Goss Ristic

I am Dragoslav Ristic, commonly known as Goss. I was born in Belgrade, former-Yugoslavia in 1942. From 1946, I lived in a city called Pozarevac where both my parents were born. Growing up we were relatively poor as my father, who was a train-driver, was killed in a train accident when I was 12 years old. Life was very difficult but we managed to survive. I started school in 1948 and completed technical college in 1962. I achieved a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and Technical Illustration. For 2 years after college, I worked as a school teacher teaching technical subjects. From 1965-1966, I was in the National Army. I then worked at the Railways as a technician from 1967-1969, and 2 more years I spent working at a factory as a technician. In my youth, I was sporty and excelled in wrestling, rowing and table tennis.
At 29 years of age, looking for an adventure and a better life, I moved to Vienna, Austria and worked for Siemens as an electrician. While there, I organised a permit to travel to South Africa where I worked as Technical Illustrator until 1985, when I opened up my own Serbian Restaurant.
As a child, I never had the opportunity to buy expensive art materials or get any formal art education, but I always loved to s...

KostolacTechnical College, Pozarevac, Serbia

Exhibitions in Rosebank and Norwood in Johannesburg.