HEROJI IVONE PLESKONjE

Za termin Nova slika vezujemo inauguraciju figurativnih i narativnih principa jednog posebnog reda u temama srpske umetnosti poslednje četvrtine 20. veka do danas. Pojam Nove slike iz današnje perspektive moguće je razumeti kao različite oblike uprizoravanja i komunikacije umetnikovog subjektivnog sveta koji otpočinje sa postmodernom estetikom. Po pravilu ekscentričan, decentrirani i hedonistički nastrojeni svet, lišen interesovanja za velike istorijske teme modernizma i emancipaciju univerzalnog subjekta, postavljen je u samo središte umetnikovog rada 80-tih i inaugurisan kao njegov ekskluzivni kredo.

Predstavnici Nove predstave 90-tih godina razvijaju govore koji počivaju na ovom iskustvu prethodne generacije umetnika, postmodernu estetiku profilišu u daljoj subjektivizaciji umetničke predstave i kod jednog njenog dela beleži tip predstave koju je kritika tog vremena nazivala monumentalnim intimizmom. U osnovi radilo bi se o postupku zasnovanom na transponovanju krajnje ličnih, gotovo intimističkih motiva i narativa, u monumentalne i reprezentativne vizuelne celine. Kod monumentalizacije portretske i autoportretske koncepcije - bilo da se radi o slikarstvu, fotografiji, skulpturi, umetničkom objektu ili performansu - vidljivo prisustvo hipertrofije ljudskog lika i umetnikovog Ja, ne govori, međutim, više samo u prilog jednog egocentričnog i hedonistički nastrojenog subjekta, zamišljenog u vrsti vanvremenog ambijentalizovanog prostora umetničke igre. Ljudska figura ili samo telo umetnika postaju središte svojevrsne vivisekcije socijalnog ambijenta i memento geneze njegovih urbanih identiteta. Česta multiplikacija autorovog lika predstavlja pokušaj oštro kontrastirane «ambijentalizacije» krhkih egzistencija i introspektivnih zapisa svakodnevice, u odnosu na što čini linearni hiperaktivni rad istorijskog vremena i njegova rušilačka inercija.

Ono što već u prvom trenutku privlači našu pažnju u radovima Ivone Pleskonje, je da su gotovo sve predstave svojevrsni recidivi urbanih narativa ispričani kroz monumentalistički razrađivanu koncepciju portreta. Autorka preuzima ikoničku strukturu dvodimenzionalnog plana slika iz sveta popularne kulture, preciznije plakatsku i kompoziciju kadra u stripu, svedenu, sa širokim planovima i dominantnim prisustvom lika u prvom planu, imaginarnim akterom koji poziva na akciju ili uspostavlja bezuslovnu pozornost posmatrača.

U ciklusu pod nazivom Heroji prvi plan definisan je najčešće dopojasnim portretom «kadriranim» u radikalnoj frontalnosti i intoniranoj hijeratici stava, koji se oštro odvaja od pozadine naznačene kroz svedenu bojenu amblematiku zamišljenog prostornog ambijenta portretisanog lika. Lica koja defiluju pred našim pogledom su individue iz autorkinog najbližeg okruženja, ona sama ili odabrane ličnosti «drugog», uzori alternativnog urbanog univerzuma i svojevrsna alter-ega umetnika (Frida Kalo, Brus Li, Spajdermen...). Za samu autorku oni predstavljaju «vanserijske borce...sa borbenim osobinama vrhunske veštine, regeneracije, izdržljivosti, snage i hrabrosti». Slikana ravan organizuje se u nastavku kao prostor ikone u kome se prisustvom svetačkog lika ili heroja novoarbitrirane realnosti samog umetnika, istovremeno meditira i zvanična (svetačka) pred-istorija i individualni herojski akt, evocira (ovozemaljska) biografija i objavljuje prospekcija jedne supra-ljudske realnosti.

Ova upadljiva sličnost i istovremeno razlika sa porukom koju prati meditativni postupak građenja slike svetaca (heroja), odnosno ispisivanje prisustva svesti o sebi tokom samog stvaralačkog akta (umetnika), najupadljivija je u seriji (auto)portreta Heroji i radovima poput Ja nisam tipična (Vijetnamka), Spasi me, Ispravi se (Brus Li), Autoportret (Lep dan danas), Kiseonik (Pod gas maskom). Centralni lik novostvorene «priče» pomalja se iz prvog plana slike i komunikaciju transcendira s one strane istorijskog vremena u kome su i prošlost i budućnost jednako virtuelne kategorije.Hod individue kroz kazamate društvenih mitova, kulturnih kodova i ličnih sećanja, sugerisan je kroz pseudo-mitsku alegoriju tradicionalnog hodočasničkog napredovanja. Amazonke i Kraj planete zemlje su poput zaustavljenih sekvenci jednom življenog sna ili virtuelnih prostora odvojenih od korupcije i tiranije dehumanizovanog društva.

