A.I.R. Gallery

Anita Ragusa

Sarajevo, Bosnia (Bosnian, b. 1977)
A lot of the images that I use in my work come from my childhood and are subjects that I still find beauty and inspiration in. Images of chandeliers, really elaborate custom made jewelry, exotic feathers, ornate furniture, and vintage textile designs find their way into my visual vocabulary. I am excited by vibrant colors and they are just as important to me as the content of the painting. It’s for this reason that I really enjoy working with oils and prefer to paint on canvas or on a wooden panel.

I am very drawn to elaborate story telling and two of my favorite books are A rebours (Against Nature), by J. K. Hysmans and The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. The intricate characters and imagery of these books are a constant source of inspiration. For me they are like visual poems and I find myself drawn to the material time and time again. Many of my past paintings are based on passages from these books and I hope to elaborate on that in the coming months.

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