by Ilaria Ferri

He was born in Ohrid, N. Macedonia, in 1980. He moved to Bucharest, Romania, in 2001 and received a BA in fine arts in 2006 and an MA in graphic arts in 2008 from the University of Arts, Bucharest, Romania. Blaze’s work has been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions internationally, including in Macedonia, Romania, Germany, Austria, and France. One of the basic characteristics of Sasho Blazes’s artwork is the interpretation of the influence of countless pieces of information on people’s psyches and vice versa, with a view of the purposeful destruction of individuality.

You participated in the COMEL Award with the artwork UnderWater, which impressed the jury and earned you a special mention. This piece has an intrinsic brilliance, thanks to the use of aluminium that shimmers like the surface of water. How did you achieve this effect?

The brilliance of aluminium, especially its reflection colour, inspired me to experiment with this particular material and paint its surface. In my work, I compare the colour of the reflection with the reflection of sunlight on the water waves. Also, the smoothness of the aluminium surface merely makes me think about the smoothness of cold water. To introduce more vibration in my work and more water effect, besides using the oil and acrylic colours to paint the blues of the water and subsequently the black strains I’m using transparent resin; on the other hand, I use to bend the aluminium sheet at the end.

UnderWater is part of a series of paintings dedicated to underwater landscapes. On one hand, you state these are an integral part of your life experience, living near Lake Ohrid. On the other hand, they symbolize a non-place where one can confront their inner self—a personal space to pause and reflect, away from an often oppressive reality. How did you come to focus on this theme? Were there any readings, experiences, or other artists who inspired you in this direction?

Yes, the artwork underwater takes part from my last series of paintings dedicated to imaginary underwater landscapes. And this is the only one work made on aluminium surface from this series. Living by the Lake Ohrid I often found myself contemplating the boundary between reality and hidden. In my work, on the one hand, I use the information as an inspiring element, i.e., the daily Internet photo library of stormy, heated, and often paranoid photographic reports and events in the current period in which we live, and on the other hand, I am trying to find a place for escape, a place for meditating, using diving in the deep water, and searching for the abstract shapes of our reality. Underwater landscape for me living by the lake Ohrid is a mystical place that I find and compare to myself, to my spaces of deepest emotions, to my interior landscapes, making bridge between the chaos of contemporary life and the tranquility of self discovery. Diving in the deep water means to me to dive into your own deepest inner hidden spaces. Why water ? The idea of water is inspired by Gaston Bachelard’s ‘’The Poetics of space’’ where he explained the idea of water as a ‘’Non-Place’’, consequently as a place for refuge and contemplation. The theme comes naturally to me as an observer, as an critic of the reality of the time that we are living now.

Lost in pink reflection, 2024 – oil acrylic, resin on canvas, 60×50 cm

A recent exhibition you held in Macedonia was titled No Escape from Reality. Is this a bleak view of the world around us, or rather a constructive critique? What themes do you like to explore through your work? In your opinion, can art help us understand the world around us and change our behaviours?

Last year I held three solo exhibitions and ‘’No Escape from reality’’ was the last exhibition for 2024. It was the exhibition, a concept I made in a ruined and abandoned place I combined with my works and it was a real challenge to do. The exhibition No Escape from Reality was not meant to present a bleak outlook on the world, but rather to serve as a constructive critique of our modern lives. It reflects how we live in a world that can often feel fragmented or disconnected, especially with the pervasive influence of technology and the digital age. The choice of a ruined and abandoned place for the exhibition is symbolic of the psychological and emotional spaces we sometimes find ourselves in, and how those spaces influence our actions, behaviors, and perceptions. These spaces influence how we think, feel, and act in ways we may not always recognize.

Through my work, I delve into the cultural and psychological challenges of contemporary life. I explore the constant tension between chaos and the search for peace—a search for personal calm amidst the noise of everyday existence. It’s a reflection on how we cope with the overwhelming pressures of modern life, and the ways in which we try to escape or find solace in the midst of it. I believe art has a unique capacity to help us understand the world around us. I believe that Art can encourage us to pause, reassess, and potentially alter how we respond to the chaotic and often overwhelming nature of contemporary existence.

