Interview with Daniel Benkič
A new award of this year's edition of the international exhibition of naive and intuitive art NAIVA BRATISLAVA 2023 was the GALLERY AWARD awarded by Galéria Ateliér Hlavina.
The artist DANIEL BENKIČ, to whom gallery owner Viera Žáková gave the opportunity to present and offer his artworks for sale in the established Slovak online gallery https://www.atelierhlavina.sk, gave us this pleasant interview.
What was your path to art?
As a child I liked to draw. Maybe it started already in that time, but if I was a teenager I began to feel art more intensely. I visited a few exhibitions and felt that pictures can be expressed much more clearly than words.
How do you perceive naive art? What makes it unique for you?
It is the art where I personally feel the most
"human". It can not to hide behind something or play something. Naive
artists express the simple joy of everyday life. I often feel that joy comes
from rich life experiences. And that makes this joy more refreshing. And in
today's fast-paced society oriented towards performance and other material
facts I miss that a bit.
We can often see urban themes in your paintings. Where do you get inspiration for your work?
I look for inspiration mostly in the historical centers of various cities. Stone walkways and old houses with peeling plaster fascinate me. Houses hide many lived stories.
You are preparing an individual exhibition. When and where will art admirers be able to see more of your artworks?
There is currently my exhibition in the Small Carpathian Museum
in Pezinok, which lasts until September 3, 2023. All my pictures together with
me can also be seen and experienced at the "Day of Open Ateliers",
the event will take place on Saturday 23 September 2023 from 10.00 to 21.00 in
my atelier.
Do you have any advice for those who would like to try painting?
Don't be afraid to put a piece of yourself, your inner self, in
the picture. You definitely need to have persistence and taste to create. 😊
Thank you for the interview and we wish you a lot of joy in your creating.
Photo: archive of Daniel Benkič