Irena Kovač - Non-Linear Time Where Past and Present Intertwine

Photographer: Filip Bajilo

Irena Kovač is a visual artist whose practice centers around collage, exploring themes of memory, time, and transformation through layered photographic and painterly compositions. With a background in both digital and analog techniques, her work merges fragments of personal and collective history into non-linear, emotionally resonant visual narratives. Deeply intuitive in process, Kovač draws inspiration from music, literature, and cinema, often blurring the lines between documentation and dreamlike introspection. Her art invites viewers to reflect on the invisible threads between past and present, beauty and discomfort, identity and change.

•In what ways do you explore the relationship between memory and time in your collage practice? How does the concept of time manifest in your work?

In my collage practice, I investigate the relation between memory and time by building visual narratives. I use fragments of black-and-white photographs that reflect past - personal, collective, symbolic and position them within vibrant, dynamic, contemporary spaces. Through this approach, I create an atmosphere where time becomes non-linear, and layers of past and present intertwine, collide, and enrich each other.

Time manifests in my work primarily through aesthetic and photographic choices. For me, time is subjective, closely linked to my inner experience at the moment of creation.

Dusk and Armageddon, 2018

•Is your art a way to respond to or resist the definitives of life? If you believe there are any definitives?

I believe that everything is energy, and that our purpose is to gather experiences. From this viewpoint, I don’t think we are here to provide ultimate answers or resist anything. My artworks reflect moments of unconscious awakening, uncovering buried memories that have shaped and transformed me over time.

Skinned Against the Wind, 2018

•How does the passage of time change your relationship with a finished piece?

For me, time acts as a psychoanalyst. After spending some time reflecting upon my own works and series, I begin to understand why certain elements appeared, and what challenges or experiences I needed to process through them.

•What is your process like, spontaneous or carefully structured? Do you see your art as a form of documentation or transformation?

My process is largely intuitive. While extensive planning is rare, an initial vision typically guides an entire series. It usually begins with a single piece, inspired and partially visualized through a photograph, color, texture, or something else that sparks my imagination. I browse online archives of black-and-white photographs, as well as family albums, selecting images that I feel can be manipulated or given a new context. Occasionally, I prefer spontaneous actions, but most often, I enjoy meticulously constructing each step. I see my work as a documented transformation.

Glance Over the Eyebrows, 2016

•How do you explore emotional polarities, such as beauty and decay, in your visual language? Can beauty and discomfort co-exist in one image?

The human body frequently appears in my work, through which I highlight beauty while embracing the natural changes and transformations that occur over time. Although I have not yet fully immersed myself in this motif, I sense it will become significant in future work. Beauty and discomfort can absolutely coexist in the same image. What is beautiful is not necessarily comfortable.

•Why collage? What drew you to this medium initially?

My interest in collage began with a university assignment on the theme of homage. While researching artists, I discovered Ronald B. Kitaj’s painting "The Ohio Gang," which visually resembled a collage to me. I selected this painting and a few others by Kitaj because they deeply resonated with me. Although they were technically paintings, collage felt like the right technique for the assignment. That was my first serious engagement with collage, and I quickly realized photomontage suited my sensibility perfectly. It felt effective, playful, and exciting. This led me to continuously experiment and delve deeper into the medium.

Self-isolation, 2021

•Do you work with analog collage, digital, or a combination of both?

From the outset, I have used both digital and analog collage techniques. I frequently source images from online archives, apply digital manipulations, print the images, and work manually with them. Nowadays, I often begin by creating a digital sketch and then use it as a reference to create the analog collage.

•What other art forms, such as film, literature, music, influence your visual practice?

All forms of art influence me, but music most significantly. It often dictates my color palette, particularly when I don't have a fixed scheme. I listen to diverse music often 1970s and 1980s psychedelic rock, surf, ambient, disco, funk, soul, reggae, dub, jazz, electronic, as well as contemporary bands and artists. My musical taste is eclectic.

I frequently envision my collages as sequences from imaginary films, which makes moving images a powerful emotional and color-based influence in my practice. I’m especially drawn to comedy series, documentaries, and films based on true stories.

Regarding literature, I mostly engage with psychological and spiritual themes, which tend to inform the motifs and atmospheric qualities of my work.

•How has your style evolved over time, and what triggered those shifts? Is there a particular art form or medium you wish to experiment with next?

Since 2012, my style has evolved significantly, particularly through transferring principles of classical collage into oil and acrylic paintings. This transition led to simplification, focusing on fewer elements per piece and emphasizing figures and their dialogues. Changes in my themes and personal interests naturally led to shifts in expression.

In terms of future experimentation, I’m interested in exploring art that uses ecological materials. While I've begun researching this area, I’m particularly eager to delve into sculpture or spatial installations, which I believe would enrich and complete the visual narrative I pursue.

Step Out, 2024

•Does feminism explicitly show in your work, or does it intertwine more subtly? Are there feminist or activist artists who you incline to more?

My art is not explicitly feminist, though it can be interpreted through that lens, as the female figure is prominently featured. As a woman, feminist issues are important to me, but my intention is to preserve the essence of femininity. Women and men should have equal rights, yet our differences and sensitivities are equally valuable and worth nurturing.

Conceptually, I haven't heavily drawn on feminist artists, but if I had to highlight one, it would be Hannah Höch, the German Dada artist.

Swastik Elastic, 2017

•In what ways does your identity shape your aesthetic decisions? And do you believe that art has the power to change people?

My identity profoundly influences the aesthetics of my work. I believe art is intrinsically personal and evolves as artists themselves evolve. By nurturing our unique identities, our artistic expressions become more distinctive and recognizable.

I strongly believe art has transformative power. If I didn’t, I likely wouldn’t be an artist. Everything, even subtle details, affects and changes us. Everything we encounter, seen or unseen, generates subtle vibrations that raise or lower our consciousness.

• How do you balance beauty and critique in your visual storytelling?

I do not deliberately strive for balance between beauty and critique; rather, I allow expression to flow naturally during creation. However, similar to speech, I consider the delivery of critique is crucial. It must not harm or offend but rather inspire positive change. Perhaps this consideration subconsciously efect my visual narratives.

Author: Hana Tiro