Blažka Križan: Textures of Time

Blažka Križan is known for her unique paper cutting technique. Although the jianzhi technique dates back to 2nd century China, the artist's work is fundamentally different from the more commonly seen figural depictions characteristic of the first paper cutouts and the development of the technique. Her abstract motifs, consisting of lines and undulating curves, developed from Križan’s interest in the space between lines, when as a student she made endless drawings of densely flowing lines. In her works Preplet, Navzven, Navzven II and Navzven III, the artist used a scalpel to create prominent organic forms, which, unlike the more geometric ones, are done intuitively. The positioning of a cut creates an optical illusion of movement, as light and dark elements emerge on the relief structure of the lifted cut sections – which could be described as shadow patterns. This whole impression is heightened by the layering of the motif, most notably in the work Preplet. The technique and its elaborateness encourage the viewer to mentally reconstruct the process of creation and thereby invest the work with an element of time. The colour unfolds indirectly, as the light shines through the papercuts, which further emphasizes the three-dimensionality of the surface and reveals links between the motif and the principles of Op Art. The uniformity of the material and the use of basic forms create an enigmatic combination of the simplicity of the basic medium and the complexity of technical precision, inviting the viewer to meditatively perceive patterns that, in their lightness and apparent kineticism, testify to a clear presence of the hand. 

Sara Nuša Golob Grabner 

Blažka Križan (1990, Ptuj) obtained her BA in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts (ALUO) in 2012, and completed her Master’s in painting in 2017. While studying she focused on the paper cutting technique. Križan was awarded the Prešeren Student Award for her Master's thesis. In 2018 she received the Primavera DLUM Award from the Maribor Fine Artists Society, and two years later the DLUM Award, while in 2022 she won the Ex-tempore Piran Young Artist Prize. She has held solo exhibitions at the Layer House Gallery, Kino Šiška, DLUM Gallery, Herman Pečarič Gallery Piran, and Bežigrajska galerija 1. She lives and works in Ptuj, Slovenia. 

Sara Nuša Golob Grabner (1994) holds a BA in art history and English and is currently pursuing her Master's degree in art history and English literature and language. A contributor to the Delo newspaper since 2022, she writes exhibition reviews and articles for the V očesu column. For two years she served as Artistic Director of the Maribor Festival of Photography, as well as curating the festival’s numerous exhibitions and translating accompanying texts. Since 2020, she has worked with several Slovenian galleries as a freelance curator.