4 Elements

“4 Elements” is a collaborative project by Igor Schiller and Katarina Juričić, inspired by the idea that the world is composed of four fundamental elements: water, earth, fire, and air. Through a spatial installation divided into four sections, the artists explore the symbolic meanings of these elements, creating a circular environment situated between myth and imagination. The first segment is dedicated to water, the element of emotions, introspection, and transience. At its center stands the mosaic “Fountain of Tears”, inhabited by cherubic figures and swans, which together become a metaphor for the passage of time, loss, and transformation. Above the fountain hangs an eye-shaped mirror, a protective symbol that acts as a guardian of the space. Through the “Gate of the Secret Garden”, visitors enter the realm of earth, conceived as a place of collective memory and connection with ancestors. The garden is inhabited by clay figures of dwarfs arranged in a circular dance, symbolizing the cycle of life. They serve as guardians and messengers between worlds, gathered around the thrones of imagined ancestors. This environment explores earth as a space of origin, fertility, and remembrance. Fire is represented through illuminated metal sculptural installations. These works simultaneously evoke lighthouses, ritual objects, and monuments to fire, emphasizing its dual nature and transformative power. The installation concludes with the element of air and the work “Weaving Dreams”, a kinetic mobile featuring a central figure of Pegasus surrounded by fantastical flying creatures. The mobile evokes the realm of dreams, recalling children’s toys suspended above a bed, accompanying the transition from wakefulness into the world of imagination. 

“4 Elements” can be understood as an attempt to re-enchant the world in an era marked by rationalization and digitalization, where art becomes a space in which symbols, myths, and ritual forms are reactivated as alternative ways of perceiving reality. The exhibition functions as a heterotopia—an autonomous space where different temporalities, symbols, and experiences overlap. Through the language of fantastical beings and archetypal imagery, the exhibition opens a realm of experience that transcends everyday perception and enters the world of wonder. These elements become tools for shaping contemporary imagination and generating new meanings. Entering this environment is akin to crossing a threshold into a realm of the hidden, the possible, and the yet undiscovered, inviting visitors to engage differently with time, memory, and perception. In this way, the exhibition becomes a kind of alchemy of memory: a space between the real and the imaginary, where the contemporary world is once again opened to the possibility of wonder.

Visual: Andrej Julher