Dragana's Musings

Spring News

2011-03-26T15:39:00.004Z

(In and around Dublin. It all started with Seamus Heaney and ended up with a bird in the head.)

Hi All,

At Easter 2011, I am starting my new project FYI Yugoslavia that will see me retrace Rebecca West's footsteps, from her masterpiece Black Lamb and Gray Falcon (1941). I am currently trying to raise funds to do this project (it should be completed by October 2012). In order to do that, I have released Limited edition prints that can be purchased through Zatista gallery. There are 10 prints in edition, size 25 in x 25 in.

I am also having some of my work represented by VZ gallery (Shoreditch, London). They are taking me to the Chelsea Art Fair that is opening on the 1st of April 2011. VZ Gallery will show my work from the Fairy Fort series at Chelsea. The available artwork can be viewed through their website.

On April the 9th, I will have an opening of A Riddle at the Riverbank Art Centre, Newbridge, Ireland. I will also hold a workshop for 7 -12 year olds on the same day. I believe that the workshop is nearly fully booked, but it's worth checking out is there any availabilities left.

Thank you,

Dragana Jurisic

An Audio (& slideshow) interview conducted by Vulgo's Deirdre Mulrooney

2011-01-26T13:53:00.000Z

Check out Vulgo.ie - a great new multidisciplinary Irish Culture Magazine.

I'm up Here

2010-12-31T13:21:00.003Z

The year 2010 was a good one for me. I participated in 11 group exhibitions in North Ireland, Belgium, Wales, USA, England, Canada, Poland and Ireland. I have started my PhD studies in the University of Wales, Newport and I just want to use this opportunity to thank everyone there for being so helpful.

I received the Arts Council Ireland Travel and Training Award. As well as that I was selected as a finalist in The Julia Margaret Cameron Award (a worldwide competition for women photographers), shortlisted for the The European Women's Lobby Photography Prize, Arts Council of Ireland Project Award, Salon Contemporary's Artist Award, number of public art commissions and residencies, The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize (National Portrait Gallery, London), got an Honorable Mention in London International Creative Competition. One of my works from 'Fairy Fort' series was acquired by the Irish State Art Collection.

I have also published a book Seeing Things that can be purchased on: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1462585

In 2011 I will have a solo show in Droichead Arts Centre, Ireland (June). My work will also be shown in The Julia Margaret Cameron Award Exhibition, The Palais de Glace, Buenos Aires, Argentina (August) and Disruptive Stillness in Jean Paul Slusser Gallery, University of Michigan (January).

I worked hard and planing to continue doing the same, while focusing more on my new project in 2011.

This all would not have been possible without the support of my friends, my partner and family, The Little Immigrant Club, the staff at the University of Wales, Newport, and all the other people I worked with and shared ideas that are in all honesty too numerous to mention... you know who you are, so thank you.

The video above is a random compilation of the PhotoBooth self portraits taken over the last 5 years. It's just a reminder to myself of a roller-coster my life has been. Also that if you just work and wait and are persistent, good things will come.

Happy and Successful New Year!

I need some votes!

2010-11-10T18:24:00.000Z

It's been a long time... 5 exhibitions since my last post: Peculiar Pleasures in Milkwood Gallery, Cardiff, UK, Collective Contemporary Art: RDS, Dublin, A bird in the head, The Photographic Angle, UK, My World: Visions of 21st Century Feminism, the European Women’s Lobby Photography Prize Exhibition, Brussels, Belgium and Enniskillen Visual Arts Open, UK.

Also started my PhD in Newport, Wales and preparing for another two shows that will happen in December 2010.

I have been shortlisted for the Salon Contemporary's prize... and it looks like I might need some votes. You can do that by following this link and then select the artist (on your left hand side): http://saloncontemporaryartistoftheweek.blogspot.com/

The winner will be announced on the 1st of December, at the exhibition's opening in London. Hope to see you there.

Thank you!

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE!

Time wastes our bodies and our wits, but we waste time, so we are quits.

