Video made by South Sea Film School/Auckland, 2018

VJEKOSLAV NEMEŠ

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(known simply as Nemesh) was born on the 14th May 1963 in Petrovaradin, the former Yugoslavia (Serbia now). Since early childhood he manifested exceptional drawing skills and interest in drawing especially comics; which naturally progressed into more detailed and graphic representations. His artistic direction however was about to change when in his early twenties a schoolmate commissioned him to create a large oil painting, an event that ultimately led him onto an artistic  path he has been on ever since.

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Having only been painting for a few years Nemesh was fortunate enough to win several local art awards; events which ultimately gave him the encouragement to pursue a career as an artist, a decision he has never looked back from. Events were also about to take a positive change for him and many other artists when in the early nineties there was a sudden reform in former Yugoslavia which saw a number of new private art galleries open.

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This fundamental change offered Nemesh an opportunity to start building his artistic career but sadly this opportunity would be short lived as civil war soon broke out which eventually  saw the breakdown of the entire country. Yet even as the country was going through this very difficult time Nemesh was still able to experience great local success with his art.

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However in 1993 with the war still raging; Nemesh decided that he and his former wife needed to leave the country and start a new life elsewhere. They decided on New Zealand as their new home due to its temperate climates and beautiful scenery, yet as we all know any move has its challenges and for Nemesh this meant him having to let go of his local artistic successes and start his career from the very beginning again in a brand new country.

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It took Nemesh about a year to become settled with his new life in New Zealand so in between his art work he also decided to focus some time and energy on his computing education so signed himself onto a 6 month graphical design and publishing course.

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Today his artistic career spans over 35 years since he first put his drawings and sketches into a local exhibition back in 1984 (in former Yugoslavia). Nemesh has participated in more than 300 group exhibitions in New Zealand and overseas and has had more than 50 solo exhibitions in the former Yugoslavia, Sri Lanka, USA and New Zealand.

In 1989 and 1991 as a young and already recognized artist he was elected and sent twice to participate in the Art Colony “17 Watermills” in Dušnik near Niš in Serbia (when it was still part of former Yugoslavia).

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In 2015 he was invited to participate in the exhibition for the Matariki Celebration in Rotorua where he was the ‘artist in residence’ for a period of two weeks. For the last 20 years Nemesh has also had annual solo exhibitions in Sargent’s Fine Art in Lahaina, Maui Island in Hawaii, USA and from 1995 to 2014 he was participating in Peter Reynolds Christmas exhibitions, 8 of these years has seen him doing live public demos in this gallery since its initial opening.

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Together with his close friends Nemesh have organized seven ‘Interconnection exhibitions’ around New Zealand, the idea behind this Interconnection  being “to utilize a collaborative approach with other artists, exchange ideas and create works which will differ from the artists usual style”.

Nemesh has had his work presented in collections throughout Europe, Russia, Britain, U.S.A., Canada, Australia, Asia, and New Zealand and has established world-wide recognition for his unique, authentic and visionary artistic style of work.

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2020, Vjekoslav Nemesh at the opening of THE POWER HOUSE exhibition at The art Lounge NZ, Tauranga

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2019, Vjekoslav Nemesh at the opening of group exhibition in Hellensville

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2011, Vjekoslav Nemesh at the opening his exhibition “Ethereal” in Zohar Gallery, Tauranga

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RECENT SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

 

2023, ETTERNA (III) NOT THE SAME TWICE, Reyburn House, Whangarei, New Zealand,

 

2022, ETTERNA, Art on the Quay, Kaiapoi, New Zealand,

 

2022, ETTERNA, Quarry Arts Centre, Whangarei, New Zealand,

 

2022, ETTERNA, The Art Lounge NZ, Tauranga, New Zealand,

 

2021, FROM THE NORTH TO THE SOUTH, Eastside Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand,

 

2021, FROM THE SOUTH TO THE NORTH, Reyburn House, Whangarei, New Zealand,

 

2020, THE POWER HOUSE, The Art Lounge NZ, Tauranga, New Zealand,

 

2019, SEVEN WONDERS, Art on The Quay, Kaiapoi, New Zealand,

 

2019, GUIDE TO ANOTHER DIMENSION, Sargent’s Fine Art, Lahaina, Hawaii, USA,

 

2019, UNCHARTED TERRITORY, The Art Lounge NZ, Tauranga, New Zealand,

 

2019, INTERDIMENSIONAL AND THREE DIMENSIONAL, Helensville Art Centre, New Zealand,

 

2018, GUIDE TO ANOTHER DIMENSION, Quarry Arts Centre, Whangarei, New Zealand,

 

2018, GENIE COLLECTION, Sargent’s Fine Art, Lahaina, Hawaii, USA,

 

2018, GENIE COLLECTION, The Art lounge NZ, Tauranga, New Zealand,

 

2017, INTERDIMENSIONAL, Art lounge NZ, Tauranga, New Zealand,

 

2017, INTERDIMENSIONAL, CAN, Napier, New Zealand,

 

2016, INTERDIMENSIONAL, Sargent’s Fine Art, Lahaina, Hawaii, USA,

 

2015, MISTIQUE, Quarry Arts Centre, Whangarei, New Zealand,

 

2014, MOTHER OF ANOTHER ILLUSION, Quarry Arts Centre, Whangarei, New Zealand,

 

2014, MOTHER OF ALL ILLUSIONS, Terrace Downs, Christchurch, New Zealand,

 

2014, MOTHER OF ALL ILLUSIONS, Sargent’s Fine Art, Lahaina, Hawaii, USA.

