Portrait: the artist Zeljko Rusic
The sculptor Zeljko Rusic has lived in Königsfeld in the Black Forest since 1991.
Born in Croatia in 1967, the sculptor Zeljko Rusic has lived in Königsfeld in the Black Forest since 1991. His work puts the human being at the centre, carved mostly out of wood with a chainsaw. This technique gives particular emphasis to ridges, cuts and grain.
Rusic engages closely with fundamental questions of being human. He turns his inspiration into form directly, creating objects that cannot be filed neatly into the usual categories of contemporary sculpture. His works are both abstract and figurative, reflecting the emotions and thoughts that arise while he works.
Besides wood, Rusic also works with materials such as cast aluminium, cast iron and Corten steel. In all of his works the human figure appears – sometimes small and inconspicuous, sometimes larger than life. He does not reproduce the body anatomically, but shapes metaphors about human states and situations that can be sensed rather than read.
With his sculptures Zeljko Rusic manages to turn profound philosophical thoughts into imposing works of art that invite the viewer to reflect.
I have known Zeljko Rusic for some years now and value him greatly as a person. Through his work I discovered my own enthusiasm for art.
