END OF RESIDENCY WEBZINE

Ekarasa Doblanovic

My creative practice encompasses painting and installation with collaborative and participatory projects co-directing Imagine the Land project and working as an educator. My practice cultivates relationships between people, art and nature through creating works from soils and natural pigments, over the years we have engaged over 10,000 people in collaborative art-making through public art exhibitions producing site-specific installations across New Zealand, Australia and Italy. I am interested in investigating the collaborative and participatory social engagement practices . My most recent community engagements and projects are focused on bridging the gap between generations by engaging elderly people in retirement villages and school children. Engaging marginalised and fringe groups such as Refugee Ethnic Women Art and Craft group from Afghanistan in public art projects such as murals made with handmade tiles and painted with local soil pigments setting in motion open-ended drawing painting processes that give participants an opportunity to experience personal sensory and conceptual responses to notions of temporality, nature, spirituality and creative play towards a common goal.

- a moment of realisation, change and/or disruption

In the last year and most recently my practice was brunching in various exciting directions becoming a little overwhelmed! During the residency I felt the need to re-ground, revisit past projects and unpack possible new methodologies and processes to implement with the participants and community.

- a moment of connection

Gonza took part in a participatory artwork many years ago, she is currently resident in the rest home I am engaging in a community project and recognised me despite her advanced dementia. She was as always keen to be creative, do few dance moves, hug and laugh!

- something you will carry forward

I am looking forward to further connect and get to know in depth the practices of fellow Unidee residents. As we are all working locally , connecting globally especially now is of paramount importance to become a support and collaboration network.