Notes
21st June 2025
Exhibition Human-Universe (Micro and Macro Cosmos)
Human–Universe grew out of a personal exploration that began with my Neon project. Over time, this interest in the relationship between the human being and the cosmos developed into a broader visual journey — one that looks at the connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm through different media. Pastels allowed me to approach the cosmos intimately and emotionally, collage revealed small inner structures that mirror cosmic forms, airbrush opened atmospheric and spatial visions, and video introduced time, stillness, and meditation.
At its core, this project reflects a universal question — how the inner world of a person relates to the vast structure of the universe. Each medium became not just a tool, but a way of thinking, and together they formed a visual language that seeks to connect these parallel dimensions. For me, this project marks a continuation of that search, and an invitation to keep exploring these ideas across new works, media, and contexts.
9th September 2024
Video / New Direction
Introducing video art into my practice was not an obvious or easy step at first. For a long time, I questioned whether I could shape a visual language in this medium that would truly belong to me. By the summer of 2024, however, a clear idea finally formed — a work that I submitted to the Videomedeja festival, where it was selected for the program. That experience became an important encouragement to continue developing video as part of my artistic research.
The video is intended to show the human being in direct relation with nature and the cosmos, not through narrative, but through a state of meditation and introspection. The first impulse came after I visited the Zagajička hills near the Deliblato Sands. Their soft organic curves and dense greenery felt like an image of the Earth in its purest form. In this landscape, I recorded static scenes of the figure in moments of stillness, seeking inner balance and harmony with the surroundings.
This material was later expanded through digital drawing and animation, introducing abstract elements connected to the visual language of my earlier works. In this way, the natural landscape becomes a meeting point between the earthly and the cosmic.
Working with video feels like a natural continuation of my research. It opens new dimensions — time, movement, and sound — transforming the image into a slower, meditative experience. Through this medium, the project enters a broader contemporary context, where traditional and new media coexist and enrich one another.
14th March 2024
Airbrush
In this stage of my work, I have established airbrush as a key painting medium in my practice. What first drew me to it was its ability to create quiet, subtle transitions — surfaces that feel atmospheric rather than constructed. The gradients, soft edges, and nebula-like textures that emerge through airbrush align very naturally with my interest in cosmic space and the relationship between the universe and the human inner world. In a way, this medium continues the visual language I began exploring in Neon — although Neon existed through animation and illuminated prints, airbrush now allows that same sensibility to appear in painting, in a material and tactile form.
Learning the technique demanded patience, discipline, and precision, but through that process, I developed a strong connection to it. I feel that airbrush suits my sensibility — it allows me to build images that are contemplative rather than loud, layered rather than declarative.
Within the context of contemporary painting, where traditional brushwork has been explored to such an extent that its possibilities are often questioned, airbrush still feels like a less-used language. Precisely because of its subtlety, it offers room for new forms of expression and perception. For me, it has become a way to extend my research into painting and cosmic imagery, opening a quieter but expansive visual space that I intend to continue developing in the years ahead.
5th August 2023
Pompeii
My trip to Pompeii left a profound impression on me and became a significant source of inspiration for my ongoing explorations of the relationship between the universe and humanity. The entire area — the archaeological park, the volcano, and the nearby coastline — possesses a rare authenticity and a distinct energy. Walking through the ruins under the summer sun might seem exhausting to some, but for me it felt like a true adventure. At times it seemed as if I had stepped onto another planet — or more precisely, into another time. Every stone, fresco, sculpture, and fragment of architecture carries the presence of a past world, creating the sensation of travelling through time.
This encounter with ancient mythology, art, and architecture resonated deeply with my current research interests. It inspired me to continue exploring mythology through new visual works and to reflect further on human consciousness and symbolic storytelling.
I should also mention the small museum dedicated to Pink Floyd inside the ancient Roman amphitheatre — the site where the band recorded their legendary performance film. Pink Floyd is my favourite band, so simply being in that space already felt meaningful. Even more special was the concert held there by Nick Mason and his collaborators on July 24th. That evening unfolded like a scene from another world: darkness and silence surrounding the ruins, the moon lighting the volcano like a silent guardian above the city, and the audience gathered in the heart of the archaeological park, waiting for the first notes from A Saucerful of Secrets and Meddle — two of the most mystical albums ever recorded. The combination of music, setting, and symbolism created an unforgettable experience that left a deep mark on me.
