Art Lexicon: Mića Stajčić

In our interview today, we would like to introduce to you the sculptor, Milorad Mića  Stajičić. Humorously and cheekily, he makes fun of our culture and modern lifestyle, not allowing them to remain ignored, which is why Mića is often the subject of sharp criticism and even censorship.
After graduating from the Faculty of Organisational Sciences, Mića enrolled at the Faculty of Fine Arts and studied sculpture under Professor Mrđan Bajić. Nevertheless, in addition to actively engaging in art, he didn’t neglect IT and he successfully runs his own company in Belgrade. In 2017, with Ksenija Marinković, he opened the X Vitamin Gallery at the Students Square, a new space where contemporary artists from our country can exhibit their work.

When did you decide to pursue art?

When I was 24 after Faculty of Organizational Sciences, if we ignore my doodling in notebooks from an early age. At that time, I was already managing a successful computer company, but I felt some kind of emptiness, especially on Sunday afternoons.

When was your first encounter with sculpting?

I did a course with the (late) Mande in Šumatovačka, just to give it a try. After an hour or two of making portraits in clay, I already knew that that my search had ended and that this would be my life’s profession.

Humur is one of the main features of your work. Why do you use it?

I think it has always been an integral part of my personality. I research it and use it because I believe that it is a key component in the development of humanity and the human spirit.

Mića Stajčić - Over The Rainbow

Mića Stajčić – Over The Rainbow

You did sculptures of David Bowie and Michael Jackson. What in their work or life inspired you?

I worked on Jackson in my 4th year of sculpture. I have always been fascinated with his dance moves and choreography, especially the scene in the Smooth Criminal video where he descends, defying gravity. It was a challenge for me to make a sculpture that is falling and yet still has some balance. With Bowie, I was fascinated with his ability to transform, and most of all, with his striped outfit from the seventies.

Which concert would you like to go and see in Belgrade?

Daft Punk.

What is the most important event regarding contemporary art in Serbia?

Marina Abramović’s exhibition in September this year. Of the regular ones, October Salon and the annual FLU students’ exhibition.

Together with Ksenija Marinković, you run the X Vitamin Gallery. How has it affected you as an artist?

For years I have been trying to somehow increase the amount of time I spend on art in relation to my other activities and obligations. My relationship and cooperation with Ksenia, as well as the work with our joint gallery, came at the right moment and pushed me deeper to that side. I got the opportunity to look at art and artists from a new angle, I’ve met many amazing people and I generally put more thought into art, the production phase, sales, etc.

If you were the Minister of Culture, what would you do first?

I would raise the budget for the promotion of domestic authors abroad, from the field of contemporary art.

What do you consider to be your greatest success?

The fact that I love Monday just as much as any other day.

What is your advice to younger colleagues?

To constantly visualize what they want to create and what they want to become.

What contemporary artists do you admire?
All of the people who are successful in their profession, i.e. that they can make a living from it and further advance themselves. At the top of the ladder there are those who are the most successful and close to my visual expression, such as Jeff Koons, Maurizio Cattelan, Takashi Murakami, etc. I would also like to highlight the former members of the music group KLF, who I highly respect for burning millions of pounds in the early 90’s, as well as some other conceptual
activities.

What sculpture in a public space would you recommend that we see?

Keops’s pyramid. Since it’s not functional, I perceive it as a sculpture, and it has left the biggest impression on me of all the objects I have seen in person.

Mića Stajčić - Placebo

Mića Stajčić – Placebo

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m making smaller versions of my large sculptures, experimenting with M&M candies in epoxy resin and I’m also preparing some new things.

Can you tell us something more about the materials you use, and why you use them?

The materials I use mostly depend on the idea I have at that moment. Since most of my sculptures fall into the domain of pop art, I usually use polyester, epoxy and similar plastic materials.

Could you define your creativity in one word?

No, I can’t. I can try in a number of words, such as provocation, humor, pop culture, social values, etc.

Mića Stajčić, Criminal pays off

Mića Stajčić, Criminal pays off

What do you regard as kitsch?

An imitation that is worse than the original, especially if it has excessive elements.

What is the last exhibition that you went to? What was your impression?

I’m still under impression of the Venice Biennial, so much that I still can’t comment about anything else. I am always fascinated by the amount of artistic sensations that I experience during those few days. It’s very inspiring, it gives me the energy and will to experiment further in the field of contemporary art.

Money is a topic you often deal with. Can you tell us more about it?

In general, I deal with various social phenomena, and the topic of money is especially interesting. I could write 10 pages about it right now, but I must point out that I started studying it from an early age. I see it as a somewhat autonomous entity that can both reward and punish people, depending on their attitude to it. Recently, I’ve been connecting money with water, so I’ve been making more and more works that contain water or are transparent.

Mića Stajčić, Ebenezer Gold

Mića Stajčić, Ebenezer Gold

Do you have a favourite work?

My favourite work is always the one I’m currently working on and which occupies my thoughts before I fall asleep.

Are you preparing an exhibition in the near future?

If everything goes according to plan, I should have my doctoral exhibition at Zepter Museum within the next year. We have a good collaborative relationship and recently they bought one of my sculptures.

For more information about Stajčić’s work visit his website, and to be updated about program of the X Vitamin gallery please visit their Facebook page. 

I.V.L.