IVONA PLESKONJA’S HEROES

The term New image painting is related to the inaugurati-on of figurative and narrative principles of a particular order into the themes of art made in Serbia in the last quater of the 20th century. From the present perspective, its is possible to understand the term new image painting as different forms of imaging and communication of the artist’s subjective world that begins with postmodern ae-sthetics. It is a world that is by rule eccentric, decen-tered and hedonistically inclined,lacking all interest in the big historical topics of modernism and the emancipa-tion of the universal subject, a world situated in the very center of the artist’s work of the 80s and inaugura-ted as its exclusive credo.

The representatives of the New image(s) of the 90s developed forms of expression based on the experience of the previous generation of artists, profiled the postmodern aesthetics by a furtherer subjectivization of the artistic statements and some of them developed a form of image that the critics of the time called monumental intimisme. Basically it had to do with a procedure based on transposing very personal, almost intimate motives and narratives into monumental and representative visual wholes. In the monumental portrait and self-portrait conception, whether it is a painting, photograph, sculpture, object or performance – the visible presence of a hypertrophy of the human face and the artist’s self does not, however, any longer speak only in favor of an egocentrically inclined subject, reflecting in a kind of timeless ambientalized space of artistic play. The human figure or the artist’s very body has become the center of a unique vivisection of the social environment and the memento of the genesis of its urban identities. The frequent multiplication of the artist’s face represents an attempt to achieve a sharply contrasted “ambientalization” of fragile existences and introspective inscriptions of the every day in regards to the linear hyperactive agency of historical time and its destructive inertia.

Our attention is immediately drawn to the works of Ivona Pleskonja by the images that are a unique echoes of urban narratives told by a monumental elaboration of the portrait concept. The artist borrows the iconic structure of the two-dimensional picture plan from popular culture, more precisely the plastic and composition of the frame from the comic strip, streamlined, with broad planes and the dominant presence of the human figure in the foreground, the imaginary actor calling for action or establishing the unconditional attention of the observer.

The foreground in the cycle Heroes is most frequently defined by a portrait-bust “framed” in radical frontality and intoned hieratic posture, sharply separated from the background marked by the reduced colored emblematic of the imagined milieu of the portrayed face. The faces that parade before us are individuals from the artist’s closest surroundings, her friends, she herself or selected individuals of the “Other”, role models from the alternative urban universe representing the special alter ego of the artist (Frida Kahlo, Bruce Lee, Spiderman...). For the artist they represent “out of the ordinary fighters ... with the highest fighting skills, ability to regenerate themselves, stamina, strength and courage”. The painted surface is organized as an icon where the presence of the holy personage or hero of the newly arbitrated reality of the artist him/herself, is simultaneously mediated by the official (saintly) pre-history and the individual heroic act, which evokes the (the earthly) biography and revels a farsightedness of a supra-human reality.

This conspicuous similarity and at the same time difference with a message that follows the meditative process of constructing an image of a saint (hero), that is, recording the presence of one’s awareness of oneself during the very creative act (artist), is most noticeable in the serial of (self) portraits Heroes and in the works like I’m not a Typical (Vietnamese Girl), Save Me, Sit Up (Bruce Lee) Self-portraits (Nice Day Today), Oxygen (Wearing a Gas Mask). The central face of the newly created “story” appears from the foreground and transcends the communication to the other side of historical time where the past and future are equally virtual categories. The passage of the individual through the casemates of social myths, cultural codes and personal memories is suggested through a pseudo-mythical allegory of a traditional pilgrimage. The Amazons and the End of Planet Earth seem like frozen frames of a once lived dream or a virtual spaces detached from the corruption and tyranny of a dehumanized society.

KRALJ IZ PRAŠINE

Doslednost figuraciji i portretu likovna umetnica Ivona Pleskonja(1974) pokazala je i na nedavnoj izložbi u beogradskoj Nacionalnoj galeriji naslovljenoj „Izvor“. Na monumentalnim portretima i autoportretu ostvarenim tehnikama akrilika i ugljena na platnu i papiru, Ivona Pleskonja govori o malim-velikim ljudima, o veličini humanog bića, o emancipaciji, prevazilaženju straha...

Reprezentativni kadrirani likovi na platnima svedenog kolorita i na ovoj izložbi pokazuju da je stvaralaštvo Ivone Pleskonje i dalje u znaku urbanog ikoničnog slikarstva. Baš kao i prethodna izložba „Heroji“ održana u martu ove godine u galeriji „Beograd“ na Kosančićevom vencu.

