Iva Milovanovic '16
From my time spent in MECA I have learned persistency is very important, never to give up.
Describe a body of work that you are currently working on. My work explores the interactions of everyday experiences into sculptural representations of pleasure and absurdity, an insight into what I love and dread in other people. My sculptural installations incorporate clay and other materials such as wood, metal and fabric, into fantastical realities. Daily interactions resonate with my creativity where nothing and no one goes unnoticed or escapes.
What’s your background? I transferred to MECA&D from Faculty of Applied Arts Belgrade in 2014. I have a background in Graphic Design. During that time, I explored the world of illustration and design and when it was time to chose a medium to study I thought that clay was the perfect material to start with since I wanted to bring my illustrations in to three dimensions.
How has your education at MECA&D shaped you as an artist? From my time spent in MECA&D, I have learned persistency is very important, never to give up, and that I can always improve and move forward. At Maine College of Art & Design, we are constantly reminded that there is more than one way to be a creative being in this world and that it is important to know what we really want to do.
What inspires you? Daily interactions resonate with my creativity into fantastical realities. Nothing and no one goes unnoticed, and nothing escapes my sketchbook. Feelings of pleasure, excitement and fear urge me to filter through these experiences and bring them to life. A friend wearing a ridiculous outfit, a lover with a hairy back, the temperament of a stranger, all coalesce as a combined caricature that acquires a new peculiar personality. The sculptures are pure pleasure combined with absurdity and represent me as much as what I love and repel in other people. When I draw and assemble my creatures, I take fragments of people's physical and non-physical personalities, combine and transform them into things that I understand better. The truths behind these creatures are my own, while the physical sculptures are for the world to see. They are there to inspire and represent how I see you.
What do you hope to do after graduation? After graduation I hope to go to graduate school and get my MFA diploma. Eventually my biggest wish is to travel the world and create my fantastical realities in international galleries.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Go big and use your greatest asset as an advantage.