NIKOLA GOCIC
**RUBY ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2025**
Nikola Gocic was named the RUBY ARTIST OF NOVEMBER
— and was therefore granted entry into the 5th, annual ARTISTS OF THE YEAR EVENT —
which led to the capture of the dazzling RUBY ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2025 title.
Please accept an invitation to come and meet this mysterious and fascinating artist — learn how a fortuitous outing led to a found visual artistic voice and medium which ignited unstoppable creative abundance and yield. See how this multi-talented artist builds something special by employing both the written word and imagery with equal poetic delivery and grace - ultimately forming a whole artistic declaration and identity.
Discover, explore and contemplate the surreal and mystical artwork right here in the following feature and interview which was created in recognition and celebration of the RUBY ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2025.
“Drawing inspiration from various, oft-incongruous sources – dreams, mythology, avant-garde cinema and the Saturday Morning Cartoons of the ‘80s, just to name a few – I’ve created hundreds of digital collages, usually sorted throughout aesthetically distinct series. They are the souvenirs from numerous journeys to the most hidden recesses of the subconscious mind; results of intuitive alchemy and happy accidents, decidedly mystifying in my striving for the ineffable / transcendent. At once profoundly personal and universally probing, these obscure ‘entities’ blur or completely erase the boundaries between poetic and banal, carnal and spiritual, order and chaos, life and death, miracle and apocalypse, the past and the future. Bound by melancholy, they transform into the echoes of an existential cry, creating ruptures in the increasingly insufferable reality and celebrating unrestrained imagination as a decisive factor in the re-defining of humanity and approaching whatever lies beyond the Truth.”
Nikola Gocic (born in Nis, Serbia, 1980) is an architect by education, film critic and festival curator by passion and collage artist by obsession, stuck in a Catch-22 loop. In eight years of his self-taught art practice, he has presented five solo exhibitions in his home country and participated in numerous, largely digital showcases in galleries and events of Paris, Berlin, Zug, Basel, Zürich, Venice, Palma, Grenada, Toronto, Dubai and New York. A couple of his artworks have been displayed at KAOS, the International Festival of Contemporary Collage (Kranj, Slovenia) in 2022 and 2024. Frequently collaborating with NYC-based underground artist Martin Del Carpio, he has designed a plethora of promo images, such as film posters and music single covers. His artworks have also served as the basis for composer / filmmaker Martin Gerigk’s animated shorts that have been screened at more than 500 festivals around the globe. A number of his pieces have been published in Artist Portfolio Magazine, Visual Art Journal and Contemporary Collage Magazine. He’s awarded with the recognition for high artistic quality by La Pinacothèque of Luxembourg, in conjunction with his participation in the international selection of Luxembourg Art Prize 2025.
* Comforting Darkness *
Digital collage
“Initiated by a chance visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade (more precisely, the close encounter with a retrospective showcase of Yugoslavian Zenithists), my art practice has evolved from a DADA-esque joke into a full-blown obsession.”
GR — Welcome and congratulations on winning the RUBY ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2025 title. Your words quoted above are very interesting — at what point in your art career did this visit to the Yugoslavian Zenithist exhibition occur and what was it about this 100-year old movement — founded by Ljubomir Micic — that resonated and inspired you? Did you have a sudden insight and did it cause a direct alteration to your art practice?
NG — Thanks a million for bestowing this honor upon me – it means the world to me! To be honest, I wouldn’t use the term ‘career’ to label what I had prior to the museum visit. In fact, I’m not even sure it would be appropriate to use it now, especially considering the effects of many ‘unfavorable circumstances’... I was creating short comics, mixing hand-drawn characters with backgrounds rendered through architectural software and some of those pieces were exhibited at the International Comics Festival in Belgrade (Serbia) and once at the Fumetto International Comics Festival Lucerne (Switzerland) in 2016. Fast forward to 2018 — I agreed to meet a friend I had previously known only via social media and on her suggestion, we visited the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, where I was familiarized with the works of Yugoslav avant-gardists of the last century. It wasn’t only the Zenithist work that resonated with me but also the ones by Dadaists and Surrealists. To put it simply, something clicked – most probably on a subconscious level – and I decided to give a stab at collages, replacing paper, glue and scissors with digital material and tools.