"Verna sam figuraciji iz prostog razloga što mi apstrakcija nije tako bliska. Oduvek sam imala potrebu da izrazim ljudski lik, i da posmatrač koji gleda moje radove primi neku poruku i na svoj način doživi ono što sam želela da kažem. Na ovoj izložbi moja likovna traganja fokusiraju se oko porekla čoveka, njegove prirode, suštine, puteva saznanja. Otuda naziv „Izvor“, mada na početku nisam imala jasnu viziju o tome da li bi izložba uopšte trebalo da ima nekakav naslov. U nastojanju da se uskladim sa samom sobom, u tom procesu osvešćivanja šta želim zapravo da uradim, došla sam do naziva. Prva varijanta naziva bila je „Faraoni“, kaže Ivona Pleskonja. Naime, mladoliki Rom sa beogradskog asfalta, jedan je od umetnicinih modela koji dominra na monumentalnm platnima kao što su „Earth-Born King“, „Cleaner“ i „New World King“, umetnicu je asocirao na faraona. Njegova životna opuštenost i smirenost koju emituje, njegov život čistača ulične prašine, bili su moja snažna inspiracija za ova platna. Namera mi je bila da kažem koliko svi ljudi mogu biti moćni i značajni, kako svi mi imamo oreol nad glavom i kako smo svi sveti i od Boga dati“, objašnjava umetnica.

Ivona Pleskonja je protagonista mlade i ambiciozne generacije slikara koja se potvrdila na značajnim izložbama kao što su Oktobarski salon ili Vršačko Bijenale mladih (1998). Još za vreme studija u svoju biografiju ubeležila je nekoliko nagrada iz fonda FLU-za najbolju studiju i najbolji crtež, kao i nagradu za fotografiju iz fonda BC procesor. Tražeći odgovore na pitanja identiteta, Ivona neguje i autoportret i taj segment svog rada poredi sa dvoseklim mačem.

„Potreba ka slikanju autoportreta čini mi se ponekad kao hermetični, začarani krug. Možda je reč o egocentričnoj fazi iz koje, rekla bih, polako izlazim. Dobro je kada inspiracija nalazi uporište u intimnom, ličnom, ali umetnost ne sme biti sasvim hermetična. Iz intime bi valjalo da se iznedri nešto univerzalno“, objašnjava Ivona Pleskonja.

Analitičari Ivoninog slikarstva skloni su da u njenim platnima traže  asocijacije na savremene kompjuterske kolažne tehnike, iako ova umetnica, kako kaže, ne pokazuje nikakvu ličnu sklonost ka stripu ili kompjuterskoj umetnosti. Redukovani kolorit je odraz potrebe da pokaže kako svet izgleda danas i sada. „Ako bi bića sa drugih planeta želela da vide kako izgledaju Zemljani, ja bih im pokazala moje slike“, kaže umetnica.

Ivona Pleskonja učila je u klasi Anđelke Bojović, slikarke i pedagoga čije su joj kritike, sugestije i pomoć i danas veoma dragoceni.

THE KING OF DUST

The adherence to figurative and portrait presentations of Ivona Pleskonja (1974) has recently become evident once again in her exhibition The Source at the Belgrade National Gallery. She makes monumental portraits and self-portraits, using acrylic and coal on canvas and paper, to talk about little-big people, the greatness of human beings, emancipation, fears and ways of overcoming them…

The portraits, reduced in colour and representatively framed on canvas, demonstrate urban iconographic artistry of Ivona’s works in much the same manner as the works from her previous exhibition Heroes, held last March in Beograd Gallery in Kosančićev Venac Street, did.  

I stick to figuration simply because abstract art isn’t close to my heart. I’ve always wanted to make human portraits and also wanted the observer to interpret my messages in his or her own way. This exhibition shows that the focus my artistic search is on the origins of the man, his nature, his essence, ways of gaining knowledge which also explains the title although at first I didn’t have a very clear idea whether to give the exhibition any name at all. Wanting to be in harmony with my own self, and while figuring out what it was I wanted to do, I came up with this particular name. Originally, I wanted to name the exhibition the Pharaohs, says Ivona because a young Romany boy from Belgrade streets, and one of Ivona’s models who figures prominently on her canvases, such as Earth-Born King, Cleaner and New World King, has reminded her of a pharaoh.

His relaxed manner and calm which he emanates, his life as a street dust- cleaner, produced a very strong motive for this particular piece of work. My idea was to show that all people can be impressive and important and that we all have halos over our heads, and are all blessed and God-given, explains the artist.

