Faith Intertwined 

Aspects of Paganism shine through in Christian art, all the way down to the technique. Natasha uses a combination of charcoal and gold leaf, the charcoal shows how loss is guaranteed but how the memories still remain, gold leaf reminds us that while things are temporary, they can still be beautiful and the delicacy of these materials is highlighted within the many frames. Her inspiration originates from her family's connection to what was formally known as Yugoslavia and how the war affected her family.

 

Moving image allows her to create clear connections between the evolution of religion and the association there is with war, she can show that nothing is completely consistent and how narratives within religion can be from various influences. She attempts to show this by adding and taking away materials, when these materials are removed from the paper there are remnants, particularly with the charcoal. Natasha uses this to show how even though religions change and that the Yugoslav war has ended, there are still memories that remain. The primary focus being on Orthodox Christian art has led her to explore the history and the techniques. 

 

Natasha became especially fond of the strange and peculiar way artists would try and depict the holy trinity; by painting Jesus with three faces which would overlap or even three heads. Creating three separate figures would create misunderstanding with worshiping three separate Gods, however the three faced Jesus would cause later controversy with the Catholic church deeming it as ‘monstrous’. 

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Her own iconography is an ironic take on the religion, it shows the imperfect nature of humanity: reaching for Gods to solve their own ailments while also being the cause of said ailments. Faith is what many turn to in difficult situations despite religion being the main cause for war, including the Yugoslav war. The cycle of despair and rebirth is ongoing and my focus on hands and anguishing faces replicating a mass grave is a key way of showing this.