MARIJANA JANKOVIĆ
Marijana Janković (Valjevo, Serbia, 1997) has a degree in German literature and worked in translation as well as in journalism before moving into art. “I grew up on a mix of television, movies, comics, video games, literature; and that built my sensibility”, Janković explains. Her carpets, handmade in wool, and exploring pop culture in general as well as dreams and visions, strike by the tension between their often apparent comical motifs and the actual hard, patient work that is needed to produce them. This combination of fun and craft is in tune with our Zeitgeist, enhanced by pandemic-induced homebound melancholy and boredom. These fluffy icons irresistibly make one want to touch and manipulate them, an absolute necessity in the carpet-trading business but oftentimes a blasphemy in the art world. On that aspect Janković adds: “I don't think the name carpet does much good for their reputation in the world of contemporary art. It is difficult to imagine them outside the context of homework, although there is a wave of young artists who create unexpected things and push the boundaries of textile art.”