Tower Artist has Solid Foundations
[ The University of Melbourne Voice Vol. 3, No. 5
14 July - 10 August 2008 ] By Paul Richiardi
Creative freedom, teachers ‘like coaches’, and ‘amazing’ facilities are part of what Daniel Stojkovich enjoys about his University of Melbourne Fine Arts course at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA).
The former St Bernard’s College Essendon VCE student, whose etching Tower of Babel 2 2007, was selected for the recent Top Arts VCE 2007 exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, will major in printmaking.
Daniel says Tower of Babel 2 2007, was inspired by the Renaissance works of Pieter Brueghel, in particular The Little Tower of Babel, 1564.
His image is a modern interpretation which links today’s skyscrapers and the biblical narrative of Babel, designed to represent the hubris and arrogance of man.
Daniel chose to study at the VCA because of the School’s reputation – including past graduates and teachers. “Previous artists such as Bill Henson, Mike Parr, Peter Booth, Arthur Boyd, Howard Arkley, Patricia Piccinini and Ricky Swallow studied and taught there and some of those are major sources of inspiration for my own work,” he says.
“I love the freedom to develop my practice however I please without restriction and that’s very important to me. The teachers are more like coaches who encourage you to develop in your own way.”
“The facilities are pretty amazing – the school has several printing presses, even though I don’t use them at the moment because I’m currently painting most of my work. That’s another thing I like about the Printmaking Department they don’t limit me to just making prints.”
Daniel says one of the best things about life on campus is having a studio to himself. “I can work at school and not have to bring things to and from home all the time. In fact I spend pretty much all my time there, staying from 9am till 7:30pm every day. I’m quite a workaholic – I really don’t like being lazy about these things.”
He sees being a professional artist as “always a nice possibility, but realistically I will probably have to find an alternate source of income and do work on the side – that’s just the way of the artist these days.
“That’s not so bad though – I will never stop making artworks. I’ve considered doing a DipEd after graduating and becoming an art teacher like both of my parents.”
Of his Top Arts VCE 2007 success Daniel says he used printmaking as a medium because etching allowed him to achieve the dark, macabre look he was after. “My work at the VCA is in a similar vein – also macabre in approach –although I’m now making large paintings of Gustave Doré biblical illustrations.”
|
|
