"A man who works with his hands is a labourer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist."
-Louis Nizer
Creative Dreaming: stories of passionate people doing interesting things. Those who work with their hands, expressing authenticity and vulnerability. We begin with Želimir Harasty and a morning in his studio.
What makes you feel alive?
Being really high off the ground, I mean I guess I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie, I skate and surf and whatever I’m doing I want to go fast. Also I get pretty animated when I’m in a deep conversation about art.
What do you care about?
That’s a very open ended question we could be here all day. You know, I care about the standard things, family, friends etc. I have a very close connection to my next door neighbours, especially their son, who I spend time with everyday. My creative practice is very important to me, as well as things like tea, music, dancing and the garden. Possessions like books and cooking utensils are surprisingly important in my life.
What is the worst best thing that has happened to you?
The best thing that happened to me was, getting off some heavy stuff I was taking and finding a really consistent and solid art practice which had changed my life completely. The worst thing was losing my older bother when we were little, that really rocked the boat.
Who makes you see things differently?
Who… ahhh that’s a tough one, so many people do. Sometimes the most unsuspecting people change your whole perspective, it can really surprise you. Sometimes people's natural ability to respond without intellectualising things, like a child for example, means that their idea or colour, form etc is unadulterated. I love looking at art that is the complete antithesis of mine, that really excites me. Especially art that responds to the technological progress we’ve made, I think that it’s really clever and artists today that are particularly Avantgarde make me see things differently and give me the desire to look into contemporary life more. It's easy to get stuck in the old, looking at the greats of the past.
What do you want to know more of?
I would like to know more about the production phase of bronze sculptures. And painting, I mean I want to know more about lots of things so that’s another open question for me. Everyday I am blown away by something that I uncover in the studio, I'd also like to play the piano more, and learn some more music theory.
What would you change about the world?
What would I change about the world…nothing really I guess. The world is moving in a way that it has to move. I guess just remain conscious of my own descisions that will affect the world around me. If we all change the way we live in our day to day lives I think we wouldn’t have to change anything about the world. It’s also quite an idea thinking that we can change anything other than ourselves.
What quality do you wish to develop in yourself?
I want to be more humble and focus on the kindness that I put out into the world. Also I need to monitor my inhibitions and let certain things run their course. Have a little faith haha.
If you could know one thing about your future what would it be?
I mean there are always things I’d like to know about the future…nah I don’t need to know anything, it could reshape my path, and its nice to just let things unravel naturally. It's exciting, scary but exciting.
Find his work at @zelimirharasty and at his upcoming solo show on February 17 2023 at @gallery3byronbay.
