HI MATIJA, THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING WITH US AND PAINTING ON ONE OF OUR UNCONVENTIONAL CANVASES! FIRSTLY, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT DREW YOU TO WORKING WITH 4BYSIX?

I was drawn to 4BYSIX, because I liked the whole concept, working on unconventional material, and of course the charity auction. For me as an artist it means a lot if I can help people in any way with my art, also working on a recycled panel was exciting for me, because I’m used to paint mostly on canvas, and the whole experience was something new for me which I think is great.

IN YOUR PAINTING PRACTICE, HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE THE BALANCE BETWEEN SPONTANEITY AND CONTROL, AND HOW HAS THAT DYNAMIC EVOLVED OVER TIME?

The base of the painting or should I say the underpainting is always spontaneous. It’s usually made from expressive brush strokes and colors that are sometimes random. I start to get control over the work by adding layers that are more concrete and precise. That means the colors start to have more sense, and the lines become increasingly defined, picturing the figure much clearly. I repeat this process over and over giving the painting more and mor structure and fullness.

My early works were extremely spontaneous which gave them a sense of power, after some time I started seeking control, and I moved away from the expressive style, but I soon found out that something is missing, so I tried to combine both. I managed to balance both with the process I mentioned above.

HOW HAVE YOU FOUND PAINTING ON AN UNCONVENTIONAL CANVAS LIKE THE RECYCLED PLASTIC PANEL? DO YOU THINK SUSTAINABILITY SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED WITHIN THE BROADER ARTISTIC SCOPE?

I found it very different from the materials I usually use. Honestly, I was a bit worried how the acrylic I use will behave and hold up. I turned out that I really enjoyed painting on a surface that is much smoother than the canvases I usually use. The brush strokes were smooth, and the paint was really feeling lively. I absolutely think that sustainability should become a common practice within the artistic community. Recycled materials are fun to work with; they push you to be more creative and something that was completely useless can become a masterpiece!

CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH THE EVOLUTION OF ONE OF YOUR RECURRING CHARACTERS, HOW HAS IT CHANGED OVER TIME, AND WHAT DOES IT REPRESENT TO YOU PERSONALLY?

I think the most recurring motif is the clow face. I first started to paint them in 2018. Its basic meaning is the duality of man, a sort of a mask that everyone wears to fit into society. In the beginning my characters were completely made from those faces and when the covid pandemic started, I wanted to give my works a more social note. I saw how people were changing and how society changed. I gave my characters a more monstrous appearance that was inspired from post-apocalyptic movies, like mad max and robocop. I saw people fighting for goods like toilet paper and how they were increasingly divided, by the pandemic. So, my characters kept the clown face, so they appear normal and happy, but the body was already changed and was ready for battle.

YOUR CHARACTERS OFTEN SEEM TO LIVE IN A WORLD OF THEIR OWN. DO YOU IMAGINE A SPECIFIC UNIVERSE OR NARRATIVE THEY INHABIT, OR DO YOU PREFER THEM TO EXIST MORE FREELY, WITHOUT BOUNDARIES?

I usually leave the background of my works white, because I don’t want the characters to appear in a specific space. I think they could inhabit any space, from a city, jungle, alien planet, a mural or even a t shirt. I think it’s best for the viewer to decide where the character belongs.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PAINTING YOU HAVE CREATED FOR US? WHAT NARRATIVES ARE YOU CONVEYING AND WHERE DID THE INITIAL INSPIRATION COME FROM?

The painting I created for you was inspired from the Middle-aged mutants’ series which I was painting back in 2021. I was in my mid 30s then and I was thinking a lot about my childhood and how times were completely different back then and how I loved cartoons, especially ninja turtles. Those paintings were all about middle-aged men who didn’t want to grow up, but they were about me not wanting to grow up. Now when I’m in my late 30s That feeling reemerged, and I feel like there is much more to talk about getting older and being nostalgic.

WHAT GUIDES YOUR COMPOSITIONAL DECISIONS WHEN YOU BEGIN A NEW PAINTING? ARE THEY INTUITIVE, STRUCTURED, OR INFLUENCED BY CERTAIN VISUAL OR CONCEPTUAL ANCHORS?

I try to balance intuition and structure in my paintings. I always paint this basic figure that serves a as a base on which i paint more elements. I also use a lot off reduction. I often repaint elements, cover them with other motifs or even completely erase the painting only to leave a few remaining elements making the space int work more dominant. I try to avoid ant influences as my as I can. But still I am influenced by my childhood works and my older paintings in which I always discover something new.

HOW DID THE INITIAL INTEREST IN PAINTING AND USING MATERIALS COME ABOUT AND WHAT COMPELS YOU TO CONTINUE YOUR PRACTICE TO THIS DAY

I always had a lot of fun painting, and I still paint because it’s fun and I enjoy it very much.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT ANY PROJECTS YOU ARE WORKING ON NOW? WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?

I’m currently exploring and developing my work, pushing myself harder harder, im discovering new things and I’m enjoying painting more than ever.