Meet the Artist // Lucija Zaja

Can you give us an introduction about yourself and your practice?

My name is Lucija. I was born and raised in Croatia. After I finished my studies in landscape architecture, I moved with my partner to Berlin. I lived here for seven years, then I moved to Australia, and now I’m back here. I think Berlin influenced my work a lot. In my artistic practice, I mostly draw my inspiration from Croatia, where I’m from. I was born during the war and that influences me as an artist. I gravitated towards traumatic themes, and that’s why I’m so drawn to Berlin, because of its history. I’m interested in what happens when people or places go through trauma, and then how do you continue with your life, and how
it influences everything you do.

 

In which mediums do you work?

I usually use acrylic paint and gouache, and collage sometimes. I also like to use textiles, that’s my new interest, which I’m going to experiment more with here at GlogauAIR. It’s mostly a combination of a lot of different things. Sometimes I have my phases where I focus on one thing or another, but I like to combine a lot.

 

Can you tell us more about your artistic process?

For me it’s very intuitive, almost like some kind of spiritual practice. I don’t have any preparation when I’m painting. I don’t do sketches. I do the first layer, I choose the colors, but then I see whatever comes out. That’s why sometimes it’s probably hard to understand what it is about. With drawing it reminds me of the music process. You just go for it.

 

What have you been interested in recently?

I’m interested to dive into where I’m coming from, and my ancestors. I want to do some research about where I’m standing in terms of where I’m coming from, because I have a lot of issues with it, because of everything that happened in the past. And I just want to make peace with it, so I want to focus on that right now. I have a whole plan for open studios. I’m
going to put the paintings of these little creatures that represent spirits before me, the ancestors, or anyone who was before me, who had anything to do with me on one wall. And then on the other side, I would like to do a couple of self-portraits. I would like to face them,
and I want them to face me. I want to resolve this trauma, and shame, and all the negative feelings that I have towards my place of origin and to make peace with it.

 

Your creatures have multiple breasts, what is it about for you?

I also find inspiration in feminism and feminist art. To me breasts represent women but also some kind of burden, the pressure to have children and just enduring a lot of things in your life. It also reminds me of Croatian grandmas and what women of that generation have been through, living in the village. I feel like it’s tough for women.

 

How does it feel being back in Berlin, and how is it going so far with the residency?

It’s great. It’s just that winters in Berlin are difficult. But I think it’s good for my work, because I can concentrate on my practice more. I think it’s good to be back in Berlin. Like I said, I’m really drawn to its history. I think it’s interesting that if I draw a parallel with Croatia, and Yugoslavia when it fell apart. Berlin went through this union, and that was kind of the opposite of what I experienced when I was a small child. So I’m really drawn to places that went through this huge trauma. In Berlin things went crazy and It takes a lot of time to process it. But I also find it inspiring. Because then something new happens, a new reality is born, and people do amazing things after that.
It’s good to be here. This is my first residency, and it’s going amazing. I like to be surrounded by other artists. I feel like whenever I need advice, or just someone to look at my work, or maybe to help me with something, I can just go next door. And it’s great.

 

Who are some of your favourite artists or artists who have influenced your work?

I really like Louis Bourgeois. Maybe because she also comes from a traumatic childhood and that’s where she draws her inspiration and views from. She’s also into subjects like being a woman, a mother or a housewife. The relationships with her parents also have affected her,
with her father and her mother who died. I feel very connected to that because that’s also where I draw my inspiration − war and domestic life.
I love Marina Abramović. I love that she was painting, but then she realized that it’s too simple for her. And that she needs to be in the moment with herself and with people and to do her own thing. What she does is temporary, but she gets to the essence of it. She’s there for a while and then she’s gone. It’s not like a painting that you can preserve. It’s in the moment and you have to experience it. I mean, it’s like with all performance art, but she’s a pioneer.

 

Are you interested in performance as an artist?

No, at least not for now. Maybe in the future. But I really appreciate it.