GR — Many artists search in vain for that specific artistic form or expression that they become enslaved to — which propels them into a whirlwind of productivity incapable of being stopped — yet you seem to have stumbled upon yours almost by accident while having some fun and creating a “Dada-esque joke”. Can you describe your intention at the time and how it led to your clear artistic voice?
NG — This ‘Dada-esque joke’ is a short, absurdist poem whose title can be loosely translated as ‘Three Insolent Hearts’, accompanied by my very first – and from today’s perspective – very cringeworthy digital collage called ‘A Composition with Skeletor’ (the character from the ‘Masters of the Universe’ franchise) which I did have a lot of fun creating. Though I’m not quite sure what my exact intention was back then – at once a mockery and homage, I guess, with a hint of unruly irreverence – it quickly turned into something else, something more elevated, if I may say, along with the following artworks. Embracing the Greek mythology as one of the most precious sources of inspiration, I laid the foundation for what would eventually grow into a seemingly endless and inescapable labyrinth of “broken and still breathing dreams, inexplicable whims, undisclosed desires, repressed memories, scattered thoughts, contrasting ideas, spatio-temporal ruptures, the elusive ‘color’ of inner voices and illusory ‘words’ from beyond the realm of possibility”, as I say in the statement for my most voluminous series, Bianco/Nero.
* Cornered *
Digital collage
GR — Visually, your work is most easily associated with Surrealism rather than Zenitism or Dada. What are your thoughts on this? Do you lean in favour of one? Which artists most inspire your work?
NG — Exactly, Surrealist art and its automatism is where I feel at home, yet whenever I feel revolted, I tend to turn to the mischievous forces of Dada; and I believe that both of these movements have never actually ceased to exist, they only evolved or rather, mutated. I am particularly fond of the great majority of cine-surrealists, from Jean Cocteau and Luis Buñuel to Alejandro Jodorowsky, Shuji Terayama and David Lynch, as well as of anime auteurs such as Mamoru Oshii and Satoshi Kon. The list of painters that inspire me includes the ‘usual suspects’ such as Dalí and Magritte but I must single out the uniquely ethereal artworks of Ljubomir ‘Ljuba’ Popovic whose retrospective exhibition left me in goosebump-inducing awe. Also admirable are the oneiric montages of Maya Deren, the alchemical esotericism of Remedios Varo and the challenging (film) experiments of little-known, yet brilliant visual artist Antouanetta (also spelled as Antoinetta) Angelidi.
— MONO SERIES STATEMENT —
“Under the weight of accumulated anguish, colors have dried up again, their deceptiveness now shrouded in shadows, scorned by light. In small flocks, the echoes of Truth travel from an ungraspable distance, falling unto lost, despondent souls. Silently and intuitively, they transform into the whispers of demonic wisdom, between the purity of Image, and Eternity inscribed in concrete...”
GR — Your beautiful statement for your Mono Series speaks of the deceptive nature of colours, their rejection and the arrival of Truth from afar. Are these black and white images of your Mono Series used as vehicles to indicate that pretty distractions must be stripped away in order to uncover Truth and that Truth isn’t pretty?
NG — If it is the banal, day-to-day truth that we’re talking about, then yes, it isn’t pretty, which is why people are often drowned in a variety of (kitschy) ‘colors’ and brainwashed into believing the vilest of lies. However, the Truth that I as an artist, a Naïf one, gravitate towards is of the transcendental kind, not in a religious, but rather cosmogonic and/or ontological sense of ‘transcendence’; ‘she’ is unknowable, thus it is impossible to decide whether it holds presumed beauty or not. In the latter case, colors can also pose a major distraction, so stripping them away is intended as a boost to one’s imagination – I want the observers to make an effort and come up with ‘palettes’ and meanings of their own.
Passivity is not an option.
* Reflection *
Digital collage
GR — There is a strong sense of searching and waiting — for guidance, purpose or an explanation from some higher power in your Mono Series. Does this reflect a personal quest or journey or is it a commentary on the human experience in general? What are you seeking or trying to solve for yourself and your audience?
NG — Being a spiritual successor to the aforementioned Bianco/Nero – its 1001 chapters reflecting my obsession with the B&W aesthetics – the Mono series is a continuation of a personal quest that began there. At once, it is an appendix to / abbreviation of a coded visual manifesto and an attempt at exorcising rigid dichotomies such as body and soul, life and death, order and chaos but above all, the profane and the sacred. Amplifying and sanctifying the erotic vibes of its predecessor, it is a Brutalist bridge between introspection and extrospection / light and darkness; a subversive force that awakens the hidden aspects of self and an invitation to search for a ‘higher power’ within Art and our own subconscious / unconscious minds, rather than – God forbid – institutionalized religion.
