Mojca Krajnc: Cockta, pijača naše in vaše mladosti /
Cockta, the drink of our and your youth
29. 8. – 16. 10. 2017
ACE KIBLA / artKIT, Glavni trg 14, Maribor

Mojca Krajnc completed her studies of art education at the University of Maribor under the mentorship of professor, painter and illustrator Petra Varl. Krajnc became skilled especially in drawing, which, in the form of illustrations, remains her primary visual form of expression to this day.

Mojca Krajnc’s works function on the borderline between commercial images and works of art. She illustrates books, and has created numerous other recognizable images often seen on the web, in magazines, or on jumbo posters. The topics treated are encountered on a daily basis, and are related to fashion, lifestyle, interiors, portraits, and industrial design. She uses various materials and techniques, from pencil and paper, to computer technologies, while at the same time her creations also always tend to include traditional drawing techniques. She experiments with different media and materials. Her wooden intarsias (intarsia is a decorative element on a wooden piece of furniture, most often made from different types and colors of wood) display her ideas as an illustrator through carefully designed visual elements.

One of the qualities of a good illustrator is to visually express a narrative or story in the form of an image, using minimalistic means. The historical origins of illustrations are related to cave paintings, antique Egyptian papyruses, mediaeval illuminated manuscripts, etc. Throughout history, illustrations have accompanied the most important historic and literary works, from the Bible, the Iliad and the Odyssey, to the Divine Comedy and Don Quixote, to mention only a few. Art history records a long list of important illustrators, Slovenian artists not excluded, to mention only Hinko Smrekar, Miki Muster, Marlenka Stupica, and Marija Lucija Stupica.

The artist and author of the present exhibition is in touch with everything that goes on in contemporary creative industries, and is thus often inspired by the works of accomplished designers and photographs, many of them famous contemporary illustrators, such as Jason Brooks, Jasper Goodall, David Downton or Sanna Annukka, or great names of modern art, such as Warhol, Basquiat, Kandinsky, Matisse, and even graffiti artists, such as Banksy, Jef Aerosol, or Invader.

Mojca Krajnc works mostly in the direction of contemporary graphic illustration, more specifically, digital illustration. Digital or computer illustrations are created through the use of new media, the computer and software programs, which simulate traditional ways of drawing. In terms of style, the artist leans towards graphic art, which allows no maneuver space for textures or secondary visual elements; her graphic works are characterized especially by relaxed lines, clean surfaces, and a distinct color palette, all of which add to the recognizability of her unique, modern style. Full-toned color contrasts remain her personal drawing mark, and at the same time exceed the mere esthetic effect, breathing youth and freshness into her illustrations.

Mojca Krajnc is one of the authors of illustrations created for a still popular and originally Slovenian soft drink Cockta. The history of Cockta dates back to the year 1953, when it appeared on the market as the first carbonated non-alcoholic drink in ex-Yugoslavia. “Cockta, the drink of your youth and ours” from the early eighties, is still one of the most recognizable slogans, which evokes nostalgia in all of us. In 2014, the artist designed Cockta’s new graphic image with unique illustrations and a new slogan: “Cockta. Made differently. For me.” The legendary brand has since been presented with Krajnc’s illustrations of faces for each of the flavors of this popular drink.

Apart from digital illustrations, the exhibition also displays light boxes and video presentations of the artist’s illustrations from the series Selfie shoes, which symbolically represents walking. She is also no stranger to motifs from the world of fashion & lifestyle; some of her designer coloring books and badges are also showcased.

Mojca Krajnc is a freelance artist who creates her own projects, in which she indulges in the esthetics of powerful colors, combined with the soft lines of her romantic but confident illustrations, which unmistakably characterize her process of artistic design. Her primary passions, then, are illustration and graphic design, although according to herself, she is also extremely fond of the painting medium, but was forced to put it somewhat to the side due to the disinterestedness of the market. “My work and free time are not separate; my work is also my life,” says Mojca Krajnc.
– Nina Jeza

www.cockta.eu/sl/zgodba-o-cockti

www.mojcakrajnc.com

 

ACE KIBLA is co-funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, the Municipality of Maribor, and the Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. Project RISK CHANGE (2016–2020) is co-funded by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union.