Through your works, you aim to address the influence of external forces on the psyche, particularly how modernity, with its barrage of information and content, tends to flatten individuality and unique traits. In contrast, your work deconstructs, disassembles, and organizes various elements into a sort of complex “artistic weave.” Is this deconstruction in your art a warning or a way to suggest the potential rebirth of the individual?

I think that we are living in the individualistic world now more than ever in our history. On the other hand our individuality is losing somewhere between our everyday devices, where overwhelming presence of information can often obscure true individuality.In this sense,my art doesn’t necessarily offer a clear-cut “warning,” but rather it provides a space to confront the complexities of our existence today.The deconstructionin my works is a form of excavation, a way to peel back layers and challenge the uniformity imposed by what is now. I will say that my last series of works are an invisible witness to the moment, diving and digging deep in our self, in our human nature, an invitation to reflect between self and external influences.

Strange sunset, 2024 – oil, acrylic and resin on canvas 80×75 cm

Your works are composed of various materials such as nylon, aluminium, and plastic. Does your choice of material stem from a conceptual necessity or a drive to experiment? What role do these materials play in conveying the message of your creations? How do the techniques you use align with the meaning of your works?

Experimenting with various materials has an important role especially in recent years of my work. Using and experimenting with the plastic materials in particular has a conceptual, aesthetical significance, that gives me much liberty to express my messages sometimes more expressive, and more directly. These materials for me on the other hand have a symbolical comparative role, symbolize the tension between nature and the synthetic, using them as a reference for the natural materials and water in particular.The materials themselves are part of the dialogue. They invite the viewer to consider the role of artificiality, surface-level appearances, and how they contrast with more elemental, organic aspects of existence. Using aluminum as a surface for my paintings its very important moment in my work, especially given the material’s reflective qualities and its symbolic resonance. There’s something quite powerful about how light interacts with aluminum—it can transform, amplify, and distort what it reflects, and how it can be highlighting the tension between the artificial and the natural, the visible and the hidden.

You were born in Ohrid, a city rich in history and natural beauty. How has your hometown influenced your artistic vision? Looking back on your career, what have been the most significant moments that defined you as an artist?

My first memory as a child was seeing myself drawing saints from the frescoes of the church of Sv Sofia in Ohrid. The exceptional Byzantine icons and frescoes in Ohrid are a testament to the city’s history and artistic richness, yet it’s the interplay between light and water—an element of nature—that appears to have become my greatest fascination. As a child, I was inspired by three art books that were in my home Picasso, Miro, and The Surrealists. I was amazed especially by the surrealists I was trying to copy from the books. Then a very important moment in my career was admitted to the Bucharest Academy of Art where I took my master’s studies in the Graphic department. My collaboration with professors at the academy was excellent at that time and I was involved in many projects there including my participation in two academic book projects about graphic arts. After a brief period of a couple of years, after completing my master’s studies I returned to my home town Ohrid, working aside on various conservation projects. Beginning in 2014 I rented a small studio and began to paint. In 2019 I made my studio in Ohrid and my collaboration with a couple of galleries and museums from Macedonia and abroad begins.

View from upside down, 2024 – oil, acrylic, resin on canvas, 60x50cm

Since your studies, you’vetraveled extensively and later exhibited in various countries. How do you experience the dialogue between your Macedonian cultural identity and diverse global influences? Given that you’ve recently exhibited in several shows in Italy, what is your relationship with our country? What has it contributed to you on both a personal and artistic level?

While my Macedonian cultural identity is a significant part of who I am, I aim to create art that addresses global issues. I believe that art should speak to universal themes that resonate with people across the world, transcending geographic and cultural boundaries. This approach allows me to connect with a wider audience and engage in a meaningful dialogue that is not limited by location.

I’m in love with Italy, but who doesn’t love this beautiful country, especially the very similar cultural relations between our people, I’ve never felt like a stranger in Italy. Recently I was invited to exhibit in Venice in the Blue Gallery owned by maestro Silvio Pasqualini. The exhibition, titled Lost in Reflection, was curated by Camilo Racana, a renowned critic from Paris. Lost in Reflection was my first solo exhibition in Italy, and it was very successful. Additionally, I’ve participated in a couple of group exhibitions in other Italian cities, which have been invaluable experiences.