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Adis Lukac: I build my way with hard work and talent

Adis Lukac was born in Sarajevo, where he graduated from the High School of Applied Arts and received his master’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts – Department of Sculpture. He is a member of the Association of Fine Artists of Bosnia and Herzegovina and has participated in numerous art colonies and symposia.

Even as a boy, he used the family table as a painting canvas. The clumsy lines created then grew into serious painting and sculpture. For two decades, when he had his first exhibition as a high school student, he has been delighting audiences and art critics with his activities and works, both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and throughout the world. He never stands still and is always on the move. Working, creating, looking for new ideas…

Three monuments

– I always work on several projects, until one comes along and dances with me to the end and is realized as an exhibition or some other artistic expression. Such a way of working gives me pleasure so that every day is different for me, which is of great importance both for development of the artist himself and for higher quality creative work – says Lukac for Visit BiH Magazine.

He has a master’s degree in sculpture but is more focused on painting. Because of his works, he is called the successor of maestro Safet Zec. What pushed him in the direction of painting?

– I would say that I dedicate myself to sculpture and painting in parallel and equally, after all, I am the author of three public monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while painting creations are perhaps more visible on social media only because of the greater number of photos, and the frequent lack of space for showing the sculptures. On the other hand, it is true that I do not yet have an adequate studio for sculpture, because in that case the ratio of the resulting sculptures to the paintings would be much higher. Safet Zec is a diamond and a name that will make each of us proud wherever we go outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina. When we were pupils and students, he was one of the role models, I would say an unofficial professor, and I don’t think anyone will be able to replace him. He built his way with talent and work, and so I have my way. I think it is the wealth if there are more of us of great quality, like the pillars that make up the temple of culture of this country. The more pillars the temple will be more stable – he says.

When asked if he could single out any exhibition or art colony in particular, that is, which marked him in some way, Lukac says that every exhibition is important in the career of every artist, because the exhibition is “like a part of a book and speaks directly to souls through non-verbal communication “.

– Perhaps I would single out the exhibition “Svjedok/Witness”, which deals with the topic of genocide in Srebrenica and was presented last year in Turkey, in the city of Bursa, and was opened in cooperation with the International Organization of Turkish Culture (TURKSOY), the City of Bursa and the City of Sarajevo. Monuments to King Tvrtko in Tuzla, Mirza Delibasic and Ivan Goran Kovacic in Sarajevo were gates that introduced me to other levels and prepared me for further development and progress as an artist. Every art colony and symposium outside Bosnia and Herzegovina is of great importance because of the exchange of experiences, the moment when an environment different from the one you came from inspires you in a special and different way and the fact that you justify the representation of Bosnia and Herzegovina – he emphasizes.

His monument to King Tvrtko I Kotromanic has become an essential tourist destination in Tuzla. The people of Tuzla proudly point it out and it is on every tourist map as something that should be visited in this city of salt. Lukac says he is particularly proud of it.

– Yes, it is one of the most beautiful experiences in my career so far. From the beginning of the realization to the actual opening of the monument, everything went as it should, and I think it has to do with the good energies of the then mayor of Tuzla, Jasmin Imamovic, and his team, on the one hand, and me as an artist, on the other. That monument came at the right moment as a test to prove that I could do something so big and thank God I succeeded. I am extremely proud, mostly because it will remain as a reminder to future generations of Bosnia’s glorious past under the rule of the Bosnian king Tvrtko I Kotromanic – says Lukac.

Promotion of BiH

He says that every city in Bosnia and Herzegovina deserves a monument like this.

– Sarajevo has already received a monument and we are just waiting for the day of installation and unveiling. Unfortunately, currents that try to cancel the truth and facts about Bosnia and Herzegovina are holding back that process, but I sincerely hope that the obstruction will not last long and that the monument will see the light of the day in Sarajevo – he said sincerely.

He is often told that his works contribute to the promotion of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the world. Lukac is modest and says that a large number of his works can be found all over the world and are thematically related to the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

– It is important that we have something to be proud of and that everyone has to fulfill their mission in this world in their own way, and the mission of an artist is to encourage souls to do good. If I succeed with one soul, I will be satisfied – he says.

He referred to the current situation in BiH art. He says that art in BiH does not live an easy life, but that it is tough and durable.

– I think that more attention should be paid to culture in general, because our society is corroded by mediocrity, talentless and idealess people. Art is not force, it is gentleness, and its strength is not in the power of fireworks that are instantly noisy in their explosion and flash that enchants the superficial. Its strength is in the echo that tends towards the eternity of continuous light. It is similar with the region. I think we are in a ditch from which we must get out, clean the mud and start again on the path of true value – Lukac points out.

He also notes that there are young artists in BiH who are great.

-I sincerely look forward to their progress and growth. They are important links of continuity that we must not ignore but must support, because no one else will do it for us – concludes Lukac at the end of the conversation.