DANILO STANKOVIC
Saturnalia
18.3– 16.4
2016
Opening Saturday, March 18, 7–10 pm

According to traditional folklore, the dark part of the year is a time when the portals are open to the other side – to another reality. Through customs, rituals and magic one sought protection against the horrific, the frightening and the unknown. But the ritual also has an opposite function, that is driven by an aspiration to reach beyond a specific place, a certain situation, a set order or structure. What is there to discover if we look beyond the obvious and perceptible?

Throughout his practice Danilo Stankovic has explored the mythological and mystical aspects of nature, often with the idea of the ritual as a starting point. Nature is depicted as enchanted, magical and animated – an ancient concept that in Western society seem to have been pushed aside by rationality, in favor of reason and critical thinking. But where can we find magic in an otherwise de-enchanted world?

The exhibition at KRETS comprise a series of new paintings in which the artist has worked on evoking an electric vibration similar to ultraviolet light. Exploring colors in depth has been a focus of the work, and shadow and light have been inverted – and then inverted again. Saturnalia is the reawakening of nature following the darkness of winter. During this feast, rituals threw the order of things overboard in ancient Rome, revealing an alternative reality. In a similar way, Stankovic’s work can be seen as a glitch in an otherwise rational existence, giving a glimpse into another world than that which is driven by rules and logic.

Danilo Stankovic (b. 1981) lives and works in Malmö. He has studied at Malmö Art Academy and had solo exhibitions at e.g. Steinsland Berliner, Stockholm (2016, 2013); SIC, Helsinki (2015); Loyal Gallery, Malmö/Stockholm (2013); Mora Kulturhus (2013) and Galleri Ping-Pong, Malmö (2010). He has also participated in several group shows nationally and internationally, received grants such as Edstrandska Stiftelsens stipendium (2014) and Ellen Trotzigs fond (2012), and worked on commissions for Public Art Agency Sweden. Saturnalia is his first solo exhibition at KRETS.

More information:
www.danilo-stankovic.blogspot.se