Ivona Pleskonja belongs to the generation of young and ambitious artists. She has received acclaim for her works at exhibitions such as the October Salon and the Vršac Youth Biennale (1998). As a student, she won several awards from the FLU (Faculty of Fine Arts) fund for the best study and drawing, and another award for the best photography from the BC processor fund. In her quest for answers regarding identity, Ivona also cultivates self-portrait, the area of work which she compares to a two-blade sword.

The need to make self-portraits seems at times like a hermetic, mesmerized circle but it may also be an egocentric phase that I thing I am gradually leaving now. It is good to find inspiration in one’s intimate, personal life, but art must not be totally hermetic. Intimacy should be used to breed something universal, explain Ivona Pleskonja.

Analysts of Ivona’s art are inclined to compare her works with the contemporary computerized collages although she herself denies having a penchant for the comic strip or computer art. The reduced colouring reflects Ivona’s need to show what the world looks like today. “Should beings from other planets wish to see what the Earthlings are like, I would present them my paintings”, says Ivona.

Ivona Pleskonja studied under Anđelka Bojović, the painter and pedagogue, whose advice, guidance and appraisal she continues to receive and appreciate.

Povratak humanosti

Ivona Pleskonja pripada generaciji umetnika koja je rasla i sazrevala tokom devedesetih godina XX veka, u vreme društvene i političke krize, poremećaja i gubitka vrednosnog sistema i krize identiteta zemlje u kojoj žive.Zato su umetnici te generacije razvijali svoju umetnost uz pokušaje da sačuvaju stare i pronađu nove oslonce, i stvore nov sistem vrednosti, u zamenu za onaj koji se topio pred njihovim očima.

Veliki broj umetnika iz generacije Ivone Pleskonje (Nikola Pešić, Biljana Đurđević, Dejan Kaluđerović, Goran Delić, Vesna Vesić, Goran Gagić, idr.) je pokušavao da prvo pronađe sebe u svetu okrenutom naglavce i stvori svoj lični i privatni sistem u kome je moguće živeti. Zato se ova generacija okreće istraživanju svog sopstvenog indentiteta, posmatrajući svet kroz lični život i iskustva.

Prožimanje starog i novog, kombinovanje različitih likovnih sistema i slojevitosti u značenjima ovde nije bilo pitanje izbora, ono je proizašlo iz potrebe preispitivanja prošlosti radi snalaženja u pomućenoj sadašnjosti; to je bilo pitanje njihove egzistencije.

Razmišljajući o sopstvenom identitetu I. Pleskonja je u centar pažnje stavila čoveka kao pojedinca, ne odustajući od toga ni u jednom trenutku. Filantrop po životnom opredeljenju, ona je izabrala portret kao najbolji način izražavanja svog stava.

Istorija portreta je u sagledavanju i razumevanju Ivoninog rada, izuzetno važna. Ona se ne oslanja na istoriju portreta običnih, anonimnih ljudi, već koristi modele predstavljanja vladara, političara, diktotra, koji korene vuku od predstava bogova i svetitelja. Društveno-politička situacija u kojoj je Ivona Pleskonja odrastala i studirala nije nevažna za njen rad, iako se ne može videti na prvi pogled. Osećanja izgubljenosti i bespomoćnosti koja su pratila obične ljude tokom 90ih imale su poseban uticaj na mlade ljude. Mlad čovek, pun energije, entuzijazma i želje da menja svet oko sebe, nije mogao sebi da dozvoli da sedi skrštenih ruku, nije mogao da dozvoli da se prema njemu odnose kao prema broju ili beznačajnoj jedinki. Ovo osećanje nije strano ni mladima u razvijenim zemljama ali je kod nas ono dobilo pojačani i dramatičan oblik, ovde je on bio pitanje gole egzistencije. Umetnica nam, međutim, ne pruža direktnu vezu sa situacijom u sopstvenom okruženju, ali nam govori kako se oseća običan čovek, mlad čovek. Ona govori o ljudima koji uzimaju stvari u svoje ruke, koji se ne prepuštaju sudbini. To je poruka koju može da razume svako, u bilo kom delu sveta.

