Danijela Gracner

Born in 1983 in Kragujevac, Serbia, the artist lives and works in Paris.

While studying applied arts and mural painting at the University of Belgrade, she dealt with the theme of subordination and the adaptation of people to the prescribed social constraints in her performances under the title "Sleepers". She portrays people as puppets crammed into a tight corset of traditions, rules and constraints, performing their duties at the expense of their talents and potential. Congealed, uniformed and sardine-like in boxes, everything individual only theoretically present and slumbering unused - in Gracner's works depicted as colourful blobs, coloured threads or funny little figures full of variation. Her perpetual opus under the same name is constantly expanding in her paintings and mixed media.

With her large relief-like works (masses of sand and glue as well as beeswax with pigment applied and formed on a wooden background, overpainted with black shades of oil paint) she succeeds in creating something fascinating: A series of huge and heavy paintings with black figures on a black background "The Sleepers", which shine brightly and cheerfully (or "wake up") in daylight or proper (or spiritual) lighting. These mandala-like works invite the viewer on a game to test their own perspective and perception. She deliberately eschews classical composition and the golden ratio in order to present the figurative forms in a sardine-like, sculptural manner. And here the artist's ambition also becomes clear: the awakening of our talents, a free life and critical thinking without constricting constraints and habits.

The being with the 100 billion neurons and infinite connection possibilities in the brain - the human being - abused by the human being to become a system keeper. Homo homini lupus est, also comes to mind in this context. Viewing a work by Danijela Gracner in the living room or in the office acts like a protective shield against this. It prevents us from falling asleep, looking away, swallowing and forgetting our own identity, our own values and our own view of things - our creativity.