Marko Milić was born in Nova Gradiška, Croatia in 1998. Marko's interest in art appeared while working with his father, a sculptor. That is when he chose his career path would be an artistic one. Pushing himself into the unknown, he opened a company in 2019, at the age of 20, dedicated to creating a functional sculptures inspired by the love for nature, Logniture. In order of promoting company work and the necessity for high-quality images, investment in a quality digital camera was required. Quickly after picking
it up, Marko has shown interest and fell in love with the photographic medium itself, learned everything about technicalities, and dove into exploring the unknown.
Artist: Marko Milić
Based in Stara Gradiška, Croatia
Instagram:
marko_milic_photography
Culturally Arts Collective features:
"Broken Mirrors", June 10 - July 22 2022, Milostka Center for Exhibitions
What do you aim to say by the themes in your art?
Nature is really beautiful once you slow down, connect with it and really understand what nature is. Nature is not just a famous touristic location that you go to and be amazed by waterfalls. Nature is everywhere around us. It's amazing when you start noticing really small things and every detail on the plant, on bugs etc. That is the main thing I, as an artist, want to capture and show to people. As I like to say, “Nature is art itself, I don’t need to make it, just capture it”, there is beauty everywhere around us, every day, and will be, if we don’t destroy it.
And that is the second thing I like to show, and I feel like we have to. Once you come closer to nature, you will also start noticing its suffering from human impact on it. And I feel like we artists are responsible for sharing that with the world as well, not just sunny landscapes, but also the ugly ones. Who can do it better than us? Scientists and politicians can say words, theories, but we are the ones who show emotions, strong visuals that tell the story. Therefore, I capture the beautiful and the ugly, because nothing is perfect. We need not just to admire nature, but also make an effort to make it last.
Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes from a combination of nature and fantasy. I have lived my whole life in a small village surrounded by two forests, one of them being the European rainforest, and I have spent my whole high school days playing video games. I believe that this combination of events drove me where I am now. Love for nature has always been there, and for all those years spent on video games, my imagination grew. Making a great combination in creating abstract photographs of fragments in nature.
Do you have experiences that impacted your art?
I had the biggest impact while working with my father, a sculptor. That is when I chose my career path will be artistic one. Pushing myself into the unknown, I opened a company in 2019, at age of 20, dedicated to creating a functional sculptures inspired by the love for nature. In order of promoting company work and the necessity of high-quality images, investment in a quality digital camera was required. Quickly after picking it up, I felt in love with photographic medium itself and instantly dove into exploring the unknown
Do you feel your art challenges existing barriers?
I feel my art is facing financial barriers that are slowing my work's progress. It is challenging to ignore them and keep working and stay self-motivated. But that is what I have to overcome to realize my goals and dreams.
What are your long-term artistic goals?
My long-term artistic goal is to be able to dedicate myself fully to art. To be able to focus solely on creating rather than worry about whether this can pay the bills or not, am I better off employing myself or pursuing an art career? I feel there is so much yet to be discovered in the photography medium, waiting for me to find it. My goal is to be financially stable by selling my works, exhibiting across Europe and wider. That is my dream, that I my goal.
What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
For aspiring artists, my advice would be, fight for it, don't let others tell you it is not a real job, only a small percentage do it and so on. If that is what you dream about, don't ever stop. However many times you fail, keep pushing until you do succeed.