Svoju priču i istraživanja Ivona Pleskonja počinje od sebe. Na prvoj samostalnoj izložbi „Prvo svetlo“ (1999) između ostalog, izlaže kolaž dimenzija njene visine i širine ruku. Kolaž je sastavljen od velikog broja manjih kolaža. Razne poruke na njemu, prepoznatljiva i nepoznata lica, pokazuju nam se kao eho u potrazi za sobom. Tu i tamo možemo videti njen lik, tu i tamo prepoznajemo likove iz popularne kulture i istorije, tu i tamo vidimo militantne motive, metke i bombe koji kao bordura okružiju kolaže. Ovaj kolaž zapravo predsavlja njen autoportret, ono od čega je sazdana, njen odgovor na situaciju u kojoj se našla, u kojoj su se našli svi ljudi u njenom okruženju (bombardovanje Srbije 1999). Iako vrlo jasno prisutna, I. Pleskonja svesno ne favorizuje svoj lik, on je tu negde skriven među drugim likovima, upravo zato što ona ne govori samo o sebi već o svakom čoveku ponaosob, ali i zato što još uvek nije sigurna ko je. Pomno proučavajući ovaj kolaž možemo prepoznati znake koji će se razviti dalje u Pleskonjinu umetnost, dalja istraživanja, traganja i vrlo jasan odnos prema čoveku i životu.

Dalje istražujući i tražeći izlaz iz haosa u kome je bila primorana da živi, počinje sve više da korisi urbani likovni jezik. Odrasla na Novom Beogradu, najurbanijem kraju Beograda, njen izbor je bio prirodan. Svoj lik iz rada u rad ona pretvara u pečat, šablon na betonskom zidu. Postaje heroina „Besmrtna“ u potrazi za svojim herojem koji će je izbaviti iz kandži zla. Klasična priča, bajka ili urbana legenda koja je još uvek živela u stripovima i na ulicama velikih gradova. Ivona Pleskonja nije morala da preuzima priče iz stripova i filmova, čije je likovne elemente koristila, priče su se odvijao u real timeu u njenom okruženju. Jedini problem je to što nije bilo jasno ko je na strani dobra a ko na strani zla. Umetnica nam, međutim, daje čistu sliku, ona veliča mladog urbanog čoveka. Sa svojim prijateljima postaje vojska novih, jakih, heroja koji će svet učiniti boljim mestom.

Predimenzionirani, jednostavni i stilizovani „Heroji“ gledaju pravo u nas, strogo, ozbiljno. Dok se multiplicijaju potsećaju nas na plakate sa političkih kampanja i raznog propagandnog materijala. Međutim, njihova izražajna i karakterna lica, toliko međusobno različita, razbijaju sistem iz kog je ovakav obrazac preuzet. Umetnica se svesno igra sa prepoznatljivim modelima predstavljanja ljudskog lika stvarajući napetost i ambivalenciju. Slikajući svoje prijatelje, želi da njeni ljudi imaju realna lica, imena i prezimena, i da prema njima ima lični odnos. Ona ne ulepšava čoveka, kao što je to slučasj sa likovima koji nas svakodnevno gledaju sa bilborda i reklama. Njeni crteži zadržavaju crte lica ali ih pojednostavljuju, stilizuju. Odustaje od šablona i fotografije. Rad rukom joj dozvoljava da upiše sebe u svakog čoveka na svojoj slici. Likove iz stripa i popularne kulture, koji se tu i tamo pojavljuju, zamenjuju stvarni ljudi.

Kroz rad na portretima i autoportretima i proučavanjem i korišćenjem modela i matrica iz svoje okoline, ona te modele i matrice menja i postavlja u novi sistem vrednosti. Za razumevanje radova Ivone Pleskonje od izuzetnog je značaja ceo proces rada. Retko slika portrete ljudi koje ne poznaje. Pogled na ljude je krajnje subjektivan, otvoren, neposredan. Ona se prema modelu postavlja kao prema prijatelju. Ne slika samo portretisanog, ona slika svoj odnos prema njemu, topao i human. U vreme otuđenosti i zatvorenosti, Ivona Pleskonja nudi jedan drugačiji odnos prema čoveku. On kod nje ne dolazi iz umetnosti već iz njenog ličnog odnosa prema ljudima, generalno, i biva pretočen u radove. Ona bukvalno ulazi u živote portretisanih i postaje njihov deo, dozvoljavajući njima, takođe, da postanu deo njenog života. Tako portreti Ivonine Pleskonje dobijaju oblik ikone, poput svetitelja zaštitnika.

Pozadina ovde počinje da dobija važnu ulogu. Ona razrešava zagonetku, otkriva umetnicine krajnje namere. Jarko obojen, pretvoren u znake, simbole života, stvara oreol oko glava portretisanih. Povratak jednom starom i stabilnom sistemu koji nam nudi hrišćanstvo, za Ivonu Pleskonju i njenu umetnost predstavlja suštinu. Ono nije površno i pomodarsko.

