Endi E. Poskovic
Encyclopedia
Endi Poskovic is a Bosnian
-American
artist and printmaker whose graphic work merges visual representation with text, often shifting the reading of the imagery through continuous representation and re-contextualization. His prints invoke influences as disparate as early cinema, classic Japanese woodblock prints, devotional pictures, and Eastern European Propaganda poster
. The amalgam of diverse scenarios and visual narratives in Poskovic's work imply accounts from personal and social histories and reference themes of cultural and environmental shifts, migration and alienation that are at once magnificent and tragic.
, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
, Poskovic graduated from Sarajevo High School of Applied Arts and Sarajevo Principal Music School Mladen Pozajiċin in 1986 before attending the University of Sarajevo
Academy of Fine Artsfrom which he graduated in 1990 in the class of Professor Dževad Hozo. In the summer of 1990, Poskovic left SFR Yugoslavia to study in Norway on a Norwegian Government scholarship where he enrolled in Norwegian language immersion program at Nordmøre Folkehøgskolein Surnadal
and studied drawing and painting with Jon Arne Mogstad. From Norway, Poskovic moved to the United States in 1991 to study with Harvey Breverman and Adele Henderson at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York
where he graduated in 1993 with a Master of Fine Arts
degree in art practice. Since 1991, Poskovic has lived in New York, Indiana, California, North Carolina, Illinois, Nebraska, and Michigan where he has taught at several universities and colleges. In 2008, Poskovic moved to Ann Arbor where he now teaches as an Associate Professor of Art and Design in the School of Art and Designat the University of Michigan
.
Poskovic has also received artist-in-residence fellowships from the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, McColl Center for Visual Art, Open Studio Toronto, VCCA, Frans Masereel Centrumin Belgium, Can Serrat International Art Centerand Fundación Valparaíso, both in Spain, amongst others.
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist and printmaker whose graphic work merges visual representation with text, often shifting the reading of the imagery through continuous representation and re-contextualization. His prints invoke influences as disparate as early cinema, classic Japanese woodblock prints, devotional pictures, and Eastern European Propaganda poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
. The amalgam of diverse scenarios and visual narratives in Poskovic's work imply accounts from personal and social histories and reference themes of cultural and environmental shifts, migration and alienation that are at once magnificent and tragic.
Biography
Born Elvedin Pošković in SarajevoSarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, Poskovic graduated from Sarajevo High School of Applied Arts and Sarajevo Principal Music School Mladen Pozajiċin in 1986 before attending the University of Sarajevo
University of Sarajevo
The University of Sarajevo is the first university in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was originally established in 1531 as a Madrasah or Islamic Law college, with a modern university being established and expanded on top of that in 1949. Today, with 23 faculties and around 55,000 enrolled students, it...
Academy of Fine Artsfrom which he graduated in 1990 in the class of Professor Dževad Hozo. In the summer of 1990, Poskovic left SFR Yugoslavia to study in Norway on a Norwegian Government scholarship where he enrolled in Norwegian language immersion program at Nordmøre Folkehøgskolein Surnadal
Surnadal
is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Skei. Other villages include Todalsøra, Surnadalsøra, Sylte, Glærem, Stangvik, and Åsskard....
and studied drawing and painting with Jon Arne Mogstad. From Norway, Poskovic moved to the United States in 1991 to study with Harvey Breverman and Adele Henderson at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
where he graduated in 1993 with a Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
degree in art practice. Since 1991, Poskovic has lived in New York, Indiana, California, North Carolina, Illinois, Nebraska, and Michigan where he has taught at several universities and colleges. In 2008, Poskovic moved to Ann Arbor where he now teaches as an Associate Professor of Art and Design in the School of Art and Designat the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
Selected awards and honors
- 2011 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial FoundationJohn Simon Guggenheim Memorial FoundationThe John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
Fellowship - 2010 John D. Rockefeller FoundationRockefeller FoundationThe Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
-Bellagio CenterFellow - 2008 Durfee FoundationARC Grant
- 2006 United States ArtistsUnited States ArtistsUnited States Artists is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental philanthropic organization based in Los Angeles, California and dedicated to supporting the work of living American artists by the granting of cash awards, called USA Fellowships...
Nominee - 2002 Kala Art InstituteFellowship
- 1999 Pollock-Krasner FoundationPollock-Krasner FoundationThe Pollock-Krasner Foundation was established in 1985 for the purpose of providing financial assistance to individual working artists of established ability. It was established at the bequest of Lee Krasner, who was an American abstract expressionist painter and the widow of fellow painter Jackson...
Grant - 1999 MacDowell ColonyMacDowell ColonyThe MacDowell Colony is an art colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, U.S.A., founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell. She established the institution and its endowment chiefly with donated funds...
Fellowship - 1998 Camargo FoundationFellowship
- 1997 Indiana Arts Commission-Connection Fellowship in Visual Arts
- 1995 New York State Council on the Arts-Western New York Residency Fellowship
- 1994 The Art Matters Foundation Grant
- 1990 Norwegian Government – Memorial Foundation of May 8 Scholarship
Poskovic has also received artist-in-residence fellowships from the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, McColl Center for Visual Art, Open Studio Toronto, VCCA, Frans Masereel Centrumin Belgium, Can Serrat International Art Centerand Fundación Valparaíso, both in Spain, amongst others.
Further reading
- Essay Catalog of the exhibition Souffrance et L'Aventure Plains Art Museum, December 7, 2000 – February 11, 2001.
- Jacqueline van Rhyn Catalog essay published on occasion of the exhibition, Endi Poslovic: Endiana and other tales, Philadelphia Print Center, January 19 – March 3, 2001.
- Amy N. Worthen Catalog essay published on occasion of the exhibition Endi Poskovic: Large Color Woodcuts: Des Moines Art Center, September 22, 2006 – February 4, 2007. ISBN 1879003473
- Andrew Stevens Catalog essay published on occasion of the exhibition Endi Poskovic: They Are All Indespensible: Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, March 2 – May 26, 2007.
- Eric Mathew Brochure essay published on occasion of the exhibition Endi Poskovic: Merry Folly and the Mt. Blanca at Open Studio, May 28 – June 20, 2009.
- Irfan Hošiċ Catalog essay published on occasion of the exhibition Bosanskohercegovačka umjetnost nakon 11/9 Gradska Galerija Bihaċ, July 2–23, 2009.
- Donna Westerman Catalog essay published in conjunction with the exhibition Impact-The big print and in collaboration with LAPS Newsprint Journal, Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion, September 9 – October 23, 2009.