Nene 2022

Dragan Ilić Di Vogo made Nene using oil on canvas, and just look at how he's built up these layers, each one a step in the process. I can imagine Di Vogo, brush in hand, circling around the canvas, letting the painting take shape through many stages. The colors are earthy, yet there's a playful touch with those bright, almost iridescent highlights that are like little explosions of joy. There is something decorative, almost art nouveau in the lines and patterns that dance around the central figure. That little fish is just perfect, isn’t it? It’s like Di Vogo is reminding us that art doesn’t have to be so serious. It can be whimsical and fun, and that’s totally okay. I think artists are always in conversation, picking up on each other’s ideas across time. Painting is an embodied thing, full of feelings. The surface embraces uncertainty, with meanings that keep shifting, changing how we understand it over time.