unknown”. For this she is looking for women willing to be photographed in their nude, their face not seen, a collage of the imperfect perfection of the unknown woman. She asked me if I’d be part of this project, and the good friend that I am, I said yes.

Now being a larger than average model of woman, overweight and not your stereotypical beauty I was somewhat apprehensive and, to be quite frank, terrified. But I kind of figured, how often would I get the chance to be part of a piece of art? So I bit the bullet and pulled down my big-lady knickers.

During the photo shoot, which didn’t take too long, Dragana was quite wonderful. She didn’t look at me, more through me, at something hidden within pulling it out with her lens. As she asked me to turn, to change posture she snapped shots with her camera and it felt completely fine, maybe not normal, but not bad either. After all we have all wandered around our homes in the nip, just this time around there was a quite click capturing a few fleeting moments.

But then she asked me to sit on a chair in a nest of tulle and she took a few straight on shoots, face and all. She kept muttering “Oh that’s strong, stern face, love the feet, great pose…” and I have to say it was interesting playing a live doll for an artist.

So now she has this shot, she finds it beautiful (I think I look a little like an overweight ballerina who has given up and forgotten her bra), so she is thrilled with it and I am glad I could give it to her. However I think I may need to go incognito to that exhibit opening … and I’ll definitely be wearing clothes, maybe even a burca!

a little peek

getting ready to travel

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Deichtorhallen, Dragana Jurisic, Dragana Jurisic YU: The Lost Country, family, gifts, Hamburg, tea, travel

Next week I’ll be heading off to Germany again. It will be a week filled with lots to do and many people to meet. First I’ll be staying with my Godmother and then I will swap beds and move in with my brother and his family for a few days, to mind the kids and celebrate his birthday.

However the main reason for heading over to Hamburg is that my wonderful friend Dragana will be talking about her exhibition YU: The Lost Country in the famous Deichtorhallen in Hamburg and I am flying over to support her.

So while I am really looking forward to a little trip I am amazed at how much I still have left to do before catching that flight. One thing that has been piling up is the small tower of ‘gifts’ for everyone I’ll be seeing … after all I have been asked to bring lots and lots of tea!

So while I have been writing emails, correcting student assessments and generally trying to clear my desk (and yes it is currently very messy – tidy desk is on my to-do list) my thoughts have been circling my wardrobe trying to figure out what to take with me since half my suitcase will be filled with goodies for others.

I just hope it won’t be too cold … less clothes! But all in all I am looking forward to the coming week, never a bad thing when you can leave your daily trudge for a little while.

some of what needs to fit into my suitcase

Exhibition Opening – YU:The Lost Country

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art, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Dragana Jurisic, Dragana Jurisic YU: The Lost Country, Dublin, Exhibition, Jurisic, photography, photos, Rebecca West, RHA Ashford Gallery, Royal Hibernian Academy, Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), YU, Yugoslavia

Last night the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA)  was buzzing with activity at the opening of five exhibitions. One stood out for many –  YU: The Lost Country by the talented photographer Dragana Jurisic.

This extraordinary exhibition is a photographic exploration of identity, displacement and memory. Jurisic has a personal interest in these topics as she herself is from Yugoslavia, a county that no longer exist, a home she can no longer return to.

Formed after the first world war Yugoslavia fell apart in 1991, splintering into seven countries, leaving three whole generations struggling to figure out who they where and where they belonged, many deciding that they belonged nowhere.

Since Yugoslavia was, as Mussolini put it so eloquently “…cobbled together in Paris” after World War I, it was always a country that struggled with identity, artificial borders forcing strangers and enemies to become one.

Fascinated by this the Anglo-Irish writer Rebecca West wrote her masterpiece Black Lamb and Grey Falcon based on her travels to Yugoslavia and it’s publication in 1941 coincided with the Nazi invasion of the country she had grown to love, even calling it her motherland.

Jurisic used West’s book to retrace her own journey around her lost homeland in an attempt to recreate something that was lost but soon found that the sense of displacement and lost identity was stronger there, than in the country she now lives in.

This shows in Jurisic’s work: ” Photography, contains elements such as fleetingness, which allow it to capture that sense of rootlessness and dislocation with relative ease. Both exile and photography intensify our perception of the world. In both the memory is in its underlying core. Both are characterised by melancholy.”

The result of this ambition journey is the wonderful exhibition YU: The Lost Country , a visual journey into the past and present punctuated by West’s prose and Jurisic’s own words. The attempt to answer the universal question about identity in a very personal way.

And since Jurisic herself follows Roland Barthes’ assertions “that photography is more akin to magic than to art“,  it is no surprise that many of the photos have an otherworldly feel to them and leaves the viewer wondering about their own memories and identity.

Dragana Jurisic YU: The Lost Country

September 05, 2014 – September 26, 2014

RHA Ashford Gallery