Snezana 2017

Editor: Here we have "Snezana," a mixed-media painting from 2017 by Dragan Ilić Di Vogo. There’s a dreamlike quality to this portrait. What’s your interpretation? Curator: This piece strikes me as an exploration of childhood, not just in a sentimental way, but as a site of formation. Look at the objects seemingly floating out of her head; aren’t they suggestive of memories, desires, and even anxieties being constructed? Consider how the "realism" of the portrait clashes with these surreal elements and the almost hyper-real landscape in the background. It brings forward interesting contradictions. Editor: That’s interesting. The objects do feel like a very personal collection. Almost like a mind map? Curator: Exactly! And, thinking intersectionally, consider the artist's social context. How might being a Serbian artist inform his perspectives on childhood and the anxieties surrounding it? Post-conflict societies often grapple with generational trauma. The imagery almost feels as though this young child is growing within an unsafe environment. Does that connect for you? Editor: I can see that. The girl's expression, though seemingly innocent, does have a kind of guardedness to it. Curator: And consider the cat – an animal often coded as feminine and intuitive – and the single sunflower, perhaps hinting at a yearning for growth, resilience, or something more radical like eco-feminism? Di Vogo offers us access to explore the complexity of girlhood and what it means to come of age in uncertain times. What have you discovered by taking a closer look at this work? Editor: I initially saw this piece as a fairly straightforward portrait, but I now appreciate the layered complexities and social commentaries that are happening beneath the surface.