Sretan Bor
(Mario Kolarić)

Why did you decide to join the Side Effects team and submit one of your works for the debut series?

Aside form a brief experience during studies, I did not get involved too much with silkscreening, so the invitation from the Side Effects team was a good opportunity for me to finally see how some of my drawings would turn out if they were printed as a series. Additional motivation came from the fact that the entire pressing is handled by professionals, so the conditions or production were the best possible.

How did you choose which of your works will be printed and produced in the limited pressing of 100?

A similar piece I already did in 2010 as a mural, as part of the “Hello Sailor!” festival in Rijeka, Croatia. Side Effects crew liked it and they suggested to do something similar for this edition.

Besides working in the print domain, which is obviously interesting for you, what are your other favorite forms of visual expression?

I am mostly involved in drawing, whether I sign the drawings as Sretan Bor, or under my own name. Lately I have been working with acrylic on paper a lot, but drawing is where I feel most at home. I also do murals and installations, and as I had the experience of producing animations for HRT (Croatian Broadcasting Corporation), I would like to work on my own animations.

What kind of inspiration lies behind “Lake”?

I often use motives from nature whose energy I like, and those experiences can be found transposed in my work.

Which work or output by another artist would you consider your “eternal inspiration”, if you have had this kind of experience?

Ever since my studies I enjoyed the art of the Renaissance and Northern Europe. I would avoid making a big list, but I would always point out Pieter Bruegel and his painting “The Hunters in the Snow”.

How would you describe your aesthetics in a couple of “-isms”?

I would start by mentioning naive art. I am very interested in that field lately, in relation to a sort of displaced reality that I could describe by using a notion coming from literature – magic realism. Honestly, I am not sure if such a genre is used in the sphere of visual arts, but it describes mu artistic inclination in the best way. I am also working on a lot of abstract pieces.

What is your relationship to and experience with silkscreening, as a technological process for presenting visual ideas?

I think it is a very convenient medium, as it opens the space for technical experimentation. So far I took part in two collaborative actions in Prolom Banja, organized by Youth Graphic Colony and the Dis-patch Collective. First one was the “Off Guide” workshop about Prolom Banja, while the other one were the preparations for a group show in Berlin which took place last October at the Neurotitan Gallery. For that occasion, Esh, D.L.T. and myself did four series of three graphics each. Each one of us did one “layer”, so many interesting situations occurred which can only unfold in this specific form of collaboration.

Do you have a favorite “fine art paper” that you had a chance to work with?

I mostly used Fabriano Avorio paper for “deep printing”. I like it because of its heavy volume (300gr), as I see paper not only as a backdrop for drawing or painting, but also as an element which has its own aesthetic quality. But, the paper I was fond of the most is the one which I produced myself.

Will the success change you?

Yes. More people will have a chance to encounter my works, and hence they will have a chance to communicate on a higher level. At the same time, new situations will arise which I will need to face.  If we also add in the possible monetary compensation which may come with “success” then, I hope, I will be even more fulfilled and have a chance to travel and help my family, who has supported me so far.