Curator Mojca Štuhec, MA, presents new acquisitions from Moderna galerija's collections: so-called line drawings by the painter Andrej Jemec (1976−1981, ink on paper). (Studio photos: Mojca Štuhec).

“In 2018, Moderna galerija acquired eight Andrej Jemec’s ink drawings made between 1976 and 1981 for its collection of drawings. In that period, the artist produced an impressive series of dozens of large-format drawings exploring the significance of the line as the most basic, essential component of drawing that gained autonomy in late modernism through the minimalist, analytical and conceptualist practices, shook off illusionism, and established itself as an independent element in artistic expression. Jemec’s so-called line drawings display his experimenting with the expressive potential of the line: from simple – both automatic and contemplative – drawing of horizontal or vertical lines, their varying thickness, density and vibrations that are graphological, or we could almost say cardiographic, recordings of the artist’s moods and emotions or the impacts of the environment, to increasingly complex variations: superimposed or overlapping weaves, layers, webs and grids bringing forth new images and shapes. Occasionally, Jemec addressed these same issues in paintings and prints, e.g. in his series of paintings made of strips of ripped canvas and sometimes taut strings; two such works are included in Moderna galerija’s collection of paintings. A visit to the artist’s studio revealed the extent and diversity of his explorations in different media, including collage, where the illusion of drawn grids is replaced by actual relief structures of different kinds of coarse burlap and cardboard. While the artist was clearly guided by a concept, a conscious decision about the direction, the density, the intertwining of lines in creating each of his drawings, there is also a spiritual and meditative dimension evident in the repetitive act of drawing a line and in his commitment to the discipline of this work, a dimension the artist himself admits. We could say these drawings are – primarily for the artist, but also for the viewer – a Zen meditation, calming in its deceleration and allowing deeper insight into the meaning of our existence and endeavors, while at the same time allowing for mistakes, contingencies, coincidence.”