GORAN MANGOTIĆ

ŽIVLJENJE

BIOGRAFIJA

Goran Mangotić se je rodil leta 1987 v Novem mestu, trenutno pa že več let živi in ustvarja v Mariboru.

Študiral je na Oddelku za likovno pedagogiko Pedagoške fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani, vendar se je izobraževal tudi na drugih področjih in pridobil naziva gradbeni tehnik ter vzgojitelj predšolskih otrok. Obilica izobrazb kaže na to, da ni točno vedel, kam naj se v življenju umesti, kot pravi sam. Zmerom ga je ob vsem tem spremljala ljubezen do ustvarjanja, še posebej do risbe.

Živih barv v njegovih delih ni zaslediti, saj ga je zanimalo risanje le z eno, in sicer črno. Tako sta njegovi najljubši orodji črnilo in pero ali precizni flomastri različnih debelin.

Poslužuje se razmeroma redke tehnike: risarskega pointilizma, ki ga večkrat sicer zasledimo poimenovanega kot »stippling« ali »dotwork« (več o tehniki v videu spodaj). Svoja dela počasi in premišljeno gradi iz tisoče drobnih pik, ki z različno gostoto dosegajo različne odtenke sivine. Ta oblika dela je zelo dolgotrajna in opazovalcu morda dolgočasna ter brez »akcije«, umetniku pa predstavlja obliko meditacije. Počasi in umirjeno, milimeter za milimetrom tipajoče išče robove oblik, kar se sklada z njegovim perfekcionizmom, ki ga ni mogoče zaslediti nikjer drugje v njegovem življenju.

Motivi njegovih del segajo od nežnih krajin do  grozljivih demonov in podob iz nočnih mor, ki so navdihnjeni iz njegovega vedno spreminjajočega se počutja ter ekstremnih duševnih stanj. Pogosto so le-ti tudi odraz njegovega razmišljanja na temo življenja in smrti.

Goranu lahko sledite na Instagramu na @taichimastah.

 

BIOGRAPHY

Goran Mangotić was born in Novo mesto, Slovenia, Goran Mangotić has been living and working in Maribor for many years.

He studied Art Pedagogy at the Faculty of Education at the University of Ljubljana, but he has also trained in other fields and earned the title of Construction Technician and Pre-school Educator. As he says himself, the multiple forms of education indicate that he did not know exactly what to do in life. He has always had a love of creation, especially drawing.

There are no vivid colours in his works, as he is only interested in drawing with one, namely black. So, his favourite tools are ink and pen or precision pens of different thicknesses.

He uses a relatively rare technique: drawing pointillism, which is often referred to as ‘stippling’ or ‘dotwork’. He slowly and deliberately builds his works from thousands of tiny dots that, with different density, reach different shades of grey. This form of work is very time consuming and may be tedious to the observer and seem to lack ‘action’, but to the artist, it is a form of meditation. Slowly and calmly, millimetre by millimetre, he searches for the edges of forms, which is consistent with his perfectionism, and which cannot be traced back to anywhere else in his life.

The motifs of his work range from gentle landscapes to horrifying demons and images from nightmares, inspired by his ever-changing state of mind and extreme mental states. They are often also a reflection of his thinking about the subject of life and death.

You can follow Goran on Instagram at @taichimastah.

POGOVOR Z AVTORJEM

Goran, pogled na tvoje narisane krajine, ki nastajajo zadnji dve leti, je lahko hipnotičen, saj se ne ustavi kar v prvem planu, pač pa nas potegne globoko »v gozd«, oko sledi pikam … Prav tako pa celota deluje umirjeno, kontemplativno. So te krajine resnične in morda nastanejo kot prijeten spomin, impresija s tvojih osebnih pobegov v naravo? Ali pa so imaginacija idealnega »sveta«?

»Mešano. Nekaj je mojih osebnih doživetij in vtisov, nekaj je domišljijskih. Navdihe jemljem predvsem iz videnega in si vedno poskušam širiti svojo »vizualno knjižnico«. Kontemplativno je dober izraz v tem primeru, saj se med ustvarjanjem podam res globoko v vzdušje prizora, ki ga želim upodobiti.«

Zakaj je tako pogost ravno motiv gozda? Ti ta motiv kaj osebno pomeni?