2010-09-14T14:30:00.000+01:00

Yep. Not many words. Also 'seeing ability' up and down like Britney Spear's mood swings. All evident from photographs bellow. So let's not waste any more time. The time will come when I will have something to say.

In Croatia, Part I

2010-09-13T18:14:00.001+01:00

So, on the 7th I rode that bird back home. On the 8th, I met my first ill fated relationship, on the 9th I took a ferry with Hamilton-Rose family to the island, on the 10th I had my first proper swim. On the 11th I looked on as Michal's spirits lifted, on the 12th, he and Justin were floating in that sea. On the 13th we took an orange beetle around the island, a wasp almost stung Michal's pee-wee, but Justin saved the day. On the 14th we spent an hour drinking coffee in Biliba, like everyday. On the 15th we got stoned, on the 16th I admired Michal's beautiful mouth. On the 17th we took mopeds to the shark beach and met a New Zealand James Bond. He was a pain in the arse. On the 18th Micha left and I cried a bit for reasons unknown. On the 19th we found a visitor at the front door. On the 20th we swam all day, and on the 21st we left Vis.

Pigs don't have wings, but angels perhaps do

2010-08-26T11:40:00.000+01:00

Oh, the week before I departed to sunnier geographical locations... I got pissed on majority about three times. Took pictures of dead animals and angel channelers. Birds flew in and out as per usual. It was intense.

On opera singers and withheld tears

2010-07-30T19:13:00.000+01:00

Oh fuck, this one was not an easy week. And then today, as i photographed Judith Mok, spirit lifted. Other than that... there was a visit to Scientology Church in Dublin... unusual is not the right word but it will suffice. And also an opening of 'Something tells me it's all happening at the zoo' at Kevin Kavanagh's Gallery. And too much red wine last night. Head hurts.

What happened?

2010-07-23T13:38:00.000+01:00

So what happened... hmmm. I'll go in reverse.

On the 21st I run into a convention of small people, literally, with my bike. On 20th I saw a snake in the framers place. On 19th I was mostly glued to the computer. On 18th I had some pizza and beer. On 17th it was raining a lot. On 16th it was Ruza's birthday party. On 15th I watched some television. On 14th I was site visiting Ballycastle. On 13th I went to a wedding in Bangor and had a minor nervous breakdown. On 12th I cycled around and waited around a lot. On 11th I kept my eyes on the ground. On 10th I got drunk. On 9th it was raining a lot. On 8th I met a great photographer and a very nice guy - Richard Mosse. On 7th I bought myself a beautiful bicycle. On 6th I did not do much at all. On 5th, I met Sean Hillen, a very interesting artist. It was also the opening of the OpenCall 2010, something I was a part of. On 4th I practiced my best Mona Lisa smile. On 3rd I hung out. On 2nd, I saw Jenny for the fist time in long time. We had fun. On 1st it was the opening of the PhotoIreland Festival. On 30th, I went to a dinner in Kevin Kavanagh Gallery and had some good conversations. On 29th I said goodbye to Djordje. On 28th, I looked at the birds. On 27th I went to see The Beach Boys, most definitely one of the most surreal experiences of my life. And I saw some weird shit. Believe me.

Seeing Things

2010-07-10T23:28:00.002+01:00

I made 'Seeing Things' book in 2008. Looking back at that work now it seems like an ill omen of what was to come in Ireland. From there until now I was too occupied with other projects and private matters to chase publishers. The truth is, photography books are usually money loosing ventures ... and possibility of it getting published the conventional way was negligent. So I decided to do it myself.

Thanks to people like Andrew Richards and Patrick Kirkby for dropping me an email every couple of months enquiring when will they be able to get their hands on the book. And to the Little Immigrant Club: Gina Brocker, Michal Iwanowski, Jay Bedwani, Alessandro Destro and late Corrina Adams, all remarkably talented photographers, for listening to my woes and being great friends. And to Bridget Hourican for writing the text back in the gold days. Thanks to all of Newport MFA crew who had to suffer my constant demands for tutorials, advice, or just a general chat about. Very importantly. I wish to thank Hannah Firth (and her crew at Chapter: Holly Davey, Dean Woolford and others) for giving me my first solo show.

