Beyond Academia: Four Self-Taught Painters Surveyed in Group Exhibition
The exhibition 'Beyond Academia' at NEWEAST showcases a diverse collection of works by four self-taught artists from the Western Balkans: Ilija Bašičević Bosilj, Sava Sekulić, Matija Skurjeni, and Jože Tisnikar. This display seeks to reassess their art beyond simplistic classifications such as 'naïve' or 'self-taught', emphasizing their intricate and unique visual languages. Their pieces are included in prestigious international collections like the Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Sammlung Zander in Cologne, and the Museum of Naïve Art in Zagreb. Collaborators for this exhibition include the Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art in Jagodina, Serbia, and the Matija Skurjeni Museum in Zaprešić, Croatia. Notably, Jože Tisnikar's 'And Then Life Extinguished' (1964) is featured. The exhibition invites audiences to delve into fantastical realms, mythologies, and intimate, shadowy narratives rich in symbolism.
Key facts
- Group exhibition 'Beyond Academia' features four painters: Ilija Bašičević Bosilj, Sava Sekulić, Matija Skurjeni, and Jože Tisnikar.
- The artists represent the pinnacle of self-taught artistic production in the Western Balkans in the 20th century.
- Their works are in international collections including Collection de l’Art Brut (Lausanne), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Sammlung Zander (Cologne), and Museum of Naïve Art (Zagreb).
- Exhibition is a collaboration with Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art (Jagodina, Serbia), Matija Skurjeni Museum (Zaprešić, Croatia), KGLU – Koroška Gallery of Fine Arts (Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia), and Zander Collection (Cologne, Germany).
- The show reevaluates the artists' oeuvres beyond labels such as 'naïve' or 'self-taught'.
- Featured artwork: Jože Tisnikar, 'And Then Life Estinguished', 1964, oil on paper, GBJ Archive.
- Exhibition is presented by NEWEAST.
- The artists' works include fantastical inner worlds, mythologies, and intimate dark universes.
Entities
Artists
- Ilija Bašičević Bosilj
- Sava Sekulić
- Matija Skurjeni
- Jože Tisnikar
Institutions
- NEWEAST
- Collection de l’Art Brut
- Centre Pompidou
- Sammlung Zander
- Museum of Naïve Art
- Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art
- Matija Skurjeni Museum
- KGLU – Koroška Gallery of Fine Arts
Locations
- Lausanne
- Switzerland
- Paris
- France
- Cologne
- Germany
- Zagreb
- Croatia
- Jagodina
- Serbia
- Zaprešić
- Slovenj Gradec
- Slovenia