Apolonija Simon

Apolonija Simon: Nedokončane zgodbe

Otvoritev: petek, 9. 5. 2025, ob 19.00

[Scroll down for English version!]

Značilnost slikarstva Apolonije Simon je na prvi pogled kompleksna zvestoba motivu, ki ga preigrava praktično od svojih ustvarjalnih začetkov. V osnovi žanrsko ves čas ostaja v polju krajine, kjer pa nikakor ne gre za podobo zgolj z očesom zajetega »dela narave«, še manj za pleneristično metodo lovljenja svetlobnih razpoloženj, temveč so upodobljene krajine metafora njenega intimnega notranjega sveta, njena tišina, ki se lahko bere tudi kot reflektiranje trenutnega stanja v svetu. Že desetletja prepoznavna avtorska poetika skozi abstraktne likovne forme gradi prostor, ki je na meji vidnega, na meji intuitivno doumljivega. Njene abstrahirane krajine so zamrznjen prostor časa, brez dogodkov – a vendar govorijo. Govorijo v jeziku svetlobe, barve in kompozicijske tišine, ki nagovarja globoko plast gledalčevega doživljanja. Imaginarno zasnovani prostori pri njej najprej vzniknejo v konstitutivni opredelitvi razmerij in notranji dinamiki med protagonisti (človeško figuro in/ali drevesom) v prostoru, ostalo je potem čisto slikarstvo, značilno plastenje za tehniko olja na platnu. Subtilni prehodi barv, zamegljeni obronki, lebdeča svetloba snujejo prostore, ki niso zgolj krajine, temveč imaginarni prostori kontemplacije, torej krajine, ki ni zunaj nas, temveč v nas. Umetnica razume naravo ne kot zunanji svet, ki bi ga bilo treba ujeti na platno, ampak kot notranji prostor, ki je odsev duhovnega. Vsaka slika Apolonije Simon je tako povabilo k zbranosti, tišini, pogledu navznoter.

Pričujoča razstava Apolonije Simon v nekdanji samostanski cerkvi izhaja iz občutka narave kot brezčasnega prostora. Ne gre za citate na obdobje romantike, temveč za njene odmeve, na nek način lahko to označimo kot post-romantično krajino, kjer umanjka antagonizem človeka in narave. Krajina ne predstavlja sveta, ampak njegov duhovni odzven. Gledalec ni povabljen k opazovanju, ampak k tihemu zrenju in poslušanju slike, v katerem krajina postane misel, panteistična molitev ali spomin. Zato njene slike ne potrebujejo naslovov, saj je pomen ravno v odsotnosti konkretnega pomena. Vse, kar je, je občutek povezanosti med človekom in pokrajino. Ne kot razmerje, temveč kot enovitost. V slikah Apolonije Simon se uresniči redka likovna alkimija, ki povezuje čas, svetlobo in človeka v en sam trenutek tišine. Dela ne pripovedujejo zgodb, temveč ustavlja čas in prav v tem tihem zastoju se najde tisto, kar je najgloblje. V času, ko nas svet preplavlja z glasnostjo in podobami, je slikarstvo Apolonije Simon dragocen spomin na možnost tihe prisotnosti. Spomin na krajino, v kateri duh diha skozi barvo, svetlobo in tišino.

Apolonija Simon (1967) je akademska slikarka in magistrica umetnosti, ki v svoji ustvarjalni praksi sledi zlasti principom sodobnega krajinskega slikarstva s kontekstom. Leta 1990 je pod mentorstvom prof. Andreja Jemca in prof. Jožefa Muhoviča diplomirala na oddelku za slikarstvo na Akademiji za likovno umetnost v Ljubljani, leta 1995 pa je končala specialistični študij slikarstva pod mentorstvom prof. Andreja Jemca, prof. Tomaža Brejca in prof. Marka Uršiča. V letih 1994 do 1997 je bila asistentka za risanje in slikanje pri prof. Andreju Jemcu na Akademiji za likovno umetnost v Ljubljani. Od leta 1999 poučuje risanje na Srednji šoli za oblikovanje in fotografijo v Ljubljani, od leta 2022 pa je poleg poučevanja tudi ravnateljica omenjene šole. Živi in deluje v Ljubljani.

Začetna stran

***

Apolonija Simon: Unfinished Stories

Opening: Friday, 9 May 2025, at 7pm

At first glance, one of the characteristics of Apolonija Simon’s painting appears to be a complex loyalty to the motif, which she has been playing with practically since her very beginnings. Basically, she always remains in the field of landscape in terms of genre, at which this is by no means an image of a “part of nature” captured solely by the eye and even less a plein-air method of catching light moods, for the depicted landscapes are a metaphor for her intimate inner world, her silence, which can also be read as a reflection of the current state of the world. For decades, the artist’s recognisable poetics have been building a space that is on the boundary of the visible and the intuitively comprehendible, which she achieves through abstract art forms. Her abstract landscapes are a frozen space of time, without events – and yet they speak. They speak in the language of light, colour, and compositional silence, which addresses a deep layer of the viewer’s experience. Imaginarily conceived spaces in her work emerge in the constitutive definition of relationships and internal dynamics between the protagonists (human figure and/or tree) in space, the rest is pure painting, typical layering of oil on canvas. The subtle transitions of colours, blurred edges, and floating light create spaces that are not merely landscapes, but imaginary spaces of contemplation, i.e. landscapes that are not outside of us, but within us.
The artist understands nature not as an external world that should be captured on canvas, but as an inner space that reflects the spiritual. Every single painting made by Apolonija Simon is thus an invitation to concentration, silence, and a gaze within oneself.

The current exhibition by Apolonija Simon in the former monastery church stems from a similar perception of nature as a timeless space. These are not quotations from the Romantic period, but rather its echoes; in a way, this can be described as a post-Romantic landscape, in which the antagonism between man and nature is absent. The landscape does not represent the world, but its spiritual echo. The viewer is not invited to observe, but to silently gaze and listen to the picture, in which the landscape becomes a thought, a pantheistic prayer or a memory. This is why her paintings do not need a title, since the meaning lies precisely in the absence of a concrete meaning. All that exists is the feeling of the connection between man and the landscape. Not as a relationship, but as a unity. Apolonija Simon’s paintings show a rare artistic alchemy, which connects time, light, and man into a single moment of silence. The works do not tell stories, but stop time, and it is in this silent standstill that the most profound is found. At a time when the world overwhelms us with noise and images, Apolonija Simon’s painting is a precious memory of the possibility of a silent presence. A memory of a landscape in which the spirit breathes through colour, light, and silence.

Apolonija Simon (1967) is an academic painter and Master of Arts, was born on 4 February 1967 in Brežice. In 1985 she enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana and in 1989 received the Prešeren Student Award for achievements in painting. In 1990 she graduated (under the mentorship of Prof. Andrej Jemec and Prof. Jožef Muhovič), and in 1995 she completed her specialist studies in painting (under the mentorship of Prof. Andrej Jemec, Prof. Tomaž Brejc and Prof. Marko Uršič). From 1994 to 1997 she was an assistant for drawing and painting under Prof. Andrej Jemec at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, and since 1999 she has been teaching drawing at the Secondary School for Design and Photography, where she has been the headmistress since 2022.

Začetna stran