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Imagine being afraid all the time, being hungry, losing your home and possibly your family.  Imagine experiencing forced labour.  And imagine, despite it all, wanting only to be an artist.  Having survived such terrible conditions, what kind of art would you produce?  Zeljko Kujundzic answered that question by building up a body of work that is both imbued with his pain but also with his spirit of survival and his triumph over trauma.

Born in 1920 in Yugoslavia, Zeljko as a young man was passionate about art, women and politics.  But art always came first.  He studied art in Yugoslavia, Italy and Hungary before war swept across Europe.  Despite his ability to postpone and elude, he was eventually captured by Nazi and then Red armies.  A slave laborer, he eventually escaped both captors in daring ways.

His experiences led him to question the nature and purpose of art. In his words, taken from his memoir, Torn Canvas,

“Well, well, so you wanted to become an artist… what is art to you now, after what you’ve seen?… well, this is life, and where is your art now?”

Yet Zeljko always found solace in making art, and after the war ended, having survived a living hell, he completed his art degree, mastering mediums as diverse as sculpture, weaving, painting, printmaking and stained glass.

Returning home to a country falling into totalitarian rigidity, he decided to flee west to find political and artistic freedom.  As a refugee in Scotland, he met and married a kindred spirit who shared his passion for life.  Eventually they emigrated to British Columbia and his artistic life blossomed fully.

He became internationally renowned not only as an artist but also as an educator and even an inventor.  His influence on British Columbian art and artists was immense.

Zelko’s unique style honoured the past—you can glimpse Byzantine influences—but it also looked to the present and future in its jagged, uneasy shapes and bold lines.

TORN CANVAS: art and times of Zeljko Kunjundzic will be exhibited at the Cowichan Public Art Gallery from June 13 to August 23.  Gallery hours are 10 am to 4 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays.  126 Ingram St., Duncan.

A review of this exhibition can be viewed online at artopenings.ca

This exhibition was made possible by the generous sponsorship of Island Savings – a division of First West Credi Union.

– Becky Hazell,
Board Member, Cowichan Public Art Gallery

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Founded in 2017, CPAG is working to build a world-class art gallery in the town of Duncan in the Cowichan Valley. Once completed, the Gallery will welcome exhibitions from British Columbia, Canada and the world — including engagement and educational events for the public. In the meantime, CPAG has an annual exhibition program enhancing and expanding arts and cultural opportunities for everyone. More than 400 individuals have signed our petition in favour of the project and it enjoys support from all levels of government. CPAG is a registered charity.

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