Tina Konec about her work
All the artwork on display is based on the idea of looking through a window. What I create is an illusion and the process of layering by using real windows for my installations, directing the viewer’s gaze towards details and the subtleties of nature.
The Manganese series has a diverse substantive and formal background. For a long time I had wanted to introduce light effects into my drawing practice, and to do so I chose alabaster windows. Alabaster is a type of rock that is soft and therefore appropriate for carving. In the past, thin layers of alabaster were used in church windows instead of glass to create vitrages with organic patterns in various shades of amber or grey. Sunrays penetrating the vitrages cast coloured light into the space. The window thus appears to be burning, while the structure of the rock gives a special touch to the interior. My attempts to interpret such windows in my practice involved using cypress branches, which resemble manganese dendrites, to create the stone’s structure. Manganese dendrites are a natural phenomenon that appears on the surface of rocks under specific physical and chemical conditions. The formations are shaped like trees or dendrites (derived from the Greek word déndron meaning tree). These dendrites are manganese and possibly iron oxides, which occur after condensed minerals spread along fissures and layers of the rock in the shape of branches. The phenomenon resembles fossils or man-made drawings, but in reality is far from both. It is an example of the work of nature – here it seems nature itself took a pencil and drew the tree on a rock. Which brings me back to the windows made of alabaster – another rock.
I explored the interference between drawing and light in the Drizzle series, which includes light objects portraying in a unique way a look through a window, observing trees during drizzle or snow. The pieces cast light onto the wall above, and give a visual impression of waves or frequencies. There is another conceptual link between the Drizzle and Manganese series in exploring light in blueish or yellowish shades. Drizzle is characterised by cold blue light, while Manganese feature yellowish light resembling a sunrise or a sunset, or even the organic colour of alabaster, which has a different and more calming effect on individuals.  
Layering and overlapping have been typical elements in my creative process and visible to various degrees. In the Outlines series I covered several layers of ink with various rapidographs to achieve the effect of density and space in the darkest parts of the drawing, which represents the tree crown. These darkest sections are where most of the action takes place in this series. Take a closer look and see how the tree’s structure emerges as a unique interpretation of the crown. Although the drawing comes close to photo-realism, realism is just the foundation that I modify and shape in the process of creating the work. 

Tina Konec (1992, Maribor) earned her BA and MA in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design of the University of Ljubljana in 2015 and 2019, respectively. She is currently enrolled in the humanities and social sciences doctoral study programme at the University of Ljubljana. Konec has held a number of solo and group exhibitions in Slovenia and abroad. Her work has earned her the Prešeren Award for students (2019), the Grand Prix at the International Painting Ex-tempore Piran (2018) and twice the First Prize at the International Painting Ex-tempore in Grožnjan (2018 and 2021). She is a regular participant in artist residencies and has her work displayed in several collections, including the Maribor Art Gallery and the Piran Coastal Galleries. Konec lives and works in Ljubljana.
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On Wednesday, 10 May 2023 the gallery will be open from 10.00 to 18.00.
Museums on a Summer Night Night on Suterday, 17 June 2023: Open from 10.00 to 20.00