Zoran Mojsilov: Time Machine

Originally from Serbia (former Yugoslavia), Zoran Mojsilov is a Minnesota-based sculptor boldly working in stone, steel, and wood. His work has appeared in international museums, galleries, and public venues, including Socrates Sculpture Park, NY; Runnymede Sculpture Farm, CA; and DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, MA.

In 1983, Mojsilov left Communist-controlled Yugoslavia, by train at night, carrying only his sculptures that had been rejected from a prestigious art competition for their expression. This body of work has continued to today within Mojsilov’s Time Machine series – the artist’s latest large-scale sculptural works. Among the four towering 14-foot wood sculptures from the Time Machine series, Mojsilov carved and stained pre-Christian symbols, referenced from Pirot. 

Resembling surreal machines with hand-carved wheels, cogs, and gears, the series represents the difficult process of reshaping one’s identity throughout relocation. A newly produced documentary film provides context for the exhibition, which also includes examples of Mojsilov’s eminent past work focusing on war and reconciliation. Visitors to Time Machine will be greeted by a woodblock print including a short poem by Louise Erdrich, “Gather Yourself in Darkness. Take Only What You Can Carry in Your Heart.”

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website