Zona 1 2019

Dragan Ilić Di Vogo created this painting, titled Zona 1, whose date remains a mystery, using an arsenal of symbols that strike deep in our collective unconscious. At first glance, we see a woman, adorned with what appears to be splashes of color and with a celestial sphere hovering above. The sphere, an emblem of wholeness and the cosmos, echoes ancient mandalas symbolizing the universe in Hinduism and Buddhism. The egg motif, also present, is a universal symbol of birth and potential, reminiscent of the Orphic egg from which the primordial being Phanes was hatched, bringing light into existence. These symbols, however, are not static; they evolve. In alchemy, the sphere might represent the philosopher's stone, while the egg signifies the vessel of transformation. The woman's ambiguous gaze compels us, stirring our own memories and desires. Just as these symbols recur across epochs, their meanings continuously reshape our understanding of existence.