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RECENT GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

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2023, Auckland Art Show, Auckland, New Zealand,

 

2023, Christchurch Art Show, Christchurch, New Zealand,

 

2022, ART SALON, FGS Buddhist Temple, Auckland, New Zealand,

 

2022, NEMESH ART AWARD, Art on the Quay, Kaiapoi, New Zealand,

 

2022, NEMESH ART AWARD, Reyburn House, Whangarei, New Zealand,

 

2022, Auckland Art Show, Auckland, New Zealand,

 

2022, Christchurch Art Show, Christchurch, New Zealand,

 

2021, ART SALON, FGS Buddhist Temple, Auckland, New Zealand, Virtual Exhibition,

 

2021, Christchurch Art Show, Christchurch, New Zealand,

 

2021, ART IN THE PARK, Auckland,

 

2020, ART SALON, Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, Auckland, New Zealand,

 

2020, FABULOUSLY FLORAL, Flagstaff Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand,

 

2020, BEYOND THE CLOUD, Flagstaff Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand,

 

2020, AUCKLAND ART SHOW ONLINE

 

2020, CHRISTCHURCH ART SHOW ONLINE,

 

2020, IN MY BUBBLE, The Art Lounge NZ, Tauranga, New Zealand,

 

2020, SACRED, Art on The Quay, Kaiapoi, New Zealand,

 

2020, UPLIFTING FUTURE, Eastside Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand,

 

2019, CHERRY BLOSSOM SALON, Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, Auckland, New Zealand,

 

October 2019, SACRED ART CONNECTION, Fo Guang Yuan Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand,

 

2019, MULTICULTURAL CONNECTION, The Art Lounge NZ, Tauranga, New Zealand,

 

2019, Christchurch Art Show, New Zealand,

 

March 2019, SACRED ART EXHIBITION, Fo Guang Yuan Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand,

 

2018, CHERRY BLOSSOM SALON, Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, Auckland, New Zealand,

 

2018, Peter Reynolds Memorial Exhibition, Rotary Club Rotorua, New Zealand,

 

2018, Dunedin Art Show, New Zealand,

 

2018, Christchurch Art Show, New Zealand,

 

2018, Members exhibition Helensville, Arts Centre Hellenswille, New Zealand,

 

2017, Peter Reynolds Memorial Exhibition, Rotary Club Rotorua, New Zealand,

 

2017, Art Shopping, Carousel Louvre, Paris, France,

 

2017, Dunedin Art Show, Dunedin, New Zealand,

 

2017, Christchurch Art Show, Christchurch Art Show, New Zealand,

 

2017, Matariki Exhibition, Penny Haka Gallery Rotorua, New Zealand,

 

2016, Interconnection VI, touring exhibition with students:

Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland,

Artspost, Hamilton,

Quarry Arts Centre, Whangarei,

CAN (The Creative Arts Centre Napier), Napier, New Zealand,

 

2016, Interconnection VII, Paihia, New Zealand,

 

2016, Colour For The Soul, The Percy Thompson Gallery, Stratford, New Zealand,

 

2016, Christchurch Art Show, Christchurch, New Zealand,

 

2016, Nelson Art Show, Nelson, New Zealand,

 

2016, Wellington Art Show, Wellington, New Zealand,

 

2015, Christchurch Art Show, Christchurch, New Zealand,

 

2015, Soul Connection, Reyburn House, Whagarei, New Zealand,

 

2015, Matariki Exhibition,  artist in residence, Penny Haka Gallery Rotorua, New Zealand,

 

2015, Christmas Exhibition, Exhibitions Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand,

 

2014, Peter Reynolds Christmas Exhibition, Peter Reynolds Gallery, Rotorua, New Zealand.

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PRIZES AND AWARDS:

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2023, Winner of Art Battle Auckland,

 

2022, Winner of Art Battle Christchurch, first round,

 

2001 Royal Easter Show, Auckland, New Zealand – FIRST PRIZE in Category Oil / Opaque,

 

2001 K. G. Fraser Award for Best Painting over all on Royal Easter Show, Auckland, NZ,

 

1996 Royal Easter Show, Auckland, New Zealand – FIRST PRIZE in Category Oil / Opaque,

 

1991 1992 and 1993 Red Cross Medals for Donations, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia,

 

1991 Medal of the Olympic Games in Chess (for Donation), Yugoslavia,

 

1989 Artists Colony “l7 Water Mills”, Nis, Yugoslavia – THIRD PRIZE,

 

1989 22nd Yugoslav Meeting, Kraljevo, Yugoslavia – FIRST PRIZE,

 

1989 Review of Fine Arts, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia FIRST PRIZE,

 

1988 Award of the 35th Caravan of Friendship, Belgrade, Yugoslavia,

 

1988 Exhibition of Fine Arts, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia – FIRST PRIZE

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Article from Art News, Autumn 2015 issue:

Art News Article 2015 Mistique

 

“Carried away by unrestrained wave of creativity, he achieves a perfect blend and unique harmony between the worlds of imagination and reality.

The overwhelming magnificence of nature’s creation inspires him to explore the depths of his soul, where conscious meets unconscious; his art moves the boundaries of light and darkness, it grasps to reach that blurred distance of celestial mystery. Led by an innate painting passion, he is using the whole spectrum of colours, harmonizing colour with wonderful ease.

For a moment we can glimpse into the distant abysses, we can experience the undiscovered pathways of light and enchantment that compels us to find ways through the cracks out of darkness. Follow; you will experience a journey that heals the soul and challenges the mind. Vjekoslav’s art opens horizons.”

Berislava Grace