America & Warhol When, back in 1962, she became the first artist in the country to receive a Ford scholarship for a study trip to the U.S., Olja departed from the then airport in Bata- jnica, noticing as she looked through the plane’s window that an old man with a walking stick was running after the plane and waving. She had seen her father, who she was leaving completely alone, convinced that he would never again see his daughter. And she vowed to herself that she had to return from America because of him. Her six-month stay was extended by another six months, so Olja toured the U.S. from east to west with a group of artists, stopping for a reception with President Kenne- dy, but also to attend the opening of the Space Needle tower in Seattle. The then America had something com- pletely new – and the scene was being slowly conquered by Pop Art artists – Warhol, Rauschenberg, Lichten- stein... For Olja, this marked the discovery of the soul. But she nonetheless returned home, her father waited long enough to see her one more time, and then died. Shock & pop Upon returning, she staged Belgrade’s first ever pop art exhibition at the Gallery of the Graphics Collective, prompting strong reactions from an audience that wasn’t accustomed to what she presented. It included all sorts, but there were no pictures on the wall, which excited,
amazed and angered the art scene. Olja debated what it was publicly with the audience – whether or not it was even art, and marking the pinnacle of it all was her burning of a doppelganger effigy in front of the gallery. It was so out of the ordinary that a furious Zuko Džum- hur wrote in the Book of Impressions from the exhibi- tion “Well, if this is Art, then I’m pop!”. Souls and destinies In the title of one exhibition, she dubbed herself an observer of human souls and destinies. Her desire was for her art to prompt various questions in those who observe it, to compel them to think, but also to record everything of importance from the birth of the world to the present day. The concept of art that she conveyed on canvas was unique in every sense. She believed in the existence of a living world on the planets surround- ing the Earth, and she saw life on Earth as a privilege. She gave us portraits of the Moon and Mars, connect- ing everything in chronological order. Leonardo’s daughter Perpetuation was something that she valued the most as a category, saying that she wanted to persevere even when she was no more. She was known as the first and only lady of Mediala and Leonardo’s daughter, and it was in that quest that she created, constantly search- ing for the beauty of the New Man of tomorrow and the world, who would be enlightened and peaceable, but would manage to create a bright future. Those who were lucky, even in passing, to be touched by the mag- ic of this special woman, to be illuminated by the splen- dour of her thoughts and her unique appearance, know that Olja was capable of everything and did everything with dedication, passion and sincerity. A Russian soul, heroine and beauty; a cosmopolitan and universal mind, she is one who is no longer with us physically but will remain after we’ve all departed, because she also saw and knew both before and after.
Art » Umetnost | 45
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