Goran and Marija Gocic (Gocić) were both born in Belgrade, Serbia, although some years apart: as a matter of fact, Goran is Marija’s father.
What led them to collaborate is an exciting journey that they told us through an exclusive interview. Goran is an award-winning writer, journalist, and filmmaker, while Marija does performance, experimental theatre, and photography. So first common thread identified, they are both in front, and behind a camera and their collaboration, it’s as for today an eighteen years long one.
They never lived together, and probably this urge to deepen boundaries is what to pushed them to restore family ties gradually. As they are both enthusiast explorers, this child-adult combination also defines, at best, their unique mutual approach to art. While Goran intends to turn chaos into harmony, Marija has indeed a wilder method given by her vibrant instinct.
ABOUT THEIR TECHNIQUE
Their creative method focuses on collage and mixed media, which they also like to define as “arte povera.”
All the elements that create their pieces are mostly found objects as newspapers and clips or photographs meshed with personal images of their family photo albums – to add a significant emotional contribution.
“We find old photographs especially endearing, no matter to whom they belong, as long as they have been declared unwanted,” they explain. To the duo, this process represents the core of a father and daughter relationship, as it encloses the relationship’s sense of finding oneself in the other.
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Can you briefly describe what you do and say something about your technique?
We mostly combine several techniques, mixing watercolors with pastels and pencils. The result’s probably not so pure but undoubtedly potent. We never use expensive materials in our work; we prefer leftovers and junk founded pies. Working with minimal resources to obtain a maximum effect is a skill we learned by living in Serbia. Our method is a potpourri of elements, and our favorite technique is collage.
What drives you to make art?
People often describe our work as uplifting, positive, and cheerful. We feel that the world is in bad shape, and we are, for sure, not the first ones who want to make it a better place. Art, however, should not only beautify or decorate. What matters is a kind of imprint that an artwork carries in terms of energy. Thus the subject matter is irrelevant; for example, religious art can give negative energy as much as profane art can be healing.
What is the main feature that has changed in your works throughout the years?
We considerably improved our technique and emotional result through consistent practice. Our starting point was children’s scribbles, a kind of spontaneous drawings typical of infants, just like it was for Klee and Dubuffet. In due course, just like it happened to them (well, perhaps not exactly like them), it became a more forceful approach throughout the years.
Which artists most affected your work?
We get great inspiration from the surrealists, which often used the collage technique. There is a playfulness in their pieces, where everyday objects acquire dream-like features. That is endearing. We also look at the work of Kandinsky, whose abstract paintings have spiritual overtones. We spent hours meditating in front of them. Art must touch some life-long enigma or mystery. Otherwise, it is merely entertainment. Kandinsky represents the utmost value: the truth is that you cannot waste hours in front of something that is not clear, as one consumes most of the contemporary art energy in a split second.
How would you like people to engage with your work?
At first, we were reluctant to either sell our work or give it away. We felt it was a part of us, a testimony of our spiritual development. Our art is an organic creation; it works only live. At the opposite, when you see a photograph of, say, Jeff Koons, it might work even better than in a gallery or museum. That is why we decided at one point to show our stuff, to start a direct communication. It turned out that it wasn’t easy to build some response with the audience, because the visual offer out there is vast, aggressive, and overwhelming.
On the one hand, we feel that any response is better than an absence of reaction. On the other, fishing for advertising at all costs is tasteless, as one should learn to stay subtle and pure, at least because the scandal is so hopelessly widespread nowadays. Eventually, we decided to offer our art for sale. Nowadays we encourage people to buy it, we exhibit it and enjoy this daily.
Do you have anything exciting on the horizon?
Everything excites us. We find living itself, not to mention creating new worlds, incredibly gripping. We scheduled a group exhibition in Belgrade for April, but due to the current coronavirus emergency, it seems it will going to happen later this year.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
We see ourselves on our yacht sailing the seven seas and getting better in the process of enjoying life as it comes.
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Goran is finishing his third novel, and Marija is preparing her sixth performance.
Goran and Marija Gocic are currently part of stArt Amsterdam.
To know more about Goran and Marija Gocic, go here.
