What if I Disappear?

Year

2024

Category

SOLO EXHIBITION

GALLERY

NIKOLA RADOŠEVIĆ

THE OVERARCHING THEME OF THE PROJECT IS TRANSIENCE. THROUGH SELF-PORTRAITURE, I SOUGHT TO PLACE MY MEMORIES AND IDENTITY INTO A MEDIUM THAT MAY OUTLIVE ME. BY USING LIGHT, TRANSPARENCY, STAR-LIKE PUNCTURES, AND LANDSCAPES THAT SEEM TO FADE INTO THE DISTANCE, I EXPLORED THE FLEETING NATURE OF TIME, OF THE WORLD, AND OF THE SELF. YET, ALONGSIDE THIS IMPERMANENCE, I AIMED TO EVOKE THE MAGICAL AND MYSTERIOUS ASPECTS OF EXISTENCE—OFFERING A PORTAL INTO THE UNKNOWN.
ART, I BELIEVE, IS THE ONLY MEDIUM CAPABLE OF OPENING THIS PORTAL, IF ONLY FOR A MOMENT—CREATING A CONNECTION BETWEEN VIEWER AND ARTIST THAT TRANSCENDS TIME AND SPACE.

Overview

"What if I Disappear?" is a deeply personal project that was exhibited in December of last year at the Nikola Radošević Gallery in Belgrade. The exhibition was composed of three interconnected parts, each exploring the same theme through different forms of self-portraiture.

The first part featured seven large-format black-and-white landscapes printed on canvas. These images were captured in California using Ilford black-and-white film. The second part consisted of six lightbox installations—abstract self-portraits taken with flash, printed, and then manually pierced. When illuminated, the punctured surfaces resemble shifting constellations of stars, evoking a sense of motion and mystery.

The final part was an interactive spatial installation presented within a closed lightbox. It featured collages composed of personal archive photographs and fragments of text from family diaries, all printed on transparent material and arranged across three movable panels. Viewers could slide the panels left or right to create their own visual combinations. This segment represented the most intimate layer of the project—a tactile blend of memory, emotion, and identity. Designed to be experienced by only one person at a time, it invited a private and introspective encounter.