Young artist Stefan Boskocevic combines his passion for sculpture and graphic design

Young and talented artist Stefan Boskocevic from Strpce has developed his creativity through two distinct yet closely connected fields—sculpture and graphic design. In his small home studio, he creates works that have been exhibited at numerous exhibitions and admired by many art enthusiasts.

Stefan's talent and creativity were first recognized by his parents and later by his teachers at school. He says that from an early age he knew exactly what he wanted to do.

"It all started when I began coloring my first coloring books. My parents noticed it first, then my primary school teacher, later my art teacher Snezana Arsic, and finally Aleksandra Kalpakovic when I was in the eighth grade. When we were asked what we planned to study, everyone said medical school or grammar school, while I said art school. I gradually prepared for secondary school, enrolled in the School of Art in Leskovac, and from that moment I knew this was the path I wanted to follow. After finishing secondary school, I enrolled in the Faculty of Arts in Kosovska Mitrovica to study sculpture. A year later, I also enrolled in graphic design, which had actually been my first choice," Stefan told Kosovo Online.

He explained that he studied both graphic design and sculpture simultaneously, but sculpture eventually became his primary focus, leading him to enroll in a master's program in that field.

"While graphic design is mostly digital work done on a computer, sculpture involves working with different materials such as stone, wood, metal, and clay. Working with physical materials and in three dimensions attracted me much more than design itself, although I have applied much of the knowledge I gained through sculpture to my work in graphic design," Boskocevic said.

He has participated in numerous art colonies and exhibitions, but singles out his first solo exhibition, Attic, as his favorite because it was intended to take every visitor back to the memories of childhood and growing up.

"I have taken part in more than 30 group exhibitions and held six solo exhibitions. I have also participated in numerous art colonies and various programs in Bulgaria and Italy. All of these experiences have enriched me and helped me become a better artist because they have allowed me to gain new experiences and meet new friends. My first solo exhibition, Attic, remains my favorite. Its theme is deeply personal because I explored the space of my family home through old family photographs, lace doilies, and interior details. Everyone who saw the exhibition experienced the same emotions, which means I achieved exactly what I intended—to take people back to the time of childhood and growing up," Boskocevic said.

His dedication has earned him numerous awards and recognitions, the most recent being the "Dimitrije Popovic" Award, which he recently received in Gracanica as the Best Young Artist.

"It is a very important award for me and an additional incentive to continue working. I have also received the University's Best Student Award, the Erste Bank Best Student Award, a commendation at the Ninth Drawing Biennial in Novi Sad, and the Dositej Scholarship. I believe that hard work always pays off, and these awards reflect the dedication I invested throughout my five years of study," Boskocevic said.

He added that every award gives him additional motivation to become even better and more persistent.

"In the beginning, I received positive feedback from the people closest to me, and every time I wanted to live up to their praise. Whenever someone compliments me, I become embarrassed and feel an even stronger need to justify their confidence in me. Criticism is equally important, and it should be accepted. The key is to find the right balance between praise and criticism," the young artist said modestly.

Although he currently has no academic obligations, he is working intensively on his master's project while also preparing a new solo exhibition.

"For us artists, there is no real vacation. As I mentioned, I am working on my master's project, but I recently experienced an unfortunate setback because the piece I had spent four months creating cracked during the firing process. That is part of the artistic journey—you never know what will happen to the work itself. I will have to recreate everything that was destroyed and produce new sculptures. At the same time, I am preparing a solo exhibition in Vranje, which will open on September 23. It presents a new concept I have been exploring—hand embroidery on canvas combined with spatial installations made of clay and terracotta. This short summer period is reserved both for rest and for work," Boskocevic concluded.