I would love to return to Pompeii — there is still so much to see, and it’s not a place you can fully experience in just one visit. For me, it remains an endless source of inspiration, and a true destination for those who love archaeology, mythology, history, mystery, and quiet adventure.
10th April 2023
Paris
My first time in Paris felt almost like a sport—long days spent walking through countless museums and galleries, trying to see and absorb as much as possible. Paris truly feels like a paradise for an artist, a place where an extraordinary concentration of culture and the entire history of art coexist.
I was incredibly happy to finally see works by Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Matisse,
van Gogh
and Kandinsky in person—artists I deeply admire, yet had never encountered live before. Although I had seen Picasso’s works previously, visiting a museum dedicated solely to him felt like stepping into his life. I noticed a few visitors who strikingly resembled figures from his paintings. It may sound improbable, but I regret not asking to photograph them—something that could have captured and confirmed that strange moment. Still, their presence only intensified my impression of the space and Picasso’s work itself.
Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre are, of course, true treasuries of civilization. The Egyptian collection at the Louvre left a particularly strong impression on me, as I have long been fascinated by ancient Egyptian art, mythology, and history. While the Louvre holds many important works by Italian artists, my strongest impressions of Italian art remain tied to experiences I had in Italy.
Perhaps unexpectedly, the most powerful experience of the entire trip was the Gustave Moreau house-museum. Located away from the strict city center, in a modest street and building, it reveals itself quietly. Climbing its narrow staircase, you would never anticipate what awaits inside. The intimacy, atmosphere, scent, and paintings create the feeling that Moreau himself might appear at any moment. His works are far more intense in person, and given how closely his themes align with my own sensibility, the visit felt deeply cathartic.
I also visited important photographic institutions, including the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, a small, intimate, and devoted to black-and-white photography and the legacy of one of the most influential photographers of all time. I spent time in galleries such as InCamera and Galerie Shériff, which focus on younger generations of photographers. Among the many painting and contemporary galleries I visited, Galerie Maubert and Galerie Richard left a particularly strong impression. I also unexpectedly encountered William Kentridge’s prints in a gallery I came across by chance, which was a very pleasant surprise.
On my final day, thanks to a family friend who works as a taxi driver in Paris, I had the opportunity to see parts of the city I had not managed to visit on foot. This brief journey through Paris offered a different rhythm and perspective on the city.
Paris has an exceptional gallery scene, and in most places, curators and staff were genuinely welcoming and open. Institutions such as the Fondation Louis Vuitton and Gagosian Gallery stand out for their scale, production, and presentation. I know I will return to Paris, but this first encounter with its artistic world is something I will remember forever.
28th June 2022
Photobook Time and Recent Publications
Photobook Time is a deeply personal project that brings together a photographic series developed over an extended period, from 2013 to 2021. During these years, I carefully selected images while continuously reflecting on the concept of time—its flow, fragmentation, and presence in everyday life. The series received recognition and awards within my home country, which led me to design and print the photobook in a very limited number of copies, shared only with people close to me. The book includes accompanying texts, critical essays, analyses, and reproductions of the works.
In addition, in 2025, Gallery Čedomir Krstić published the book New Acquisitions, presenting artists whose works have become part of the gallery’s collection. My photograph, Traffic, is featured in the publication alongside Composition II (1978), an etching by the distinguished artist Vesna Zlamalik.
The two works share a strong visual affinity, forming a calm and coherent pairing on the page.
29th November 2021
Journey Through Time
2021 has been an important year for me. The Time series—a body of photographs I have been working on for the past eight years—was exhibited in several galleries and cultural institutions across Serbia. I want to record my gratitude to everyone who helped make these exhibitions possible.
I am deeply grateful to art history professor Milanka Todić, who joined me at the Time Forum held at Moljac, a contemporary art space in Belgrade, and to Marijana Obradović for her impeccable organization of the event.