»Gozd in narava nasploh imata zame ogromen simboličen pomen. Predstavljata mi življenje. Nebrzdano, svobodno in prav tako tudi neusmiljeno in odporno. Moji motivi so vedno pogojeni z mojimi občutki, ki vedno nihajo. Naravo, v obdobjih kadar se počutim dobro in živo, rišem sončno, umirjeno in pozitivno. V obdobjih, ko se počutim slabo, osamljeno in mi je življenje neznosno težko, mi narava predstavlja neizprosno življenjsko moč, vedenje, da bo tam brezbrižno še dolgo po tem, ko omagam in si ne zaslužim biti več del nje. Takrat so prizori temnejši, atmosfera gostejša,  pogosto je prisoten tudi kak trak svetlobe, kot luč na koncu dolgega temnega predora.«

 

Tehnika, ki jo uporabljaš, zahteva veliko mero potrpežljivosti in natančnosti, da ne rečem perfekcionizma. Kako izbira te tehnike, ki ti je ljuba, namiguje tudi na to, kdo si ti osebno? Ali sploh obstaja med tem kakšna povezava ali ne?

»Kdor me pozna, mi nikakor ne bi pripisal te tehnike. V življenju sem precej sproščena in »go with the flow« oseba, po navadi raztresena, ki se ne ukvarja preveč z redom v svoji okolici. Kdor bi pogledal v moje stanovanje, nikakor ne bi zasledil urejenosti in doslednosti, ki jo zahtevam od sebe pri ustvarjanju. Pri delu sta pogosto dovolj dve ali tri zgrešeni pikici, da zavržem izdelek, v katerega sem potopil več ur dela.«

 

Risanje pik in pikic, iz katerih nastane veličastna celota, se v simbolnem pogledu zdi kot celice, ki sestavljajo bitja ali molekule, ki sestavljajo univerzum. O čem razmišljaš, ko ustvarjaš in, kako dolgo traja, da v celoti narišeš nek motiv gozda?

»Ekosistem, celota, ki funkcionira skozi neverjetne povezave med mnogimi elementi, tako floro in favno. Celota, tako krhka, da ne moreš verjeti, da sploh lahko obstaja, a vendar neustavljiva, saj lahko kljubuje še tako hudim spremembam, stresom in vdorom zunanjih faktorjev. Alegorija tudi za človeka. Čas težko ocenim, saj mu pogosto pozabim slediti, ko ustvarjam. Za en takle prizorček cca 15x15 cm porabim kakih osem ur.«

 

Kdaj si začel uporabljati to tehniko in kako si sploh prišel do tega, da si ugotovil, da je to tehnika, ki ti je pisana na kožo?

»Izbira te tehnike je prišla povsem naravno. Na začetku sem ustvarjal predvsem s svinčniki in ogljem, s katerimi sem ustvarjal ploskve sivin, kasneje sem prešel na precizne flomastre in »crosshatcing« tehniko, kjer sem ustvarjal z drobnimi črticami. Pikanje je bil naslednji logičen korak, ki je prišel iz mene spontano nekega lepega dne. Šele ko sem odkril to »toplo vodo« sem spoznal, da obstajajo tudi drugi umetniki, ki se s tem ukvarjajo in kakšne neverjetne rezultate dosegajo. Ko sem risbe še ustvarjal s svinčniki in ogljem, je v meni prihajalo do frustracij, ker nisem mogel sledi na papirju kontrolirati v popolnosti. Vedno se je kaj razmazalo, vedno je bilo kaj pretemno ali presvetlo, vedno je prihajalo do naključij v obliki drobnih sledi in odtenkov, ki sem jih videl zgolj kot napake, četudi sem jih videl samo jaz. In na končanem izdelku sem videl samo še te napake, ki so me spravljale v obup. Med pikanjem lahko dosežem nivo kontrole, ki ga potrebujem za dosego želenega rezultata, poleg tega pa še padem v nekakšno meditativno stanje, ki ga težko opišem z besedami. Biti moram ravno dovolj prisoten, da ne naredim napake, in ravno dovolj odsoten, da pustim mislim in občutkom prosto pot. Človeška podzavest lahko skriva zanimive stvari. V tem stanju lahko prebijem ure in ure in pozabim na svet okoli sebe. Pogosto tudi na hrano. Po navadi me zmoti šele bolečina v hrbtu.«

Želiš dati ljudem kakšno posebno sporočilo preko svojega ustvarjalnega dela?

»Samo upodabljam svoja občutenja skozi vizualno prijetne simbole in poskušam ujeti atmosfero prizora. Če jo kdo začuti in se lahko poistoveti z njo, sem zadovoljen. Nekatera dela imajo tudi spodbudno noto v smislu: gozd po vsakem požaru zraste nazaj.«

Je spletna razstava na Web Nox-u tvoja prva tovrstna razstava teh krajin ali so že bile kje na ogled?

