Joni Zakonjšek

White Wind

Velika sela, autumn 2013- summer 2017, oil on canvas, 132 x 230 cm

Joni Zakonjšek has a unique place in the panorama of contemporary artistic practices: she realizes her works in an extremely prolonged process akin to a meditative practice involving deep concentration and a constant quest for harmony with all reality and the cosmos. Her imaginative world is inhabited exclusively by images of nature that look with almost microscopic proximity at patches of grass, sections of leafy forest undergrowth or the sea shallows, while the horizon disappears in this close-up view. The images of nature, depicted at very close range and with sensitive attention to the minutest detail, are elevated into images of microcosms, self-sufficient worlds inviting us to take the path of spirituality and meditation as a way to experience transcendental awareness.

Joni Zakonjšek, originally from the Primorska region of Slovenia, lives and works in Bela Krajina, where she devotes herself entirely to painting. In 2003 she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana under Professors Emerik Bernard and Marko Uršič, and later completed her specialization studies under the mentorship of Gustav Gnamuš. She has received several awards in recognition of her work.