My sincere thanks go to art history professor Slobodan Jelić, whose thoughtful analysis and eloquent speech brought my works closer to the audience during the exhibition at the Cultural Center of Kraljevo. I am also thankful to Radmila Vlatković, director of the Čedomir Krstić Gallery in Pirot, for her support and excellent organization.
A special thank you to the Cultural Center of Novi Sad, the Modern Gallery in Lazarevac, and the Cultural Center of Pančevo for their collaboration and for showcasing the Time series.
10th August 2021
A Word About Time
The inspiration for this project arose from photography itself—a medium inherently tied to the capture of moments. It felt like the ideal starting point for exploring the concept of time, a fundamental idea in both philosophy and physics. While time has been studied and debated for centuries, it has never been fully defined. Visual art, however, offers a unique way to engage with ideas that are difficult to express in words, providing a space to explore unfinished answers to the enigma of time. The interplay between past, present, and future became a central focus throughout this process.
To convey this complexity, I employed multiple exposures, expanding the narrative, introducing new dimensions, and imbuing the images with symbolic meaning. This technique allowed each photograph to transcend a single moment, presenting a richer, layered story.
Discovery, in general, is often guided by intuition, and the first steps into uncharted territory can feel indistinct and undefined. This sense of ambiguity and exploration permeates the series, where the shifting intensity of fog preserves the mystery of each captured moment, inviting the viewer to linger in the uncertainty and wonder of time itself.
11th February 2021
Opening of the Time Exhibition
The Time exhibition season began with its opening at the Modern Gallery of the Lazarevac Cultural Center. The exhibition poster was designed by Adel Fares, and the following review was written by the writer Miloš Grujović:
There are photographers whose primary intention is to document—to preserve a moment, pass it on to others, or safeguard it for future generations. Others turn toward abstraction, aiming for pure emotion stripped of unnecessary meaning. And then there is a third path… when reality blends with inner vision and feeling, surpassing itself in the process.
Vukašin Delević’s series Time clearly belongs to this third group, although it consists—loosely speaking—of two types of photographs. The first is a set of landscapes, mostly fog and sky, which might be described as a search for lost time. Through black-and-white technique and the play of light, these images lead us into a completely timeless, almost phantasmagoric space. From the sun breaking through clouds, to turbulent waters and even more turbulent horizons intersected by unreal architectural forms, the symbolism of the passage of time—and the overlap between time and space—inevitably awakens strong emotion.
Yet this emotional dimension is further deepened by the second group of photographs, which could be understood as rediscovered time. Images of people, intensified by multiple exposures, create the impression of constant motion and ceaseless human commotion, again displaced somewhere beyond tangible reality. It is precisely this elusiveness that evokes the thought of infinity, and with it a sense of pure, irreducible freedom. Whether one sees in it a metaphor for thought, spirit, or unfiltered emotion ultimately matters little—for each viewer will experience it differently. What truly matters is the feeling it awakens: a sense of strength, dynamism, continual movement forward, and a gentle, softly blurred optimism.
The creative impulse behind Time inevitably points toward something… The fact that none of the photographs provide final answers, but instead provoke thought and invite layered interpretation—just as the figures within them shift and multiply—reveals Vukašin’s world as a unique fusion of the artistic and the intimate, of lost and rediscovered time.
30th May 2020
Review: Exhibition Neon in Gallery Catch 22 in Belgrade
The mystery of human energy is enclosed in two main concepts: body and soul. For centuries, the question of the correlation between the inner and outer worlds of a living human being has been left unanswered. Surprisingly or not, one of the most effective ways nowadays to explore layers of people’s energy is art. Vukasin Delevic, a Serbian artist from Belgrade, comes across as a pioneer in exploring consciousness, mind, and energy, using only artistic tools, his own experience, and his love for art.
Vukasin Delevic (b. 1993) embarked on his career as an artist from an early age. After finishing the High School of Art in Kraljevo, he studied Photography at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade and Photography and New Media at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. The talented Serbian artist has already had several solo exhibitions and participated in many group shows, including at the prestigious Venice Biennale with The Biennial Project in 2017. Works by Vukasin Delevic were rewarded at the Annual Youth Contest and published in RePhoto and other art magazines.