* Purgatorial Etude *
Digital collage
GR — Purgatorial Etude is breathtakingly beautiful — the layout of the compositional elements is extraordinary and elegant — but it also has a poignant and worrisome atmosphere. Can you talk about how this exceptional piece came to be? Is it perhaps a lesson or warning for the world?
NG — Thank you for the kind compliments! As its title suggests, this piece exists in a liminal space and betrays my proneness to fits of deep melancholy. I’d dub it ‘a meditation on (unnatural) death’ that may operate as a balm for the disquietude of mind.
GR — Heavy, massive segments of concrete and isolated, freestanding architectural parts float throughout the Mono Series as if dislodged or discarded from a nearby monumental building. Is the use of this motif a direct influence from your architectural background? Do you think this training subconsciously attracted you to collage art because of the construction opportunities and skills inherent in the medium?
NG — It is my fascination with Brutalism, especially the colossal, anti-fascist monuments from the socialist era, that informed the inclusion of these concrete elements and I presume that my formal training – albeit a sore spot of my life – has shaped the ‘architecture’ of my collages to a certain degree. Among the constructions (of Mono) that I’ve come up with, some of my audience have recognized angular designs of Expressionist sets, so there’s another subconscious influence.
* The Third Hand *
Digital collage
GR — The Third Hand is so awesome — viewers feel transported to a place where gods surely lurk — it absolutely has to be discussed. There is much to consider: a reference to the stigmata, a cross, direct eye contact, wrapped hands, classical and colossal architecture, symmetry, that sky... Please talk about this artwork. Everyone is kneeling and listening.
NG — “Asking an artist to talk about his work is like asking a plant to discuss horticulture.” – Jean Cocteau once said. Nevertheless, I will try to provide a concise answer at least, given that I have already revealed more than initially desired about another artwork. The Third Hand is a fruit intuitively picked from an Esoterium of both personal and collective iconography or maybe it’s an iconoclastic design for a Major Arcana card of a tarot deck from another dimension. Who knows what passes through that black hole...
* Somebody Else *
Digital collage
— REVELATIONS STATEMENT —
“Concealing rather than revealing, they deny their own purpose. At once, it is the act of rebellion and sheer foolishness. A whim of imagination gone wilder than expected, irreverent to both the past and the future. And ‘now’ is numb in its abiding musings on abandoning life. Colors are but disguises for voices that whisper of inevitable darkness. The spirit soars higher when detached from dogma, then touched by Eros. Devotion is truly divine only in the death of the one who was never even born...”
GR — Your Revelations Series employs warm colours and flowing, twisting fabric with delicate floral patterns — a severe departure from concrete and the black and white setting in Mono. What prompted this change from hard and cold to soft and warm? What are you exploring and communicating in Revelations that differs from Mono?
NG — The Revelations were born in ‘a happy accident’ triggered by one of those Instagram challanges – precisely, a weekly challenge prompted by Paris Collage Collective. Previously, I rarely if ever employed the elements from classical paintings but once I finished Desert Foreplay – the first in what would grow into a series – I was so satisfied with the result that I just couldn’t leave it at that. There was another series – The Loneliest of Gods, also brought forth through a challenge – that I used as a ticket for the domain out of my comfort zone and which served as a transition from (the initial batch of) Mono to Revelations. The softness and warmness of these compositions rises from the Old Masters’ works that I ‘gently desecrate’, so to say, as well as from the desire for a thorough change, one that leads not only to inner peace but peace in general. As intuitively puzzling as the great majority of my collages, Revelations dares to place the equal sign between the saintly and the sexual, so in that regard, they can be viewed as edgier (and closer to Mono) than meets the eye. The quoted statement should provide additional insights, especially if one is versed at reading between the lines.
* The Flying Book *
Digital collage
GR — Your work is loaded with symbolism and references — memento mori, biblical, hands, apples, fish to name a few. The Flying Book is so beautiful and serene with gentle fabric folding softly like waves in a golden sunset yet there is that hand... Can you explain the symbolism here and the intended message of this graceful yet deceptive artwork?
