Long Rain in the Magic World by Zhaklina Gligorievska-Kochoska
Long rain in the magic world
Zhaklina Gligorievska-Kochoska in her latest works from the cycle “Long rains in the magical world” remains committed to her creative designing principles which are based on constant contemplatively reassessment of the “degradation and fragmentation” of life values. Her humanistic motivated work, despite the introspection of her own worlds, reinterprets ironically and subtly criticizes the insanity of contemporary life, alienation and the prevalence of materialistic vs. spiritual, “arrogant futility” and decadence of civilization’s “advances” of modern man, the man who has Emil Sjoran called “the perfect insane being”.
Also, analyzing the elements of the past work of Zhaklina Gligorievska-Kochoska from formal visual aspect, we conclude that her exploratory spirit tirelessly strives to complement and build on her own distinctive artistic handwriting. The constant research of aesthetic systems remain present as recognizable distinction of her visual language, in which affinity towards extremely expressive and dramatic coloring and pastiness in abstract painting solutions dominates, accompanied by disjunctive plans and compositions and the playful rhythmic linearity.
The latest cycle of works “Long rain in the magical world” (all made with mixed media on paper), the artistic language basis is enriched by the use of collage procedure. This procedure, in line with its susceptible nature of simplified separation and combining fragments of various realities, builds on the previously evident “fragmentary narrative” in creating of the complex entirety of the picture. Therefore harmonious functioning of painting, drawing and collage in the latest works of Zhaklina Gligorievska-Kochoska is not experienced as a reaction, but rather as a confirmation of the claims under which the various contexts of art are available for creating various artistic interrelations.
Certain parts that form this cycle are created on the principle of self-referent interventions over part of the previously completed drawings, which can be experienced as a “return to herself and her primary drawing moments”, while the visual language follows the aforementioned painting experience and aesthetic principles. The distinctive dynamic lines reflect the movement through time and “entry” from one reality into another, and the repeated rhythm of dotted lines sometimes evokes ornaments.
Photography and text appear as a completely new and important element in the work of Zhaklina Gligorievska-Kochoska whose function is both visually and conceptually signifying, but also significant on the applied collage procedure. Subjective experienced reality is reinterpreted in the works by adding and combining many elements which, together with symbolic titles, construct the structural narrative and visual effect. At the same time properties that define collage as such are present – separation of elements (materials, meanings) of existing whole, new entry in the whole assembly, mixing or creating a structure in which the input element gets a new meaning stepping into relations with other elements and changing the look and meaning of the whole. The preparation of the works is almost meditative, and the process has particular significance in “modification” of the given solutions. The works own their painting “texture”, different levels and layers on the paper, and the lines still symbolize movement and dynamics (evocation of author’s painting characteristics). The technique applied in the works specifically visualizes what M. Šuvaković defines as “postmodern collage method” which is based on “semantic rearranging of objects, elements of objects, existing ideological, theoretical and religious messages, fragments of everyday speech and expressions of popular culture in new work to create artwork that shows various interruptions, and by this, complex ambiguity, incompleteness, “softness” and inconsistency of thoughts, feelings, and presentations in art and culture.”
Zhaklina Gligorievska-Kochoska’s collages abound accumulated comprehensive details that require extreme concentration in their reading and offer the opportunity for new discoveries of the meaning and the message. Engaged by their basis, these works, through symbolism and associativity as tools, show the decadency and aggression of society, Orwell’s prophetic visions, elements of ancient civilizations, cyber-punk and robotics; question the production of meaning and perception of reality, deconstruct the intersected everyday happenings, declarativity of the modern visions, despite all the superficiality and emptiness of modernity.
Maja Chankulovska-Mihajlovska