Ona se vraća daleko u početke hrišćanstva kada nije bilo bitno kojoj klasi pripadaš, koje si religije, koje si boje kože i koliko si imućan. Koliko god mislimo da se društvo promenilo nabolje, opet se međusobno delimo, po različitim osnovama, volimo ili ne volimo zbog toga. U umetnicinom sistemu ljudi se ne dele, svi su jednaki, svi su Heroji, zaštitnici sveta u kome žive. Ona spaja svet svetitelja i junaka iz stripova, ljude nepotkupljive i moralno postojane. To je ono što umetnica želi da nađe u čoveku, osetljivost prema drugima, neosetljivost prema materijalnim stvarima. Otud čovek sa maskom („Kiseonik“), traži vazduha u zagušljivom svetu.

Njeni junaci uvek izlaze iz bitke sa životom kao heroji. Da je priča univerzalna, govore nam naslovi njenih radova. Oni često ne nose puna imena portretisanih, jer ona nisu bitna u trenutku kada je rad završen. Oni u sebi nose sve ljude, sve Ivane, svakog Gorana, svako može biti „Zoung Flyer“ ili „Pianist“, svakom može biti „Nice daz today“. Bez obzira na to što se koristi rečnikom urbane i pop kulture, ona univerzalizacijom svojih radova kritikuje savremeno društvo. Favorizovanje svakog pojedinca, poruka koju šalje je jednostavna: budi čovek, izbori se hrabro sa svojim problemima, ne daj da te pokore, budi heroj.

Ivona svetiteljsku ikonografiju vraća običnom čoveku, ona više nije rezervisana samo za posebne likove koji nas gledaju sa uzvišenja moći. Ona još uvek ima poverenja u ljude, i u sebe.

Odnos Ivone Pleskonje prema čoveku nam možda izgleda naivno i detinjasto, ali je on zapravo duboko osvešćen, ali i subjektivan. Deca vole i obožavaju heroje, ali kad porastemo shvatimo da oni ne postoje. Ona nas ubeđuje u suprotno – kad porastemo mi postajemo heroji. Pozitivan odnos prema čoveku, osnovna je odlika umetničkog mišljenja Ivone Pleskonje.

U ovoj vanvremenskoj igri bogova i ljudi, iskonski ljudski strahovi ponovo se aktuelizuju. Ivona Pleskonja ne govori o aktuelnim svakodnevnim problemima, koji se lako prevazilaze, niti o savremenim pitanjima, koji su kao zrno peska u ljudskoj istoriji. Svako vreme nosi svoje probleme i teškoće, u tome nema ničeg novog.

Ali svako vreme čine ljudi koji se sa tim problemima nose. Ono što je strah svih kultura i civilizacija je strah od kraja sveta. Ivona Pleskonja ga posmatra pozitivistički, on je simbol pobede čoveka, jer na „Kraju planete Zemlje“ je opet čovek, stavi masku i živi dalje („Kiseonik“).

Svoje strahove umetnica uvek predstavlja u svom liku, u liku žene, majke. Imena iz grčke mitologije nisu nimalo slučajna. Antiku nazivamo herojskim dobom, izvorom današnje civilizacije, ona za nas ima univerzalni karakter.

Izbegavajući aktuelizaciju ona nas potseća da se neke stvari nisu promenile, da je čovek ostao isti, da se žena i dalje oseća isto, kao Amazonka, kao Supruga, stegnuta i sputana. Tražeći dalje, čisteći se od savremene civilizacije konačno otkriva „Prirodu“. Nimalo slučajno priroda je u njenom liku, u liku žene, zarobljene i slobodne istovremeno, poput Persefone.

U novoj seriji slika Ivona Pleskonja nam otkriva novi-stari svet, kraj i početak njene priče. Svi likovi iz njenih radova slili su se u jedan, snažan, izražajni lik muškarca. Sa slike veličine bilborda, sa visine nas posmatra poput boga. Umetnica je iz slučajnog poznanstva sa jednim mladim Romom „Čistačem“ otkrila jedan potpuno nov svet. Svet sreće i zadovoljstva bez materijalnih stvari. „Kralj novog sveta“  nezainteresovan za civilizaciju koja mu se nalazi iza leđa, gleda, ponosno i samosvesno u nebo, dok ga mi gledamo odozdo, sa zemlje. Mladi, snažni Rom (što na romskom jeziku znači lep čovek) simbol je konačnog podizanja čoveka iz sopstvene prašine. Ivona Pleskonja nas podseća da su čoveka po starim legendama načinili bogovi od zemlje, ali da ga čine i stvaraju životni problemi koji ga vuku po toj istoj zemlji. Čovek se, međutim, uvek podiže, otresa prašinu sa sebe i hrabro baca pogled u nebo.

