Vida Sačić – Connection | Far Away Myths series

Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College’s 112th Annual Exhibition
Back to Front: Artists’ Books by Women

Vida Sačić, Connection, 2018, printed canvas, 6 ft x 5 ft, Courtesy of the artist

Vida Sačić’s Connection is a meditation “on communication through abstraction, examining the inherent meaning of the material, its relationship to the semiotics of the image, and the content of the typographic form.” Adding an element humorous, succinct, with a double typographic/physical meaning, a red ball on the floor in front of the canvas acts as a “period.”

Connection is from Sačić’s Everything I Never Told You (EINTY) – a series of works inspired by experimentation with material. https://vidasacic.net/EINTY

“On several trips to the Ozark mountains, I gathered wool from two female shepherds. I was interested in the raw materials that I was able to acquire through this journey. Fiber, for me, became an analogy for the experience. Twisted fibers that make rope were one of the first technologies developed by humans. Later, fiber inspired the creation of looms which were the precursors to the technology of computers. Fascinated by this history, I gathered fibers that were hand-treated and colored using plants, and I used my gatherings to create a canvas for printing.

Typefaces such as Balloon, a brush script typeface designed in 1939 that was commonly used for display purposes, are printed on canvas using wood-type letterpress printing. By juxtaposing the hand-treated fiber with typographic form, I draw connections between language and material, labor and landscape, and the cultural production of value and meaning. The resulting work relies on communication through abstraction, examining the inherent meaning of the material, its relationship to the semiotics of the image, and the content of the typographic form.” ~Vida Sačić

Vida Sačić, a body in motion from Far Away Myths, 2015, letterpress print, 13 x 19 in., Courtesy of the artist

Vida Sačić, eclipse from Far Away Myths, 2015, letterpress print, 13 x 19 in., Courtesy of the artist

Vida Sačić, her hair from Far Away Myths, 2015, letterpress print, 13 x 19 in., Courtesy of the artist

Vida Sačić, ples pare from Far Away Myths, 2015, letterpress print, 13 x 19 in., Courtesy of the artist

Vida Sačić, seed from Far Away Myths, 2015, letterpress print, 13 x 19 in., Courtesy of the artist

Vida Sačić, three graces from Far Away Myths, 2015, letterpress print, 13 x 19 in., Courtesy of the artist

Regarding her Far Away Myths series, artist Vida Sačić says:

“These abstract compositions include my writing, inspired by movement, migration, and immigration. The writing fragments speak to a loss and a redefinition of home in the context of body, place, and country. I write in English and Croatian.

I use abstract plates and create my printing plates using discarded materials, cardboard, and duct tape. I use delicate type printed next to duck-taped plates to create a dynamic and ethereal effect. I carefully curate the typographic collection and the printing plates in my studio.

To work with old wood and metal type and an ever-rusting printing press, you have to be just a teenie tiny bit reclusive. This process is notoriously time-consuming and laborious and often attracts the pedantic. It feels mischievous to work against how the equipment has been used in the past like I am getting away with something. I, on the other hand, wanted to create prints that were organic, dynamic, unexpected, and did not follow the right angles that are typical of letterpress prints. Since I understand the logic of the tools, I am able to subvert their original purpose, which was to print with mechanical precision and clarity. Am I equating my resistance to the mechanical constraints to the resistance against heteronormative, patriarchal, white supremacist structures? On some level, yes, and also, I am screaming into the void, which is necessary work if I am to remain somewhat sane. Being a non-neurotypical person with chronic health problems, this is a special task. The colorful and dynamic compositions of my work are a kind of resistance, rendered in variations that are organic and full of life and produced in multiples.”

BIOGRAPHY

Vida Sačić is a designer, artist and educator whose work blurs the distinctions between these areas. Born and raised in Croatia, Sacic moved to the Midwest as an exchange student in her teens. She began her career by working as an Art Director in international advertising companies. In 2009, she earned an MFA from Indiana University Bloomington where she was introduced to design criticism, experimental design practices and letterpress printing.

During this time, she developed an interest in design teaching and curriculum planning for diverse student populations. She eventually accepted the position of Associate Professor of Art at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, where she authored and now coordinates the BFA Graphic Design program.

In addition to teachings and writing, Vida currently runs a studio in Ravenswood where she produces artwork using moveable type, creating prints, installations and animations. She actively exhibits in her home city of Chicago. Other  exhibit venues include White Box Gallery in Portland, Oregon, DeVos Art Museum in Marquette, Michigan, Hamilton Wood Type Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin and The Center for Book Arts in New York City.