About me
“As a reflection of a rapid pulse of today’s world, Mateja Šmic interprets her analyses of own inner being in an exciting way. Unlike the ones who are in love in outer visual manifestations, she plunges into the essence of her own intimacy, glorifying self-determination. She starts a journey of searching for truth by inner dialogue. In search for answers on eternal questions: where are we from, who are we, why, where are we going, how to find and define your spot in the world, how to build up satisfaction and touch the happiness. Which ignorance is hiding self-realization?
An exhibition of recent work of Mateja might offer some acceptable answers. Because, Šmic feels fragrance of an earth, knows the origin of the rock. She rambles boldly through the rivers of challenge; she sailed the seas and oceans, flown around the world and touched the edge of the Universe – all the way to the stratosphere, from where our planet looks like big beautiful splash… Splash of art, of course. Stain made of light and color, rhythm and sound, physical and metaphysical, of herself and all of us, where and with all is possible, which everything comes from and goes back to.
The stain is starting point and outcome of an artistic expression of Mateja Šmic. It is mandala of a kind at the same time, composed of energy of color and lines. It helps her to describe her impressions of the outer world, and opens a space in which she can extricate, for herself and all of us, important information. Often she does that in the manner of action-art creation, when she reduces action time to only one moment and converts impression in the form of expressive abstract. By doing so, she segregates piece of purified or almost pure emotion on the surface of the painting. The artist’s second way of creative experiencing the “stain of art”, maybe even more interesting to some is eventful. With prime color and structural graphism it offers a feeling of the time passage; accentuate rhythm and the illusion of the sound as the lead to surrealism. Smic manages to develop strong dramatics of possible happenings, in a range of material – physical and unfathomable – metaphysical; dramatics of certainty and uncertainty at the same time, by delicate modeling of fragments of art stain, rich lines and unrestricted colourism.
Whether expressive abstraction or abstract surrealism, Mateja Šmic’s art is taking us in a state of mind which makes us long for the freedom of our own self; freedom and right to control our own destiny. Because, only in that way we can discover and live ourselves, be what we feel we are deep inside, and act according to our preferences and abilities – according to ourselves. Therefore, one must only be realized – tells us Šmic – otherwise life makes no sense. Everything else is idling, loss of time and attempt of substitution. And you cannot substitute life… with anything.” Dražen Pavlović, 2015.
Work / Education
I study Visual Art Practice at NCAD (National College of Art and Design in Dublin) and at the same time have a full time job.
EXHIBITIONS AND PROJECTS:
2011. – Display in “Mercator” gallery (Croatia)
2011. – Annual LUV exhibition (Croatia)
2011. – Art Campus (Varazdin, Croatia)
2012. – Annual LUV exhibition (Croatia)
2013. – Annual LUV exhibition (Croatia)
2013. – Christmas fair (Varaždin, Croatia)
2014. – Annual LUV exhibition (Croatia)
2014. – “EVOLUTION” exhibition (Croatia)
2014. – “Konzum” exhibition (Croatia)
2014, – Urban art zone, Yasalam 2014. (Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.)
2014. – Great accident art session (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
2015. – “Inner talks” solo exhibition (Varazdin, Croatia)
2015. – City project – murals on 7th (Calgary, Canada)
2015. – Annual LUV exhibition – nominated for a Major award of 57.GI LUV
2015. – “Inner talks” solo exhibition, Uptown 7th gallery (Calgary, Canada)
2016. – Organizer of a fundraiser “Temple Street Art Show”(Dublin,
