"Trophy" Painting

The presentation of a painter, whose works hold a critical view of the social, cultural and political spheres of our existence, but in a little less conventional (fashionable) way for the present times. The goal of my art is to provide a critical overview of our social, cultural and political spheres in a slightly unconventional (trendy) manner. I am more interested in self-reflection on the phenomenon of alienation I am witnessing as it goes (contradictorily) hand in hand with globalisation rather than focused on any political engagement. I feel like sheer existence is draining our last bits of energy in these crazy times. We are straining ourselves with precarious work, fighting for our dear life and in the process forgetting about ourselves and our interpersonal relations. To live in unity and harmony, peace and love now seems an outdated and illusionary hippie idea that is so far from reality. I am trying to face this experience and internalise through the leitmotif of my last cycle of paintings called Unity. Using "as little words as possible" in minimalist "gestalt" language that allows for some artistic expression and space for the world of each individual, I am trying to transform unity into a hybrid of a warning (traffic) sign and icon "logo(therapeutic) type". Although I follow the principle of "spot, line, surface in space" and focus on the basic elements of fine art, I tend to use colour, shape and composition to explore tensions in relationships between colours on the canvas as well as optical effects of more or less discernible forms. My goal is to bring to the fore the foundations of meanings, emotions or narratives. My paintings feature similar visual signs that form new conceptual units in space, i.e. Gesamtkunstwerk, that open up new perspectives and encourage dialogue. My view of the final part revolves around a (harmonious) attitude towards space, possibly a very clear and brutal concrete area in all the seriousness of "beauty in silence". Dusa Jesih, "Unity" / ­ Between the Lines, 2015

DUSA JESIH, short bio
Dusa Jesih was born on 16 January 1977 in Ljubljana. In 1996, she completed the Secondary School for Design and Photography in Ljubljana, specialising in graphic design. She obtained her BA in painting at the College of Visual arts in Ljubljana where she also completed her specialisation in painting three years later. In the period 2006–2007, Jesih attended specialisation courses at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris.