Unframed, 2023, Milena ZeVu, performance

Unframed

The Unframed Collections is inspired by the fundamental notion of self-awareness and the constant need to challenge one’s beliefs. This ‘thinking out of the box’ encourages fresh and profound views on life. Otherwise, any rigid approach that disregards deep introspection and analysis, leads to a ‘framed’ existence.

‘Through this collection, my work invites viewers to think deeply and critically about the world, extending their knowledge beyond the surface level.’

The Fall, 2020-2022, Milena ZeVu, Performance / Video

I have used drones to give the viewer a perception of moving up and down, from and into this dimension, as a kind of artistic awakening

’ZeVu wants first to provoke and then to describe the moment of liberation. The images seem to ‘get wings’, and the videos made by drone, give the observer a sense of ascension and descent, moving from one dimension to another. As a trail of presence, there remains a shadow. ‘In the visible world, objects are nothing more than mere shadows, outlines of eternal ideas: it’s as if we’re looking at shadows on the wall of a cave being tossed by objects illuminated by the sun outside the cave,’ Plato said.’

Butterfly, 2019-2021, Milena ZeVu, Giclée print

’I use a keyhole humanoid shape to inspire the observer to re-examine and question its attitude towards the Earth, and to channel the space between the physical and metaphysical worlds.

Following my Third Eye, I soar high above the Earth and take a glimpse back.

There is a hole where my body was.

There is an outline of my actions, a clear imprint.

The planet is wide, beautiful and wild.

The people are small, each one both significant and not.

As I discover the heights, I enter a new dimension.

I change into something other and am no longer a part of the physical world.

I break my chrysalis shell and emerge anew.

A new light shines on me and the world.

We are one.’

A traditionally white surface of a gallery wall is here replaced by Earth. Serving as a background to the piece, the natural beach landscape supports the man-made black canvas. It’s a work of art that steps out of an enclosed space, a tribute to technological creations.

We are here, 2020, Belgrade, Milena ZeVu, Video work, Giclée print

Under lockdown. In our homes. With our new fears. Facing a new reality. Asking ourselves existential questions. But we know where we are. We are here. In this very moment. In the Now.
In May 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, she created the series of the performance Artwalks - cities, entitled 'We are here.'

Artist is a warrior in a continued battle, constantly subjected to the test of endurance.

‘Videos show my meditative creative process and portray the artist as a warrior. With art being a continuous battle, the artist is constantly subject to tests of endurance, always on the verge of giving up and making it through.’  Milena ZeVu

A Journey into the Unseen, 2019-2020, Milena ZeVu

Milena, Homage to artist Milena Pavlovic-Barilli, 2019, Performance

‘MILENA, from 2019, is the title of a very particular multimedial performance by ZeVu. It was part of an exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Milena Pavlovic-Barilli at Jevrem Grujic House in Belgrade. Here, the artist explored the versatility and complexity of Barilli’s art. She made the dress Barilli designed at the beginning of the last century and gave it a new contemporary interpretation. Then, she put it on and deeply, physically and emotionally, she engaged with her in contemplation on what it means to be a female artist in the past, in the present and in the future.’  Nina Vagic

ArtWalks Cities, 2016-2020, Milena ZeVu, Giclée print

ArtWalks has no limits in space, it’s a dynamic and complex approach to my work I have replaced a gallery wall with the streets of different cities, which became the background for my work.
‘Through the use of wearable canvases or the inclusion of the human body in the paintings, the ArtWalks leave space for meditation for anyone who comes across them. The artist literally opens her works to the spectator, who can thus visually and conceptually participate in their meaning. Through a mix of painting, installation, performance, and video, the ArtWalks represent the highest notes of the symphony composed by ZeVu: each series stands as a finished work, embracing specific themes each time, while simultaneously being strictly interconnected among them.’  Carlotta Mazzoli

For this project, which I named ‘Love your Age’, I decided to invite women who accepted that a better way to age is to change and evolve naturally over time.

I painted their clothes and bodies and blended them with my artworks, trying to show their own personalities. Through this artistic collaboration, our subtle alignment helped us to better understand the essence of our life paths, which we all have to endure. Aging naturally is about accepting who we are becoming.

Love your age, 2017, Milena ZeVu, Performance
Art is Stuck, 2016, Milena ZeVu, Installation / Performance

I wanted to unite with my art in order to defend it and preserve its supreme independence and freedom.

ArtWalks – Art is Stuck is my personal internal dialogue where I am trying to convince myself that I am on the right path to make my art more dynamic without making any compromise.

The One, 2005, Installation / Performance in the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest

The first works to use this dual nature of pause and counterpoint are the Tapitture. Introduced in 2001, these works represent the perfect fusion of painting and installation. Conceived as hybrids halfway between a painting and a carpet, the Tapitture works extend from the wall to the surrounding settings, becoming actual environmental installations. In this first series, ZeVu already embraces the idea of involving the viewer, directly and indirectly, in her works. The Tapitture are not just works that inhabit the space, extending beyond the usual confines of a painting. But rather, they serve as a guide, and direct the viewer’s vision, making them a participant and an observer at the same time. Used as works in their own right or as part of powerful performances, like in the “ONE” performance and installation piece, the Tapitture are the first melodic line in Milena ZeVu’s production.’  Carlotta Mazzoli

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