Nadia Petković 2022

‘This painting was inspired by both the nature of Riba-roja d’Ebre for its situation between mountains, river and sky, as well as the wall where the painting took shape. The wall could be characterized by an aged and stained surface, like many existing walls in the village. I wanted to create an artwork that flowed organically with the existing surface, so we painted the edges of the mountains along the wall’s water stains, and aimed to compose a picture that worked together with the existing window and doors. 

Riba-roja d’Ebre is known and celebrated for water – the river which flows between the mountains under the sky, day and night.

I wished to represent the presence of water within the cosmos, particularly the moon, in two states: crescent and full moon, and the rare and visible star filled sky of Riba-roja. The last day of painting was the day of September’s full moon. That’s why we call the painting “Moonway” or “Camino de la Luna” – The way of the water beneath the moon. 

Thanks to Sarah and Chris for all their support during production, and Mattia Stievano for all his technical help in painting. It would not have been possible otherwise.’

Expressing a return to nature, often referencing alternate realities, like dreams or utopias, using the mediums of illustration, painting and digital drawing as a way to connect elements of nature with the human condition // Amplifying natural scenery, composing surreal imagined worlds and employing symbols, to observe a universal symbiosis // Responding to human dissociation from nature, in which the dominant worldview has forgotten our interdependence // Using art as a way to communicate and navigate the tensions between what we see as divided or separated: nature and us, mind and body, interior and exterior, the individual and the collective.

My work expresses a return to nature, referencing both the dreamworld and archetypal symbols across cultures. Drawing for me, is a way to connect all elements of nature, from the immense cosmos to the tiniest leaf. The illustrations act as gestures of observation on a universal symbiosis.