Consumerism and an obsession with efficiency and productivity define today’s society, often at the expense of empathy. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for individuals to stay connected with their inner selves and maintain quality intimate relationships. Modern people struggle with social connections and intimacy.
Having been born in the SFRY (Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia), I experienced a vastly different cultural and social system. Socialism emphasized the collective, striving to eliminate individualism and any detail that set one person apart from the group. This system enforced uniformity in thought and behavior, with people living together in large residential blocks. The state provided free accommodation, often requiring two unrelated families to share the same apartment. While social relations developed easily, many other aspects of life faltered.
This series of paintings is my personal tribute to a better life. It represents my vision of Utopia, merging the best of both worlds: the opportunity for personal self-expression offered by modern society and the strong social bonds and cohabitation of socialism and communism.
I have depicted the buildings of Architectural Modernism, specifically Brutalism, using vivid colors to transform the originally grey landscapes of concrete and stone.