Return to Humanity

Ivona Pleskonja is one of the artists who grew up in the 1999’s, affe-ted by social and political crises,the loss of value systems, and ide-ntity crisis in her country. Developing their art, young artists of her generation tried to preserve the old foundations while getting ho-ld of the new ones. They also wanted to create a new system of valu-es which would replace the one that was disappearing before their very eyes. A number of artists of Ivona Pleskonja’s gen-eration (Nikola Pe-šić, Biljana Đurđević, Dejan Kaluđerović, Goran Delić, Vesna Vesić, Goran Gagić and others) started out by searching for their own indivi-duality in the world turned upside down before they moved on to create their own systems in which living would be possible. This explains why her generation is focused on exploring their own identity, observing the world through their private lives and experiences.

Blending the new with the old, mixing different systems of art and le-vels of meaning was not a choice here. It surfaced from the artists’ need to question the past before they could find a new direction in the troubled present; it was an existential question for them.

Contemplating her own identity, Ivona Pleskonja focused on the man, the individual, never renouncing the subject. A philanthropist, she opted for the portrait as the best way to express her feelings and attitudes.

The history of portrait is important for contemplation and understand-ing of Ivona’s work. She does not rely on the history of portraits of ordinary, anonymous people. Instead she uses images of leaders, poli-ticians, and dictators modelled after gods and saints.

The impact of the socio-political atmosphere, in which Ivona Pleskonja grew up and studied, albeit invisible in her work at first is not irr-elevant. The lack of purpose and helplessness that was felt by ordina-ry people during the 1990’s had a special effect on the young people. A young, energetic person filled with enthusiasm and desire to change the world around themselves, could not afford to sit down and do noth-ing. Such an individual could not take being thought of as a number or treated as a person without any significance. Even in developed count-ries young people experienced the same but in case of Ivona’s country, and its youth, the very existence was an issue. The artist, however, does not relate personally to the situation which she is caught in but talks about the feelings of an ordinary, young person. She talks about people who take control into their own hands, who do not surrender to their faith. This is a message that anybody, anywhere in the world, can understand.

Stories which Ivona Pleskonja tells start with her. Thus her first solo exhibition “The First Light” (1999), among other things, contai-ned a collage the size of her height and the width of her spread arms. The collage consisted of a great number of smaller collages. Its many messages, familiar and unfamiliar faces, appeared like an echo in sea-rch of itself. In places we could also spot the artist’s face, or fac-es from the world of popular culture and history, as well as militant motives, bullets and bombs providing a kind of frame for the collage. The collage, the artist’s self-portrait in fact, shows what she is ma-de off. It also gives her answers to the situation that she, together with the people around her, has found herself in (the 1999 bombing of Serbia). Although very clearly present, Ivona Pleskonja’s portrait is not too prominent. It is hidden among other faces simply because the artist does not talk only about herself but every man individually and also because she still is not clear about her own identity. Looking carefully at the collage we notice signs which eventually become Ples-konja’s art, her mission, and which develop into a very clear relatio-nship towards the man and life.

In continuous search of the way out of the chaos she has been forced to live in, she uses the artistic expression of a city a lot. Given that she grew up in New Belgrade, the most urban part of Belgrade, her choice was understandable and only too natural. She takes images from her works and turns them into hallmarks, patterns on concrete walls. She becomes the heroine “The Immortal” in search of her hero who will release her from the claws of the evil. This is a classic story, a fairy-tale or urban legend, still living in comic books and the stree-ts of big cities. Ivona Pleskonja did not need to borrow stories from comic books or movies, but she did use their artistic elements. Stori-es were happening all around her, in real time. But, not knowing who the good and the bad guy were presented a bit of a problem. The arti-st, however, produced a clear picture, praising the young, urban man. Together with her friends, they became an army of new, strong heroes who will turn the world into a better place for living.

Oversized, simplified and stylized “Heroes” look straight at us, sternly and seriously. While being multiplied, they begin to resemble billboards as seen in political campaigns and various advertisements. Their expressive faces, although diverse, break down the system which the model was taken from. Ivona Pleskonja consciously plays with the familiar models of facial image representations, thus creating suspe-nse and ambivalence. She wants the portraits of her friends to have real faces, names and surnames; she wants a personal rapport with th-em. She does not interfere with the person’s appearance and does not beautify it, which is something we cannot say about the faces that wa-tch us from billboards and commercial advertisements.

Facial features are preserved in her drawings but are simplified, stylized. She abandons patterns and photographs. Working by hand allows her to leave personal mark on every man in her picture. Characters from comic books and popular culture, randomly noticeable, are substitutes for real people.

