Lucija Rosc

Lucija Rosc's art freezes time, curating her grandparents' diverse possessions into a series. From knives to jokes, it bridges generational perspectives, emphasizing joy over time's anxiety. Within her artistic practice, Lucija Rosc delves into the accumulation and archival of memories, fueled by a profound desire to arrest time or escape its ceaseless flow. Departing from her previous exhibitions featuring personal collections, archives, and objects, Lucija now delegates the collecting task to her grandparents. Choosing to construct a collection from their own accumulated items, she takes on the role of a curator, arranging and infusing her artistic signature into these assortments curated by her grandmother and grandfather. The collections comprise a diverse range of items, spanning from utilitarian tools like knives and plates to whimsical elements such as jokes, trinkets, and cardboard cards adorned with puppy motifs. Even seemingly ordinary or discarded items like empty bottles of Tempel carbonated water find a place, offering a captivating insight into how her grandparents perceive these objects. The series prompts thought-provoking questions about generational differences in object perception, providing viewers with an extraordinary glimpse into the sentimental, aesthetic, and functional values attributed by the older generation. Lucija employs various mediums—studio photographs, readymade objects, and sculptures—to present these items and memories. For the first time, she integrates a sound recording into the series, enhancing the sensory experience for the audience. The sculptures featured in the series are meticulously crafted from recycled materials, each conveying a distinct message. The backgrounds and details, often consisting of items and papers received from her grandparents, play a pivotal role in conveying the essence of condensation, as denoted by the series' title: "podmet," a term referring to a mixture of flour and water used to thicken soup or stew. This term holds particular significance, echoing Lucija's grandfather Adi, who prepares this mixture whenever he cooks her favorite dish, carrot soup. Approaching her project themes with empathy and love for her family, Lucija Rosc aims not only to preserve memories but also to bridge the perspective of her grandparents with external observers. The series radiates a profound sense of joy for life and the coexistence with loved ones, steering away from emphasizing the anxiety of fleeting time. The author's sincerity is evident in the non-judgmental exposure of habits, even those that may seem more or less meaningful. Humor infuses every aspect of her work, reflecting a playful and enjoyable approach to her artistic process. This playfulness mirrors the character of her grandmother, Mica, who keeps a joke booklet in her wallet, sharing them aloud whenever the opportunity arises. Lucija captures Mica's humor on a vinyl record in another segment of the series, featuring 31 jokes accompanied by a reproduction of Mica's joke booklet, crafting a textual sound recording collection. The series further accentuates the graphic design elements of the vinyl, showcasing original archival photographs, Lucija's images, collages, and notes from her grandmother. The series unfolds as a dynamic narrative, intertwining dialogues between photographs and materials, colors and patterns, and a distinctive interplay between Lucija's artistic expression and the individual voices of Mica and Adi. Words by Teja Miholič

The rule of superposition in geology determines the age of fossils by placing younger sedimentary layers on top of older ones. Lucija Rosc applies this concept to her work, creating a series that forms a family album combining photographs of random objects with artistic interventions. In her artistic journey, Rosc explores vivid compositions in conjunction with family photos from her early childhood, revealing the intimate side of her art. Influenced by her grandparents' habit of collecting seemingly useless everyday objects, she incorporates materials reminiscent of her childhood into her compositions. Marbles, brushes, toys, and ropes become autonomous subjects in well-lit constructions, reminiscent of advertising photography. The series "Superpositions" delves into the concepts of memory and the creation of fictional narratives. The video game “Udén" seamlessly incorporates Rosc's childhood setting, interweaving photographs and objects as virtual coordinate points. This virtual world reflects the artist's subconscious, presenting new works as old memories and interrupting the serene space of the family field. Within the "Superpositions" series, Rosc's digital photographs, combined with analogue family photos, form a unique family album. Family memory is constructed collectively through the ritual of viewing photographs together, idealizing family bonds. By transforming childhood memories into visual images, Rosc stages naive and fleeting impressions. She questions the reliability of memory and the idealization of childhood while emphasizing that the present is always connected to the past. Rosc's work process and the spatial setting allude to child's play, combining everyday materials and prefabricated objects without excessive rationalization. Through the juxtaposition of photographs and actual objects, Rosc highlights the unreliability of memory and the staging of reality, drawing attention to the fact that the present is inseparable from the past.Hana Čeferin‍