I was invited to interview and watch a Bosnian painter at work in the bushveld at Serolo Safaris. What I was about to experience was nothing short of amazing.
Not being an artist myself, I am always in awe of people that can create art – be it paintings, drawings, photographs, music, sculpture, prose or whatever. I arrived on a hot Lowveld afternoon and was presented with the image of an artist, easel stationed near the pool facing out into the bushveld, short pants, paint-stained t-shirt, and smoking a cigarette. He was much younger than I had thought he was, somewhat scruffy (as most painters are), as he enthusiastically bounded around the pool to come and greet me.
And this was Dante Galic, a 27-year-old, who had been brought out to South Africa by Kaj Hørdum – owner of Serolo Safaris. The idea was for Dante to experience the bush life and get some inspiration to paint a piece, whilst here on a refreshing, productive sabbatical – of sorts.
Kaj had been to Dante’s studio in Odense where he was amazed at what he saw, and immediately he invited Dante, and Line Nijenkamp from Galleri Nijenkamp (who represents Dante) to come to South Africa.
At first Dante did not really believe that it could be arranged, as he has a very busy schedule including exhibitions and art fairs. But 10 days were squeezed out for the trip in March 2024, where the group got to see and experience some of the great parts of our country, including the bushveld.
Born in Odense, Denmark, Dante has been painting since he was 6 years old. He is what you would call an autodidact artist (self-taught) with a love and passion for neo grotesque style. He was actually denied entry into the art academy in Berlin, but from middle school he had a teacher that devoted time and energy to teach him all the required techniques. Sadly that teacher passed away a couple of years ago, and so Dante moved his focus to the old masters to continuing evolving his painting skills and style. Dante considers Goya as being the first modern story teller, and as such is a great inspiration for him. But he also gets inspiration from other old masters like Caravaggio and Bosch. His paintings are a combination of surrealism and a fascination with comics.
Despite being relatively young, Dante is already considered a very successful artist. From the age of 18, his art has become a part of some of the largest Danish art collections. “I love art, I’m passionate about it, and I work and paint 7 days a week – it helps me maintain my sanity”, says Dante.
Dante is also very environmentally conscious, and as such is one of the first artists in the world to ‘go green’ with all his materials. The pigments are all mixed by himself, the canvases are made of organic linen or hemp, the watercolour paper is recycled, and the wood for clamping is from Europe. Some of the used frames for his watercolours are 100% up-cycle and made of boat wood from Indonesia. His art can be classified as Ecological Art or “Eco Art”.
This is a contemporary form of environmental art, created by artists who are concerned about local and global environmental situations. Ecological art is an artistic practice or discipline proposing paradigms sustainable with the lifeforms and resources of our planet. It creates awareness, stimulates dialogue, changes human behaviour towards other species, and encourages the long-term respect for the natural systems within which we coexist.
Dante’s “After the Flood” exhibition was produced with Eco-friendly, and sustainably harvested pigments from around the world. They contain no added fillers, additives, preservatives, stabilisers, or heavy metals. Mixed with refined walnut oil these pair perfectly to make a smooth, rich, luxurious oil paint. All paintings are painted on organic linen canvases. Flax, the plant from which linen is made, is resilient and can grow in poor soil, using far less water than cotton. Eco Gesso is used to smooth the surface of canvases. It is eco-friendly, non-toxic, and vegan. Gesso is made with French marble dust, limestone powder, titanium dioxide pigment and plant- based binders. As a final touch on the finished paintings a non-toxic natural varnish is applied. This is made with a proprietary blend of plant-based, archival ingredients, using time-tested recipes from the Renaissance.
Currently Dante and his team from the Galleri Nijenkamp are working very hard on connecting with other established galleries around the world to expose Dante’s art. In the week 26-28th April, Dante’s art will be presented at an art fair in Cologne in Germany.
Dante’s has been awarded some prestigious accolades: he was winner of 2021 award “Koloniens kunstnere 2021” Herzegovina, and he was a finalist in the 2021 “Global Art Awards: 2021 Tokyo Edition”.
If you want to view Dante’s work and take in an unusual feast of colour and the unexpected, go to www.dantegalic.com, or go to the galley website www.gallerinijenkamp.dk
