Vesna Kittelson
Artist Exhibit
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 Massacre of the Civilian Population of Timisoara. Oil and acrylic on paper and metal. 51" x 122" x 8". 1990. |
 Berlin Wall/Brandenberg Gate. Oil on canvas. 84" x 84". 1990 |
 Berlin Wall/Brandenberg Gate Detail |
 Berlin Wall/Brandenberg Gate Detail |
 Vukovar. Oil on Canvas and debris. 79" x158" x 80" (adjustable). 1992 |
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 The Revenge of Memory. Oil on paper. 60" x 74". 1993 |
 War Garden. Oil on canvas. 52" x 116". 1996 |
 War Garden Detail |
Artist's Statement
My paintings are defined by two driving forces characteristic of the human race: one destructiveto make war, and one creativeto make art. As I ponder the puzzling nature of violence and tenderness in us all, I try to untangle human nature from culture. In my war paintings I find myself pushed into the world of information, decoding and probing the line between authenticity and selective memory. I find that I am comfortable within the complexity of cultural history, but I am uncomfortable with the unfamiliar and dangerous games of political history.
Vukovar is a painting that I made about this Croatian city after it was completely destroyed by war and the failed games of political history. The people, the city, the cultural icons, the environment all are gone. I do not think that I can change anything with this painting, but the question for me is how to speak visually of rebuilding oneself after barbaric violence and damage have taken place-in the visual language of a gentle and civilized human activity-painting.
- Vesna Kittelson