- Location: Jakčev dom
Luka Širok is one of the most prominent artists of his generation and a versatile creator of visual art, whose artistic expression embraces a variety of stylistic approaches, from the visibly recognisable to abstract expressionist images. The works on display were created in the so-called Coronavirus era, when a new reality swept the world, shattering everyday life, questioning previous norms and extremely testing human patience, endurance and strength. Under the impression of the everyday, Širok’s huge formats, “hybrid giants”, as he calls them, were created. These are essentially made of plastic materials, which are among the greatest products of technological development and are undoubtedly a threatening factor due to their crudeness, roughness and durability over thousands of years. They are designed as a kind of sentinels, guards, as virtual walls, barriers that stop us and place us in a position of intellectual questioning about the nature of their existence. The power of the “hybrid giants” is multiplied when they are countered by images of small-format depictions of facially disappearing figurative representations, for in this combination they act as menacingly reminiscent apparitions of our subconscious, as a powerful conglomeration of mental synapses that slowly overwhelm us.
Luka Širok’s work tends towards eclecticism, his creative field of vision is extremely broad and his sensory perceptions deeply sensitive; in this spirit, he produces works that are highly sensitive, colour-intense and gesturally highly charged.
Luka Širok, an academic painter who graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia (Venice Academy of Fine Arts), was invited to the 18th Novo mesto Art Days in 2022, where he received a special prize from an expert jury, which enabled him to have a solo exhibition called Macro Micro Expansions.