What differentiates Vukasin Delevic from many other artists is his unprecedented approach to contemporary art. Delevic works in diverse media, from digital art to printmaking, but his true passion is analogue and digital photography. The artist also creates amazing neon art, showcasing another side of his multifaceted talent. Such a gamut of approaches allows Delevic to learn more about his possibilities and to convey his ideas and visions in numerous different ways. The artist has managed to yield new insights into the nature of human energy, emotions, conscience, and inward connections. Through his work, Vukasin Delevic gives people pause for thought about the essential and valuable nature of our spiritual worlds. The results are truly impressive. Totally worth it!
26th January 2017
How to contribute to the art of the 21st century?
Following the explosion of artistic styles and movements throughout the 20th century, the very notion of art has stretched in countless directions—perhaps even too many. From Duchamp’s Fountain to the performances of Marina Abramović, Joseph Beuys and others, art has increasingly shifted from the object-based to the immaterial. But where does this trajectory lead? What will art in the 21st century become—and what has it already revealed?
One of the clearest answers appeared in 2010, when the Museum of Modern Art in New York presented one of the most iconic art events of the century: Marina Abramović’s The Artist Is Present. Over the course of three months, visitors sat across from the artist, engaging in silent eye contact—an intimate encounter through what many call “the mirror of the soul.” Stripping art down to its most essential form, this performance revealed something fundamental: when all material layers are removed, what remains is energy.
This brings us to a crucial question: how essential is the concept of energy not only to art, but to humanity itself?
In exploring this, it’s impossible not to invoke the vision of Nikola Tesla. A great admirer of art and a close friend of Mark Twain, Tesla often contemplated the nature of energy and its implications for life. In a 1899 interview, he famously stated:
“Everything is electricity. First was the light, the endless source from which material emerges and distributes itself in all forms that represent the Universe and the Earth with all its aspects of life… Electricity, I am. Or, if you wish, I am electricity in human form. You are electricity too, Mr. Smith, but you do not realize it.”
For Tesla, energy was the essence of all existence—of humans, animals, plants, and even minerals. His reflections on the unity of light, energy and consciousness resonate deeply with Abramović’s performance. By sitting still and meeting the gaze of strangers, she activated a heightened awareness, creating a shared energetic field while expanding her own perception.
This leads to a broader inquiry: has art, across history, been a tool for expanding human consciousness?
If we look beyond decoration—often mistaken for the main purpose of art—the answer seems to be yes. Ancient sculptors sought to capture movement, emotion, innocence, and sensuality; in doing so, they pushed themselves into states of heightened sensitivity. Medieval icon painters cultivated discipline, focus and inward stillness, refining their consciousness through the very act of creation.
Throughout centuries, regardless of style or technique, this underlying drive to expand awareness has persisted, giving art its transformative power.
Yet in contemporary times, this power is occasionally misdirected. Under the broad umbrella of artistic freedom, some works transmit destructive or chaotic energy, shaping public consciousness in ways that diminish rather than elevate it.
Artists of the 21st century, therefore, carry a responsibility: to channel positive, transformative energy through their work, fostering the growth of human awareness. This does not mean avoiding difficult emotions, but rather transforming them—revealing their beauty, depth and meaning. To do so, artists must confront their own inner limitations, resist complacency, and remain dedicated to continuous self-development.
True art demands honesty, courage, and evolution. Only then can it fulfil its highest purpose: not merely to reflect the human spirit, but to elevate it.
Art history essay
Vukašin Delević
Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava
3rd September 2015
Cause and Consequence
Inspired by tape, I created a series of graphic prints, including a work titled The Error Does Not Exist. This print, executed using the drypoint technique, is divided into two contrasting sections: the lower part represents chaos, while the upper part embodies clarity.
Often, our actions and thoughts lead us to assign blame—either to others or ourselves. Yet, when we begin to approach events through the lens of cause and effect, we move from blaming toward learning. In this view, mistakes are not errors but growth opportunities. With this understanding, the chaotic energy gradually subsides, giving way to clarity and insight.