Also to an amazing man I met in September 2009 -thanks to Cathy Pearson, who introduced me to him - John G. Morris - a legendary photo editor. John G. Morris was Life's editor when Capa's film rolls from D-day were destroyed in processing, he managed to salvage a dozen. He was the first picture editor for Magnum agency, picture editor for the Washington Post and The New York Times, etc. He worked with the most distinguished photographers of the 20th century: H. C. Bresson, Elliott Erwitt, W. Eugene Smith, Eugene Richards, to name just a few.

I left my book Seeing Things with him overnight. Did not sleep particularly well that night. To be assessed by a man who worked with the best ... not an easy one. Next day, he opened the door of his apartment and I think he said something like: "Your book is wonderful and bizarre."

I am publishing it through blurb and it's running in a edition of 500. It's also a good way of looking at it, for those who have no interest in purchasing. Enjoy.

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1462585

Snippets of the last five days.

2010-06-27T14:57:00.000+01:00

A beautiful five days interspersed with one major disappointment... but fuck it, that's life.

A Bird In The Head II

2010-06-22T17:39:00.000+01:00

A Week In Review

2010-06-08T10:38:00.001+01:00

It all started with Seamus Heaney and ended up with a bird in the head and some rain. Not bad at all.

01.06.2010. @ 18.45, Dublin, Ireland - Seamus Heaney
02.06.2010. @ 21.06, Dublin, Ireland
03.06.2010. @ 19.23, Dublin, Ireland
04.06.2010. @ 13.50, Dublin, ireland
05.06.2010. @ 13.26, Dublin, Ireland
06.06.2010. @ 19.03, Laytown, Co. Meath
07.06.2010. @ 18.20, Dublin, Ireland

Oh don't tell me... fucking timetables don't work

2010-06-03T23:15:00.001+01:00

Been fighting with it all day. Trying to string a sentence or two. No fucking luck. I arrowed 90% of 'to do list' to tomorrow. But I did reward myself with a delicious dinner and a swim. I might as well. We are not around for that long.

Seamus Heaney, Me and an iPhone obsession

2010-06-01T19:36:00.004+01:00

So we met today. Shook hands. Did not tell him I appropriated the name of his book of poetry for mine. It was not the occasion. But hopefully the occasion will come.

The Errand

By Seamus Heaney

‘On you go now! Run, son, like the devil
And tell your mother to try
To find me a bubble for the spirit level
And a new knot for this tie.’

But still he was glad, I know, when I stood my ground,
Putting it up to him
With a smile that trumped his smile and his fool’s errand,
Waiting for the next move in the game.

Antenna for back home makes clouds

2010-05-31T11:05:00.002+01:00

Ineluctable modality of the visible: at least that if no more, thought through my eyes. Signatures of all things I am here to read, seaspawn and seawrack, the nearing tide, that rusty boot. Snotgreen, bluesilver, rust: coloured signs. Limits of the diaphane. But he adds: in bodies. Then he was aware of them bodies before of them coloured. How? By knocking his sconce against them, sure. Go easy. Bald he was and a millionaire, maestro di color che sanno. Limit of the diaphane in. Why in? Diaphane, adiaphane. If you can put your five fingers through it, it is a gate, if not a door. Shut your eyes and see. (James Joyce)

My father's factory had something to do with it. Here they came in the early 1970s, from the plains of Slavonia to stick two chimneys up. How strange to end up in a city with your own antenna for back home. The one that produces clouds.

It Was a Car Crash L***

2010-05-27T00:28:00.001+01:00

It just kind of happened. From nowhere. Unexpected.

A Sigh

2010-05-26T12:23:00.000+01:00

There you go... 35 suddenly and so much water under this bridge and still gushing away. And sighing more and more as more water goes under it. And birds, a lot of birds. Birds in the head, birds in the stomach, birds above the city streets.

But you'll figure that out as time goes by.