Jelena Donko
b. 1985 in Doboj, BiH / Ex-Yugoslavia
lives and works in Graz, Austria
Education
2014 – 2015 Master of Arts, London College of Communication, UAL, United Kingdom
2003 – 2009 Master of Science, Architecture, Graz University of Technology, Austria
2009 Master of Science, research programme, University of Cape Town, South Africa
2008 Master of Science, continuing study courses, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
Solo Exhibitions
2018 „Come to line“ – an interactive & VR exhibition, Design Monat, Graz, AT
2017 „Line by line“, Foound, Geneva, CH
Jelena Donko (b. 1985, Doboj BiH) is an abstract artist, currently living and working in the historic center of Graz, Austria. With a background in architecture and design, she works across a number of media and techniques including painting, drawing and mixed media. Jelena received a MA (Master of Arts) with first class honours and distinction in Illustration and Visual Media from the London College of Communication, UK and a MSc (Master of Science) with distinction in Architecture from the Technical University in Graz, Austria. She combines her personal artwork for exhibitions and art installations with commissioned pieces for architectural
spaces, interior design projects and selected brands. Inspired by physical and mathematical concepts, her work is characterised by a combination
of theoretical and visual research that reflects a practice between drawing from observation and conceptual imagination. The abstract and minimal aesthetic of her pieces develops through a theoretical, explorative process of contextualising, blending and simplifying conceptual elements. These ideas are then transferred onto paper or canvas. During this process each material is chosen with the overall concept in mind. Some pieces are created in multiple stages by layering various paints and/or cutting and rearranging elements. The choice of colour in Jelena’s works is defined by the corresponding wavelength. Color becomes an additional parameter for movement. Each step in the making process ties back to the overall concept that was defined in the beginning.
Jelena’s artistic approach aims to create a feeling of continuous interlacement and question the idea of reality, its perception and emotional connection to us. How far does reality go beyond our means of sensory perception and how can we connect to something imperceptible. Through a state of wonder.
Artist statement
„I feel that physics and math
offer truly inspiring stories
about our reality. Through my
art I try to create a visually
engaging language for these
scientific concepts.“
Based on physical and mathematical concepts, my work tries to address the idea of reality, its perception and emotional connection to us. I see art as research – a visual tool to explore worlds that otherwise remain unseen within the limits of our sensory perception. A link between our everyday experiences (the visible) and the scientific structures that define it (the invisible). Interpreting scientific concepts through their most fundamental elements enables a minimalist imagery which aims to evoke a feeling of balance and calm. Inspired by the philosophy of mathematics, the idea is to depict something complex in the most elegant and simplest way. Through the
abstract character of my work I hope to not only create balanced and calming compositions, but also to develop a more approachable visual language into the world of physics and mathematics. The line as a gesture of movement is the overarching element in all of my work and reflects two fundamental ideas:
Movement through space and movement through time. A profound notion that connects us all.
The name OF ATOMS & LINES derives from my interest in the world of moving particles and its connection to space and time – an ongoing exploration of how motion affects matter and vice versa.