About Structures of Soul

Lately, I have been working on this conceptual project, researching the motifs that appear on Persian rugs, for aesthetic, but also spiritual reasons, following the Sufi path and Persian art and culture in general. I am copying the motifs to honour the anonymous weavers and the ancient culture, applying my own colours and presenting them on a bigger scale. My paintings' dimensions range from 60 x 60 cm to 139 x 175 cm.

Conceptually, it is about diverting attention from merely decorative and material issues that typify the Persian rugs market, by drawing attention to the real meaning of symbols and the deeper messages of the ancient ornaments.  

My work in general is continuing to follow a thread of interest in different cultures. I express my respect for cultures other than mine, and my enthusiasm about multiculturalism, tolerant coexistence and pluralism through my artwork.

Background story

Originally from Slovenia, I’ve been in Australia for eight years. This body of work came about from 2016 after I came back from Bosnia, where I spent time with a Persian friend of many years, Parviz Mohammadi. He has a Persian carpet shop in Sarajevo, Isfahan Gallery.

He was happy to share his carpets and his knowledge of them with me. I took photos of the most precious of them and experienced great admiration for the carpet ornaments and the art of Persian carpet making.

Having permission by my friend, to use the carpets’ photos in whatever way I wanted, I felt challenged. I started to trace ornaments from my photos, then enlarging the drawings by projection, and painting in my own interpretation of colours. At the same time I became increasingly interested in the Sufi spiritual path. I realised that there was a deep and subtle connection between Sufism and ancient Persian carpet art.

I have completed more than twenty acrylic paintings on high quality Fabriano Artistico paper in the past three years. All paintings have been painted while listening to traditional Persian and Sufi music. The process of painting has been more like a spiritual practice than a discipline of art.

I also made friends with The Sydney Sufi Ensemble that inspired me strongly in my work and also in my spiritual journey.

Works have been shown in February 2019 at the 107 Project Center in Sydney, among others.