ARTISTIC BIOGRAPHY
Liliana's fascination with texture and surface has undergone various transformations through almost two decades of exploration, questioning their roles, influences, artistic past,
present and future, opposing, juxtaposing, decomposing,
composing each or both in different techniques, with different media, as well as with various compositional elements. Each of these phases represents a surprising turn to another medium and symbolism from the previous one, althouth they remain unexpectedly united by the same or similar leading idea.
Abstract bird-eye-landscapes from the period 2003-2006 were at first dominated by stiff lines, bold colours and pasty contrasts within surfaces. This would soon (2007-2010) bifurcate in more demanding polyptichs, with quite temperamental, expresionistic treatment.
"
Liliana's polyptichs fit into general expressionistic tendency to deform the surface.(...) Contrast is a logical consequence of such artistic process and the tendency to emphasize differencies and similarities. The individualization and deformation of the landscape were thus brought to its zenith." by Milos Stankovic, art historian, forword for the exhibition of L. Vidakovic "Processes-
Signs-Landscapes" in Belgrade, Artinfo , 2 011 )
By 2011 the artist turns away from the colour, canvas, acryl and oil, with a strong urge to experiment exclusively with the relation between texture and surface. The pencil, watercolor and paper/cardboard, overlapping of contrasting polyptichs, geometry, opening spaces, abstract opposed to figurative three-dimensionality and optical elements lead direct to the collage.
INTERESTING & IMPORTANT FACTS
AND ACHIEVEMENTS
1999-2003 - Attends Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade,
with painting as a main subject (mentor:
prof.mr.Stojanka Djordjic)
4/2004 - First solo exhibition in Brcko (Bosnia)
2004 - The artist is accepted in ULUBiH
(Association of Artists of Bosnia and
Hercegovina), as a regular member
2005 Liliana gets into a postgraduate Fine Arts
exchange programme at the University of
Plymouth, UK, department in Exeter
2006-2008 - Specialization postgraduate studies at the
Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade
(mentorship of prof.mr.Vladimir Velickovic)
2008-2016 - Works as a docent for subject "Composition"
at the Academy of Classical Art, Educons
University, in Sremska Kamenica, Serbia.
at the same time continuing to exhibit her
art mainly in ex-Yugoslavian countries,
also in Western Europe and USA
2010-2011 Engaged as a docent for subject "Nude
drawing", at the Academy of Classical Arts,
as a one-year-replacement for a collegue.
2011 - Included in "30 best contemporary artists of
Bosnia and Hercegovina", with a
participation in a documentary film by
Federal TV 1 channel
2/2012 - Liliana is accepted as a member of
ULUPUDS (Association of Fine Artists
and Designers of Serbia)
2012-2013 - Attending and completing a certified
one-year-course of graphic design at the
IT-Academy, Zemun, Serbia
2013-2018 - Doctoral studies of Visual Arts at the
Academy of Contemporary Art in Belgrade,
Serbia, with PhD thesis: "Object in
Postmodern Art"
4/2016 - Receiving the first prize on International
Drawing Biennale in Smederevska
Palanka, Serbia
2016 - Officially begins to live, work and explore
art, art associations' systems, teaching art
and engaging more in textile design
in Munich, Germany
2017- - Beginning of Liliana's more intensive and
recognized exhibiting activity in Munich
and sorrounding cities
2018- More intensive change of interest from fine
arts to collage on textiles and clothes, from
painting canvas to "wearing art".
2019- - After several applied art courses, Liliana
dedicated this year to learning in order to
satisfy even more curiosity of choosing
among challenging artistic paths that pull
in different directions at the same time.
01/2020- - Employed at Münchner Volkshochschule
01/2022 as a docent on Department for
Fine Arts, on subjects "Watercolour", and
"Perspective of Bird-eye-view".
2021 - Liliana's teaching expands to subjects such as
"Painting of Atmospheric Effects", while
"Painting from the Space Perspective" replaces
"Perspective of Bird-eye-view". She also
teaches "Basics of drawing", further as well
"Basics of Watercolour".