Working on portraits and selfportraits and analyzing and using models that she sees around her, Ivona Pleskonja changes the models and then fits them into a new system of values. Knowing how this artist works is essential for the understanding of her work. She rarely makes portraits of people she does not know. Her view of people is highly subjective, open, straightforward. She treats a model as a friend. What she portrays is not only people but her relationship with them, warm and compassionate. In the existing atmosphere of alienation and isolation, Ivona Pleskonja suggests a somewhat different rapport with the man. In her case it does not stem from art but her personal relationship with people, later transformed into work. She literary enters, and becomes part of, the lives of the people she portrays. But, she also invites them into her life.

This is Ivona Pleskonja’s portraits resemble icons and people in them look like patron saints.

The background here has a special meaning. It provides the solution to a puzzle, reveals the artist’s ultimate aims. Brightly coloured, carr-ying signs and symbols of life, the background creates an aura around the portrayed head. Going back to the old and stable system, offered by Christianity, is essential for Ivona Pleskonja and her art. There is nothing superficial or trendy about her going back to the very beg-innings of Christianity where a person’s class, religion, colour of the skin and wealth did not matter. We believe that the society has changed for the better but differences between us do exist and are ba-sed on different standards. We use them to shape our opinions about other people and to decide whether we like them or not. In the world of art people are not segregated; they are all equal, they are all He-roes, protectors of the world in which they live. Ivona Pleskonja brings together the worlds of patron saints and comic book characters, and also different people incorruptible and highly moral. What she se-eks in the man is his sensitivity towards the others and the lack of interest in the material goods. This is how the man with a mask (“Oxy-gen”), gasping for air in a polluted world, came into existence.

Ivona’s heroes always overcome hardship and win their life battles. The universal quality of the theme is noticeable in the very titles of her works. They do not always bear the models’ real names because the names do not matter in the final instance when the work has been fini-shed. The names in the titles pertain to all people, every Ivan and every Goran; everybody can be seen in the “Young Flyer”, “Pianist” or “Nice day today”. Regardless of the artist’s use of urban and pop-culture vocabularies, the universal quality of her works actually sta-nds to criticize the modern society. Her praise of every individual carries a simply message: be a man, fight your problems bravely, do not give in, become a hero. Thanks to Ivona sacral iconography is given back to the ordinary man and it is no longer reserved for speci-al individuals who look down on us from positions of power. The artist still trusts people and herself.

The rapport that Ivona Pleskonja has with the man may appear naïve and childish but in fact it is deeply conscious and also subjective. Children love heroes, and adore them, but when they grow up they realize that heroes do not exist. However, Ivona convinces us that they do – we become heroes ourselves as we grow up. Ivona Pleskonja’s positive attitude towards the man is what best describes her as an artist.

In this out-of-time game between gods and people, primordial human fears come to the surface again. Ivona Pleskonja does not talk about everyday, topical problems which are easily overcome, nor does she ad-dress current issues which are but a mere speck of dust in the history of mankind. Each epoch has its own problems and this is no news. But in each epoch live people who deal with those problems. What each and every culture and civilization fears is that the world will come to an end. Ivona Pleskonja has a positive outlook in that respect; for her the fear is a symbol of the man’s victory because at the “End of Plan-et Earth” there stands a man who puts on a mask and carries on living (“Oxygen”).

She uses her own image, the image of a woman, a mother, to portray her personal fears. And the names that she takes from the Greek myth-ology are by no means a random choice. Ancient times are thought of as hero-ic and are believed to be the cradle of todays civilizati-on. To us their character is universal. Avoiding actualization Ivona Ple-skonja reminds us that some things have not changed, that the man has remain-ed the same, that the woman also feels the same  like  Amazon woman, the Wife, restrained and confined. Continuing her sea-rch, and cleans-ing herself of modern civilization, she finally discovers “Nature”. It is no coincidence that we see nature in her image; the image of a wom-an both confined and liberated at the same time, like Persephone.

Ivona’s new series of pictures give us a new old -world, the end and the beginning of her story. All of her characters have become one, powerful, prominent male figure. A picture, the size of a billboard, watches us from above like a god. Ivona Pleskonja’s chance meeting with a young Gipsy man, “The Road Sweeper”, discovered a whole new world for us; a world of happiness and satisfaction devoid of materi-al possessions. “The King of the New World”, disinterested in the civilization behind his back, looks proudly and self-consciously at the sky, while we look at him from underneath, from the ground. A young, strong Romany man (the word Romany in the Romany language mea-ns a handsome man) symbolizes the man’s final resurrection from his own dust. Ivona Pleskonja is here to remind us that the man was crea-ted by god from earth. But, what make the man a person are his life problems which is also what drags him back to that same earth. The man, however, always rises, brushes off the dust, and bravely casts a glance towards the sky.

Aleksandra Mirčić,

kustos Muzeja Savremene Umetnosti u Beogradu

Aleksandra Mirčić,

curator at Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade