Zdravko Velovan (1954 - 2017) Paintings, drawings, instalations

ZDRAVKO VELOVAN (1954 - 2017)
He finished the painting department in the class of prof. Milice Stevanović, and at the same department and with the same professor, he also completed postgraduate studies. In addition to painting, he has been involved in drawing and graphics, and in recent years, extended media. He was a member of ULUS with the status of an independent artist. Apart from private collections, his works can be found in certain museums, galleries and other institutions.
He had over twenty solo and over 300 group performances in the country and abroad and was the recipient of over twenty awards for his work, of which we highlight: 1987 FLU Fund award for drawing, 1989 FLU Belgrade Grand Prize for painting from the Fund Rista and Beta Vukanović", 1991. Honorary diploma of the jury at the III International Fine Arts Grand Prix in Nice, 1996. Participation in the exhibition "Critics have chosen 96" in KC Belgrade - selection of paintings. crit. Meet the Bosnians, "Paja Jovanović" award at the 1st Vršac art salon, two 3rd awards at the drawing exhibitions "Belgrade 97" and "Belgrade 2000", NUBS gallery, 2005. Jury praise at the ULUS autumn exhibition, 2006. Award for graphics at the First ULUS -'s "Graphic Method" exhibition, Jury Diploma at the First International Biennale of Ex libris in Pancevo, 2010. Prize for drawing at the VII Biennale of Fine and Applied Arts in Smederevo, 2013. First prize for assemblage at the VI International Exhibition of Collage and Assemblage in Belgrade, First prize at the VII EX-YU competition for graphics...
Many people have written about the work of Zdravko Velovan - Bratislav Ljubišič, Sreto Bošnjak, Mileta Prodanović, Bojana Burić, Dragan Jovanović Danilov, Gordana Vasiljević, Aleksandar Milenković, Ljubica Jelisavac, Vera Vitorović, Nikola Šindik... But at this moment, when we forgive, the words of Gordana Vasiljević, uttered on the occasion of Velovan's exhibition of objects in the ULUS Gallery, come to mind five years ago:
"If someone is a "rare bird" in Serbian painting, then it is certainly Zdravko Velovan (1954). So far, he has had about twenty independent exhibitions and seventeen awards for painting, drawing, graphics, ex-libris in the country and at international exhibitions. So why represent such an artist? Because Zdravko doesn't make a sensation out of his exhibitions, he doesn't chase the media, he doesn't chase critics, he doesn't chase anyone; he is a quiet artist who creates hard, one could say that he is an engaged artist in a peculiar way, in love with nature, but not in a way that deals with landfills and the question of how to clean them. ..
The title of Velovan's exhibition, "Kreletka for rare birds" is as frightening as it is poetic. We are all rare birds - guinea pigs - in a seemingly beautiful cage. The objects, which Velovan exhibited to the public and which in several ways resemble Dušan's ready-made phase, testify to the author's attitude, original handwriting and aesthetics. All the objects were made in a combined technique - assemblage. Velovan's warning is discreet, strongly humorous, but beautiful".
We believe that his admonition, his art work, his unobtrusive approach and his gracious smile will remain in our memories.