2021 - After 3 years of experimental work on fabric
collage and painting on textiles as an
independent action intented for clothing
items, Liliana Bauer expanded her work for
this branche, with the aim of presenting
wearable art, durable, unique and artistic
clothes and accessories that quite deny fast
fashion and promote quality, reducing of
textile waste and recycling of fibers or fabrics.
2022- Teaching, experimenting, expanding the
textile art. At the same time, redirecting
classical art expression to the graphic,
digital, illustrational.
05/2022- Continues to teach art in Fürstenfeldbruck. Begins to teach Comics Drawing and Painting
on Textiles as well.
09/2022- Expands teaching fine and applied art at
art school in Dachau, as well as in Würmtal.
Returns to exploring of the monochrome collage.
11/2022- Starts teaching art in Erding and Poing.
05/2023 - Begins teaching drawing, miniature art and
textile painting & printing at VHS Schools
in Northern Munich and at Vaterstetten.
Works on cartoons & comics, as well as on
further collage techniques exploration.
07/2023- Teaches comics in Eching, while working
on her own graphic novel sketches.
"Liliana Bauer uses fabrics in her collages, allowing them to
devour each other with unexpected overlaying, that lead the
artist to her desired achievedment, literally the name of one
of her works, "Blinding Paths". (by Katharina Aurich,
Süddeutsche Zeitung, 12.11.2017)
"The works of Ljiljana Vidakovic reflect a strong individualism, an impression deep understanding of a
personal position, which gives her a certain security, self.-confidence and a liberal attitude to a creative art.
A level of of an individual's maturity depends on responsibility for fitting in the existing standards of the art theories, as well as an appropriate treatment of a personal style (...)".
(By prof.Mr. Branko Miljus, from his recommendation letter for Liliana Bauer for the Academy of Fine Arts in Plymouth,UK, 2005
In the middle of this process, already teaching at an art academy. Liliana begins her doctoral studies of fine arts, with
an interest for the postmodern, multimedial, versatile and theoretic. This iinterest had pushed her just a year before in a research of photography, montage, digital & vector drawing and graphic design at an IT-course. All this was a base for further, five-year-long, serious studies. There was also a brief exprimentation, in 2014, with objects in space, that opened another angle of looking at the object, texture and space.
After a short time Liliana dives in her previous fields of interest again, this time she is testing the direction of cyclic repetition of historical, XX century avantgarde influences, on contemporary approach to art, after Hal Foster's well-known conclusion. Paralel with writing of her thesis "Object in postmodern art", the artist physically compares her own, past and present, relation to the techniques, works of various contemporary artists ,similarities and differences in society, technology and psychology fromvarioius
moments in the XX century art with the present moment.
The question also includes an assumption that at least further into the XXI century the art is going to innovate, create and criticize, using examples of early XX century movements.
Liliana herself returns to assamblage and collage on canvas, intuitively, but at the same time trying to "catch" the point at which her artwork, existing on a flat canvas surface, takes actions towards becoming, as much as possible, a 3D object. In the process many materials were tested, while techniques, space, texture, symbolism and personal drama became a sort of means of developement of compositions that had no time limits for developement. In the moment of the artist's doctoral exam, that "moment in time" was dominated by mostly geometrical compositions with fabrics, wood, wire, nylon, construction materials such as net and styrofoam, knails, bamboo, wax cloth, etc.
As Liliana moves to Germany somewhere at the same time as this phase was at it's peak, with the new artistic environment, reality and tastes, she continues, though, to
explore, and soon returns for black and white, space-troubled, collages, this time defined by optical element, illusion or merely shown paralels, among real texture, it's geometric, as well as realistic, representations. There are several paths, each worth following, but it's successful if done conscioussly and slowly.
"My art professors were right when they clamed that an artist possesses a large number of expression methods.
Of course, some artists dedicate their lifetime to exploring, let's say, similar approaches to the same theme, or vice versa...On the other side, some change dramatically, like Picasso.....Everything depends on the author, and it takes an unbelievable amount of introspection, research, reading, thinking, talking, being
motivated by works of other artists & other branches of
cultural creativity, etc....Anyway, above all, it takes a lot of
- work.(...)" (From the interview of Liliana Bauer by Snezana Mijic, Tugurium-wordpress, 2013)
