Dragan Strukelj

Artist Statement

My paintings often begin with a feeling, an image that stays with me, or a detail that gradually takes on significance. Experiences and observations from everyday life find their way into my work, where I follow associations and test relationships as they develop. Painting becomes a way of investigating what I do not fully understand at first, allowing the work to reveal connections I hadn't anticipated.

The human figure is central to my work. I am drawn to gesture, posture, and the subtle dynamics between people, as well as the ways a figure can seem exposed, withdrawn, or caught between different states. Years of ballroom dancing have shaped my sensitivity to movement, physical presence, and the tension that can exist between bodies. I am interested in the atmosphere that develops within a scene, where ordinary details can acquire an unexpected emotional charge.

Growing up in Bosnia during a period of war and political upheaval shaped my understanding of how circumstances, family history, and social pressures influence who we become. I remain interested in the ways people negotiate these forces, what they carry forward, and what they change in themselves over time. Moving to New York brought another experience of transition and self-redefinition. These experiences form part of the perspective from which I work, alongside the uncertainties and contradictions of everyday life.

I want my paintings to invite a sense of recognition without prescribing what should be recognized. I am drawn to the moment when an image feels strangely familiar, yet something about it remains elusive; when its meaning continues to unfold beyond what can be readily explained.