Marko Modic / The Fifth Element

In an attempt to cut razor-sharp into the vast archive of Modič's photographic production from the early 1980s to 2014 and to extract from it the most ubiquitous and distinctive line in his photography, the concept of the fifth element crystallised with every exposed slide, with every click on a digital photograph.

The omnipresent substance in the otherwise diverse photographs, selected from series of all periods, which were arranged in sets of "four elements", wrote the alchemical formula of the concept, which merged with the quintessence of Modic's work – and the latter is, in fact, the quintessence of his existence.

About the author

The extensive artistic, gallery, and international activity of the photographer and painter Marko Modic is testified to by many books and by exhibitions held at important institutions around the globe, including the Pompidou Center, Barbican, and Queen Sofía Museum. This abstract photographer, painter, and multimedia experimenter is best known for his abstract photos and paintings, which through their calmness express restlessness and reflect the artist’s personality and his eccentric yet down-to-earth world view. Through passionate observation and a strong desire to explore and describe the world, the artist creates works that speak for themselves, and he uses art as a medium for conveying stories, whose interpretation he leaves to the viewer.
His photos are taken without using a flash or stand. They show images that anyone can see anywhere at any time, and the artist removes them from everyday and general contexts, placing commonplace objects at the centre of attention and presenting them in a new light. Magnificent mountains and children’s dolls merge in photosyntheses, creating surreal and almost magical scenes. Modic presents details, common items, and found objects in an unusual and isolated manner, using his firm compositional structure to draw the viewer’s attention to their original aesthetics. However, it seems like it is exploring nothing or merely depicting beauty, which for him comprises everything around us: we only have to see it. This is how his abstract motifs are created, even though they are completely realistic and photographed. Modic does not seek to show the meaning of a selected motif. Hence, the viewers have to find the symbolic meanings and illogical explanations on their own.

Language: English, Slovenian
Size: 24.5 x 24.5 cm, 191 pages
Binding: hardcover
Publisher: Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana, 2015