Hanami (花見- Flower Viewing) 2019 – 2020 Solo Exhibition @ City Gallery Bihać,
03. X 2020. – 17. X 2020.
Opening at 12:00

After Online/Digital Exhibition @ City Museum Zenica I felt detached from the entire event, emotionally and physically. There was no opening, meeting with audience, interaction. Although it was a nice experiment, I don´t think it was working for me, I felt dissatisfied. At same time while my “opening” wasn’t happening, I was in Bihać at the opening of my friend Ervin Kadić’s exhibition Dark Matter/Embossed Mass @ City Gallery Bihać, feeling like at home. The next day, while having a dinner together with Nermin Delić, Adnan Dupanović and Ervin Kadić (people of the City Gallery Bihać), I arranged to have a “real” exhibition. And I just felt great. You see, I have real ongoing friendship with this town and its people. When I just started studying at the Academy of Fine Arts Sarajevo in 1996, I was the only one from my hometown Zenica who was studying arts, and I didn´t have anyone to hang out with. Soon I clicked with Adnan Dupanović who was in my class, and I started to hang out with students from Bihać.

In 2005 I had my first solo exhibition of paintings Gome no Sensei (Master of Trash) at the Exhibition Hall of the USC Museum as a part of the Coltan Festival in Bihać. As you can see in the photo Adnan and I still had that street punk spirit.

In 2009 I became involved in the International Art Colony Duga, Kulen Vakuf, and I was also befriended by Admir Lješćanin, a founder and a director of the orphanage Duga, and Nermin Delalić, a director of the City Gallery Bihać. That year was my turning point as I started to work on my MA thesis and my big series of paintings 100 Views of Ukiyo-e. Being engaged in the Art Colony Duga gave me an opportunity to meet new friends, regional and international artists, who, like me, became deeply involved with Duga in Kulen Vakuf and the City Gallery Bihać. Unfortunately Admir Lješćanin passed away in 2017 after a long battle with cancer. Now the Art Colony caries his name and it is up to us to carry his legacy.

In 2012 I had my great solo exhibition of paintings 100 Views of Ukiyo-e @ City Gallery Bihać. By then Adnan and I grew older, we started families, got a little bit more serious and involved in community. I also started to come more regularly to Bihać to spend some time with my friends.

And now in 2020, I am ready to make a new milestone, memory, photo of us after almost 25 years of friendship. I am looking forward to the Opening to meet old friends and share some time together. As you can see this is not like any other exhibition. It a special event in my life.

Feel free to come and visit, and have a mask with you and for the rest- it is going to be easy-breezy.

Peace, Love
Udon and Sake
Muha
pS. Today is my b-day, I just turned 43, lucky me to be still around and kickin´.

Press release

Hanami (花見- Flower Viewing) is a traditional Japanese custom of observing and enjoying the blossom – plum (umemi – observing a plum blossom) which begins to bloom earlier, and then the Japanese cherry, which at the same time marks the arrival and the beginning of spring in Japan. This is also the name of the exhibition of Muhamed Kafedžić Muha, which introduces his works created in the period 2019 – 2020, and presents his reflections, research and expansion of the painting themes and techniques inspired by his stay in Japan. These works are a kind of “blossom” that announces the emergence of new series of paintings and works of art – the artist’s personal spring. His new research began in 2018 when he introduced plexiglass (PMMA – acrylic glass) as a painting surface inspired by the works of the Slovenian painter Jože Ciuha and the Japanese anime cels (セル画), and he further on deepened this technique under the influence of the Japanese tradition of making dioramas. He returns to comics and illustrative techniques that he combines with traditional portrait. This combination of techniques is in the spirit of Ukiyo-e, as well as contemporary painting, which are eclectic by nature. The works are dominated by the motif of cherry blossom (sakura) with other floral motifs, the Great Wave and water, and the reviews of famous works of art within the series Utamaro Lichtenstein.

This is the third solo exhibition of this artist in Bihać, and it was preceded by Gome no Sensei (Master of Tresh) in the Exhibition Hall of the USK Museum as a part of the Coltan Festival in 2005, and 100 Views of Ukiyo-e in the City Gallery Bihać in 2012. This artist has a special connection with Bihać and Bišćani, which is especially evident in the continuous participation and support of the Art Colony Admir Lješčanin – Duga.

Muhamed Kafedžić Muha and the City Gallery of Bihać hereby invite you to visit the exhibition and enjoy viewing “blossom”.

Opening of Gome no Sensei (Master of Trash) at the Exhibition Hall of the USC Museum
Admir Lješćanin, Nermin Delić and Adnan Dupanović @ the Collegium Artisticum 2015
Opening of 100 Views of Ukiyo-e @ City Gallery Bihać