With the emergence of our new location in 55 Delancey Street this coming September, Ierimonti Gallery is proud to present the first show in its new lower Manhattan gallery of artist Nebojša Despotović. This exhibition is his first solo showing in New York City that will include a wide variety of his artworks that allows for the visitors to view and enjoy his work. Having Despotović’s artwork to represent Ierimonti Gallery in its relocation will allow the American audience enjoy refreshing artists and their art that are presently renowned in Italy and Europe. The exhibition and the relocation will serve as a bridge to bring together both European and American art scenes.

Nebojša Despotović was born in 1982, Belgrade, Serbia and he currently lives in Berlin, Germany. Despotović acquired his bachelor degree in The Academy of Fine Arts of Venice and is well incorporated in the the contemporary art scene in Italy and throughout Europe. Throughout his career, he has attained prestige as an artist through his many awards and accomplishments, such as the Euromobil Under 30 Prize at Art Fair in Bologna in 2012 and the Rotari Prize at ArtVerona in 2016. He is known for his paintings that use old photographs as a starting point and explores the identity from the alterations that were made from paint, adding vitality and relevance to the outdated images. Despotović does not provided a new storyline and he does not aim to make the piece an anachronism, rather he focuses on the individual and that instance. Rather, he abstracts the piece to the point that it becomes applicable to everyone. As the individuals and their surroundings captured develop into less and less recognizable forms, the more engaging and charismatic the depiction becomes. What is derided from the photographs and images are the sentiments and emotions that left behind and then they are transferred to the viewer through his codified paintings. The artist is known for using paint not as simply a medium for which one paints, but rather a process that allows the paint to exist on the surface, regardless of meaning and style. The reason for this process is to give attributes of form. Through this form, Despotović gives importance to the everyday person, the ones who are found in every corner. To establish such form, he disregards space and dimensions of the photographs and establishes his own. He uses opaque and muted colors, however, he places each color along side a color that best contrasts the first, giving an unexpected sense of vibrancy. With that process, the individuals of the photographs become eternally alive, stuck in a moment of their own humanity.
Despotović’s artwork will bring understanding through style yet a refreshing ideology in respect to the importance of the process in which art is to New York City. This kind of development will be both demanding and exhilarating as the viewer will feel a sense of familiarity yet also will feel a sense of incomprehension. The experience is one of a kind and memorable to all of those who view the artwork. We hope to see you in the fall at our new location for Nebojša Despotović first solo show in New York City.