Pravićes me od Blata
“You will make me out of Mud”Presented within Not So Romantic, a project initiated by Arthur Heck at Gap’s Zurich, Pravićeš me od blata (“You’ll make me out of mud”) is a new series of ceramic sculptures reflecting on intimacy, memory, and the fragile nature of existence.
The title refers to a common expression from the former Yugoslavia, often spoken by parents to their children. At once affectionate and unsettling, the phrase carries a sense of urgency: a reminder to recognize and value what is present before it becomes something that can only be remembered.
Working with clay, a material deeply connected to the earth and to processes of transformation, the series explores the tension between permanence and disappearance. The glossy surfaces, with their jewel-like shine and references to glamour, create a contrast between fragility and ornament, vulnerability and desire. Through this tension, the ceramics inhabit a space between tenderness and theatricality, where beauty becomes a way of holding onto what is inevitably passing.
During Not So Romantic, the materials continued to evolve. The emergence of rust became part of the work itself, allowing the ceramics to transform in dialogue with the environment and the specific conditions of the site. This ongoing change reinforces the central reflection of the series: how matter can preserve traces of what is temporary.
Pravićeš me od blata considers the act of shaping and being shaped by others, by memory, and by time. The sculptures become vessels for presence, carrying the fragile traces of relationships while acknowledging the inevitable return of all things to the earth.
Photos by Arthur Heck