»Če se moja ustvarjalna kariera razvije tako, kot si želim, bo v moji biografiji pisalo, da me je MediaNox odkril.

 

Goran, hvala za tvoje misli in čestitke k razstavi! Tudi mi bomo zelo veseli, če bomo v tvojih biografijah na tako pomembnem mestu, zato ti vsekakor želimo obilo uspehov!

 

INTERVIEW

“Goran, viewing your painted landscapes, created over the past two years, can be hypnotic, as they do not stop in the foreground, but pull us ‘deep into the forest’, with the eye following the dots. Also, the whole picture seems calm and contemplative. Are these landscapes real and perhaps created as a pleasant memory, an impression of your personal escapes into nature? Or are they the imagination of an ‘ideal world’?”

 “Mixed. Some are my personal experiences and impressions, some are imaginative. I take inspiration primarily from what I see and always try to expand my ‘visual library’. Contemplatively, it's a good term in this case, as I delve really deep into the atmosphere of the scene I want to portray.”

Why is a forest motif so common? Does this motive mean anything to you personally?

“Forest and nature, in general, have a huge symbolic meaning for me, they represent life. Unrestrained, free and just as relentless and resilient. My motives are always conditioned by my feelings or mood, which always swings. At times when I feel good and alive, I draw nature as sunny, calm and positive. At times when I feel bad, lonely, and life is unbearably difficult for me, nature is an inexorable life force, the knowledge that it will remain indifferent there long after I am stunned and no longer deserve to be a part of it. The scenes are darker, the atmosphere denser, and often there is some band of light, like the light at the end of a long dark tunnel.”

The technique you use requires a great deal of patience and precision, not to say perfectionism. How does choosing the one technique you love also hint at who you are personally? Is there any connection between this at all, or not?

“Anyone who knows me would in no way attribute this technique to me. I am a pretty relaxed and ‘go with the flow’ person in my life, usually scattered, and not too concerned with order in my area. Whoever looks at my apartment would by no means find the orderliness and consistency that I require from myself when creating. In my work, often two or three missing dots are enough to discard a product that I have dipped into for several hours.”

 

Drawing the dots from which a magnificent whole is created, in symbolic terms, seems like the cells that make up beings or the molecules that make up the universe. What do you think about when you create and how long does it take to fully draw a forest motif?

“An ecosystem, a whole that functions through incredible connections between many elements, both flora, and fauna. Entirely fragile so that you can't believe it can exist at all, yet its unstoppable, because it can withstand even the most severe changes, stresses, and intrusions of external factors. An allegory for man as well. I find it difficult to estimate time because I often forget to keep track of it when I create. I spend about eight hours for one scene like this of about 15x15 cm.”

 

When did you first start using this technique and how did you even come to the realisation that this technique was the most suitable for you?

“The choice of this technique came quite naturally. Initially, I used to create with mostly pencils and charcoal to create greyscale surfaces, later I switched to precision pen and ‘crosshatching’ techniques where I used to create fine lines. Dotwork was the next logical step that came out of me spontaneously on one fine day. It wasn't until I discovered this ‘warm water’ that I realised that there were other artists involved in this and what amazing results they were achieving. When I was still drawing with pencils and charcoal, there was frustration in me because I couldn't control the traces on paper completely. Something was always smeared, always too dark or too bright, there were always coincidences in the form of tiny traces and shades, which I saw only as faults, even if only I saw them. And in the end product, I saw only those mistakes that left me desperate. While ‘dotworking’, I can reach the level of control I need to get the result I want, as well as fall into a kind of meditative state that I find difficult to describe in words. I have to be just present enough not to make a mistake, and just absent enough to leave my thoughts and feelings free. The human subconscious can hide interesting things. In this state, I can spend hours and hours forgetting the world around me. Often food as well. Usually, I am only bothered by back pain.”

 

Do you want to give people a special message through your creative work?

“I just portray my feelings through visually pleasing symbols and try to capture the atmosphere of the scene. If anyone feels it and can identify with it, I'm pleased. Some works also have a stimulating note in the sense that ‘the forest grows back after each fire’.

 

Is the web exhibition at Web Nox the first exhibition of your landscapes or have they ever been seen elsewhere?

“If my creative career evolves in the way I want it to, my biography will say that MediaNox has discovered me.”

Goran, thank you for your thoughts and congratulations on your exhibition! We would also be very pleased to have such an important place in your CV, so we wish you great success!

NASTAJANJE RAZSTAVE / MAKING OF

Kuratorka: Petra Čeh; web design: Žan Lebe; produkcija: Galerija Media Nox