The upcoming December/January exhibition at Gallery Bodalla features two diverse and wonderful artists, Slavica Zivkovic and Bela Ivanyi. The show runs from Thursday 6 December to Sunday 6 January. All are most welcome to drinks with the artist Saturday 8 December at 3pm with music by guitarist Geoffrey Potter.
Hungarian born Bela Ivanyi works spontaneously with a wonderful understanding of shape and light, to produce works that reveal his passionate nature and love of the Australian landscape.
“Bela has been teaching and painting for 50 years. His work is in many collections including the Australian National Gallery. From the vibrant colours around Alice Springs through to the cool, moody seas of the east coast, Bela works spontaneously with a wonderful understanding of shape and light.
Bela commenced his career with a Diploma in Painting from the National Art School, East Sydney and then taught painting and printmaking at the Workshop Art Centre, Willoughby.
In 1973 he moved to Cairns and for 6 years was Senior Lecturer for the Australian Flying Art School which had a significant impact on emerging artists, particularly in remote areas of Queensland. He began his love affair with the Australian landscape I believe after these beautiful scenic flights.
In 1975 he established the Cooee Bay Winter Art School, Queensland which ran for 40 years. Bela organizes painting trips to Alice Springs each year.
During Bela’s teaching years he has been part-time lecturer in painting, drawing & design at Newcastle and Alexander Mackie Colleges of Advanced Education and the College of Fine Arts, University of NSW - as well as lecturer, Art Education Newcastle University, on the Central Coast. He is a member of the Australian Watercolour Institute.
Bela is joined by Slavica Zivkovic, who is based in the Southern Highlands. Slavica draws on her rich inner world and imagery from her many travels, to create iconic works of warmth and beauty. Through various techniques she explores the relationship of identity within her own sense of journey and the role of spirituality which shapes it, resulting in an inspired collection of serene figurative works. As Sasha Grishin expressed in a catalogue essay for Slavica’s exhibition “Invisible Silence” at Wollongong City Gallery in 2015: “Innocent and deceptively simple, there exists a quiet profundity in her art and at times if you listen very carefully and in complete silence, it seems that you can hear the angels singing.”
Slavica’s travels over the past 20 years have been often to third world countries where she is drawn to the spiritual centres. She has explored Easter Island, walked the steps to Machu Pichu, walked the Camino (in northern Spain), worked in Cambodia, and travelled to Northern Ethiopia, Armenia, and Russia, as well as revisiting her home country of Serbia.
Slavica studied art at the National Art School 1987-1989 majoring in printmaking, and completed further studies in ceramics at the Illawarra Institute of Technology. Slavica has tutored children and young adults in art for 20 years, holding weekly and holiday programs, and has directed specialised workshops under the gifted & talented programme. She is the Gallery Administrator/Manager, Sturt Craft Centre & Gallery, Mittagong.
Exhibiting for over 30 years, Slavica was a finalist in the Blake Prize in 2010 and 2013. She is represented in public and private galleries.
Gallery Bodalla is open Thursday to Sunday 10.30am-4pm or by appointment, heritage post office building, Princes Hwy, Bodalla p.0421 238 174
www.gallerybodalla.com.au
