Gradištanski Almanah, 2002.

poet, painter, sculptor and graphics master

DUŠKO JOVANOVIĆ ZEJA

In the beggining there was a DROP, a build aboriginal. . .

In sanskrits language (old-serbian) DUŠAN mean "A prince of moon parentage". In serbian, DUŠAN - DUŠKO ZEJA JOVANOVIĆ is "Pinkum hand and guardian of linden honey", "The bearer of the cosmic cross", "The eavenly knight of justice and unchained eastern wind", "The poet of the dew" and "The trace of daybreak". In short, that would be the road of poet, painter, Mind of Pigoza and zrec SEVER INKA.

"But lets start from the beggining", as Zeja said, ". . . lets start from the triangle big and small. There is a middle of the world and the triangles", explains Duško. "Little triangle is made of Pinkum - Gorica - Zatonje, while big one is made by Švarcvald - Gradište - Black sea, and river Danube in them. Danube, tha holy river, water - feeder is my road . . ." all excited, explains Zeja, while remebering the words of his grandma Katarina.
"My son", said grandmother to Duško : "It is easy to go downstream - down the Danube, but going upstream, up the Danube, will learn you the most.
That moment that vision became a vision of life, his life moto and goal. "Each one of us has his source which he covets for, and each one of us has to get back to it someday. My road to Danube went to direction only known to me.. . . Zatonje. . Smederevo. . . Belgrade. . . Germany. With first visits to Zatonje, and connection with Gorica, made that triangle which binded the Danube. . .Here starts my first art work in wood, stone and paints. Going to education in Smederevo and my first close tocuh with woman Goddess, overlife creature, leaves a water seal of Danube on my soul. Here is the place of birth of my first loves that shake my heart and mind, and all my deams come true For me Belgrade was like sobering and realization that besides love there is evil among people. A thought of grandma . . . Moving up the Danube again, to Germany. In the beggining there was juice, from which like heavenly revelation a demand was born, a need that my painting bring back the beauty of south. After a hard work, in 1982. I get the status of free artist. So the grandma was right. This is the right way . . . the road with birds and women. My idead was to make triangle Pinkum ( Gradište) Gorica - Zatonje into glorious thing of our area, a place that will unite art, nature and waters of Danube under the name of PIGOZA.
First stop was Gorica, then Gradište ( near Silver Lake - Cura's garden). But some evil among people didn't let my idea fulfil. The notional project was to build the Temple of art in middle of nature where more than 100 bird species live. The Temple , in concept, should have six studios in six colors and central gallery with side objects. But there was the evil, the anger, and revenge that I didn't understand back then, and I don't understand it even now. Life goes on . . . disappointment I reject, with purpose that it will be better and more beautyful. .
I open gallery PIGOZA in my family house. The gallery aslo has a mini-reservation (turtles, fishes, birds, frogs). First art ritual at gallery PIGOZA and setting of PINKUM HAND, were hints of some dark times and some comming evil. So it was. Sanctions were established over us, the war has began, a prohibion for Serb artists and my cry in heaven. I create FLAME - MACHIINE, under cover of holy Petka and I publicly burn my paintings visualy sending them to the Moon.
I call all know politicians and intellectuals to come to opening of my exibition on the Moon! The burning lasted for nex ten years, until paitings reached all planets of our universe. That are my planetar altars and each one of them i guarded by one woman Goddess. In that way woman becomes everything that is worth, that gives life at this planet Earth, and my role became that like a priest of art I become the intermediary between her and the space.
A symbol fo death and road is occuring . . . I dream . . . "My grandma is giving me seven stones from the Danube and sais: "my son, these are seven stones for your guidance road, and I have to go now". I get up. That morning in cage where my bird Lagasica live, a suprise! She dead, but she died on seven eggs. My grandma Katarina dies too. The rituals are born, the imortallity of paiting, objects, installations, poems. . . I complete my name :

DUŠKO - ZEJA JOVANOVIĆ MIND OF PIGOZA, ŽREC SEVER INKA , THE PINCUM HAND AND THE GUARDIAN OF LINDEN HONEY, THE BEARER OF THE COSMIC CROSS, THE HEAVENLY KNIGHT OF JUSTICE AND UNCHAINED EASTERN WIND, THE POET OF DEW AND THE TRACE OF DAYBREAK.

I thought that chase of Serbs was something worst that can happen, but there are worst things. Bombing and my mother's disease, torn my chest.
Wounded Kosovo is crying, I am crying too, and in momebt I was incapable of thinking and then stones flashed.
"I saw the stone of light, drinking the milk of cosmos from my hand".
I set the chart of Kosovo and for each place I made an icon, Kosovko girl, and the first set from that cycle, under name of SEVERINKA, I gave to Gradište, for better tomorrow.
Zeja took a deep breath. "It is time to remember our old Gods, which we forgot and because of that, this is happenign to us. I connected Kosovo girl and God Veles with my big installation by name of :
"THE TRACES OF GOD VELES"
(Vestig - MIND ad Veles)
at my exibiton.

Biography

Poet, painter, sculptor and graphics master. Born in 1947. at the mouth of gold Pek and blue Danube. Today he is living and working in Germany, Wuppertal, and has more than 37 poem collections, over 5000 paiting at 140 selling exhibitions, behind him. He is the founder of "PIGOZA-IKONO" school. He is the owner of gallery PIGOZA at Veliko Gradište, near which is a mini-reservation for bird protetion.