NG — “Graceful yet deceptive” – I love your description! It suggests that all the symbolism and references should be taken with a grain of salt and viewed from the perspective of someone who incessantly questions the so-called traditional values and adapts the borrowed elements to a whole new ‘system’ – a very fragile one, as its rules are not set in stone, built on the pagan outskirts of Orthodoxy to which I was baptized as a newborn. Seldom do I intend to send a message because in my humble opinion, an art piece should be more about evoking a distinct feeling, preferably akin to a dream or a memory, rather than slipping into didacticism...
GR — Revelations in particular, with the flowing fabrics and harmonious, sunny colour palette could be described as visual poetry — and your written statement for the series is real, live poetry. How do poetry and art overlap and connect to each other in your practice? Did starting as a poet make the transition — or extension — to visual art logical and smooth — perhaps even familiar to some extent? Are your poems and art one and the same to you?
NG — Aww... I’m humbled by your kind words! Even before this collage-craze of mine started, I was inclined to ‘binding’ poetry to imagery, often basing my experimental comics around verses, rather than on a script, or vice versa – conceiving the pictures first, then writing a poem as an accompaniment. This practice changed after transitioning to collages – sometimes, I would construct the writing, not necessarily poetic, out of the found words and at other times, I would build every single word, (cut-out) letter by letter but in both cases, the visuals would precede and that naturally goes for the statements – if any – as well. Telling a bit more on this ‘interweaving’ is the title of one of my 2019 pieces – ‘In the Beginning, There Was the Image (Because the Word Was Too Expensive)’.
* Sacrificial Mystery *
Digital collage
GR — Often collage artists tend to crowd numerous items into the artwork but your work is characterized by restraint and a clean and simple elegance. Each of your pieces shows the same professional and skilled artistic choices — as a self-taught artist, to what do you attribute your talent and flair for these excellently balanced artworks which you make look so easy to execute?
NG — A bunch of my early works are pretty crowded and as such, much closer to one’s (stereotyped?) notion of a traditional collage art. Gradually, the elements have decreased in number, as I’ve been guided by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s principle of ‘less is more’ and by the frame composition in art films. Of course, I’ve looked for inspiration in the works of collage masters such as Hannah Höch and Kurt Schwitters but it is cinema that has influenced me the most. Also significant is the contact with fellow contemporaries by way of social media and their support through both the feedback and exchange of ideas. The importance of extensive practice goes without saying.
* The Gift of Death *
Digital collage
GR — You have created an astounding number of artworks. How do you manage this? Can you describe your process and what a day at your “easel” is like? What images and sources inspire you and where do they come from?
NG — Caught in a Catch-22 loop of looking for long-term employment, I’ve got a lot of time to spare, which is why I am so dedicated to creating art as a form of rebellion against the deteriorating reality (often powered by hypocrisy). Ever since collage-making turned into a fiery obsession, my inner voices have transmuted into visions, although they have rarely provided me with clearly defined ideas but, that is just fine, as what I want to express tends to be elusive, ambiguous, veiled in secrecy – why showing what is already known, when I can employ the familiar imagery to probe the Enigma? There are exceptions but I prefer mystery to bluntness / dreamlike irrationality to logic. I am particularly fond of the last century photographs which the public domain is overflown with, assigning new roles to both the people and objects captured in them and in this way, lending them a kind of a posthumous life, all the while blurring the boundaries between the past and the future — and it is highly likely that they create me in return...
* Cosmogonic Lullaby *
Digital collage
Recognition for high artistic quality by La Pinacothèque of Luxembourg, in conjunction with his participation in the international selection of Luxembourg Art Prize 2025.
In October of 2025, Cosmogonic Lullaby was displayed on a billboard in Times Square (NYC, the USA),
as a part of Visual Art Journal showcase.
GR — It is clear the surface has just been scratched — but it has been a true pleasure getting to know the person and thought process responsible for the compelling, enigmatic collages and the superlative, poetic statements. Thank you Nikola for visiting and congratulations again on winning RUBY ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2025.
NG — And thank you once again for the flattering title, the pleasure is all mine! I will take this marvellous opportunity to extend my gratitude to everyone who has accompanied me on this journey, especially those who helped me get through the darkest of tunnels, by repeated rekindling of light.
* An Elephant's Advice *
Digital collage