Smoke fired ceramics, installation detail, Triennale di Milano, 2022
Aleksandar Vac is dedicated to the research of inwardness and characteristics of the matter itself. He is doing that by reshaping the matter in the various organic forms like cocoons, pebbles, with firm membrane that is smooth outside, almost like a mirror, while the inside remains vulnerable, unprotected, like cut tissue, that reveals its vivid inwardness. The forms he creates are associated with reproduction, cell division, reproduction, and progression - by multiplying, he places them in his own system of connection which mutates into something new.He often exhibits his creations directly on the wall, without any backgrounds nor a defined beginning and end of the composition. He dictates a certain recognizable rhythm - sometimes he repeats them according to a particular pattern, sometimes he compacts them, and sometimes he liberates them in expanse - in order to conquer space.
The basic idea of Vac's work is to implement all important aspects of the personal creative process in artistic production - historical, as inspiration; technological, as an experiment and the implementation of acquired knowledge as a final segment. After the initial idea, Vac indulges in the material. Instead of traditional sketches, which he perceives as reminders, he uses small forms that he contemplates before submitting them to experiments. He tries to realize the idea directly in the material while also focusing on finding the technical solution necessary for the sustainability of the form. Although he produces them in larger formats at the end of the process, small pieces are more important to him because of the creativity, spontaneity, and intuition they carry within themselves.
Vac usually uses a potter's wheel to get the initial simple shape, which he later finishes manually. In the same way, he makes some parts for sculptures. Afterward, he deforms, cuts, and fits them into new forms, sometimes even combining them with elements created via some other technique.