Udah 2022

Curator: We’re looking at “Udah,” an acrylic on canvas painting by Dragan Ilić Di Vogo, completed in 2022. It immediately strikes me as a surreal and deeply personal piece. What’s your take? Editor: My initial reaction is melancholy. The horse, usually a symbol of power and freedom, appears burdened, almost weeping. The dreamlike quality, with the celestial sphere and floating objects, enhances that sense of poignant otherworldliness. Curator: Absolutely. The symbolism here invites deeper examination. The checkered cube, the dispersed orbs of color... Di Vogo uses these surrealist tropes to seemingly dismantle the conventional portrait. Think about the horse’s historical associations: war, aristocracy, status. This feels like a conscious deconstruction. Editor: Yes, I see that subversion. There’s a beautiful tension between the realistic rendering of the horse’s form and the fantastical elements that disrupt it. It feels like a commentary on identity. Is the horse mourning lost power or perhaps forced adaptation? Curator: That question of forced adaptation resonates. Looking at Di Vogo’s wider body of work, we see a recurring engagement with themes of transformation and the shifting nature of representation itself. His exploration pushes beyond the animal and challenges our ideas about imposed identities within a capitalist structure. Editor: Precisely! It evokes questions about agency and objectification. The horse’s weary gaze hints at the weight of these societal expectations. The painting transcends simple portraiture to confront how symbolic representations impact lived experience, a subtle call to redefine value beyond what is given. Curator: Considering the context of its creation in 2022, it acts as a relevant contemporary intervention. What is our responsibility to imagery and the power these narratives have? This painting offers no easy answers. Editor: No, it resists them, which I admire. The drips of color—almost tears—mingle with sharp-edged geometry. This clash embodies our messy and complicated negotiations with reality and fantasy. Curator: Ultimately, it’s a reminder that art’s power lies in its ability to provoke dialogue, questioning established norms. Editor: I agree. Di Vogo isn't simply presenting an image; he’s instigating a crucial discussion about imposed and performed identity. It definitely gave me much to consider today.