Nea Likar: SPIRA MARIS

Nea Likar: SPIRA MARIS
Look at the Sea as it vibrates
1 August–30 August 2025
artKIT

You are cordially invited to the opening of the exhibition SPIRA MARIS with the subtitle Look at the sea as it vibrates by illustrator Nea Likar, which will take place on Friday, 1 August 2025, at 7 p.m. at the artKIT exhibition space.

INVITATION (PDF)
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION (PDF)

With an exhibition that is a combination of completely new works and works for her book Alba, illustrator Nea Likar turns away from illustration as a supporting genre and presents a project based entirely on her own experiences and her attitude towards her own position in society. While the protagonist Alba sought her place in the world in a negative attitude towards her apparent otherness, this time Nea Likar questions the position of a woman, an artist and a highly sensitive person in an unfriendly climate that constantly seeks to reinforce feelings of delay, inadequacy and threat. Instead of relying on vocal external resistance, Nea Likar turns to the path to the center of being. The spiral, a basic natural shape that serves as a key to understanding the world we live in, is also an ancient symbol of self-discovery, wholeness and the subconscious. In her drawings, prints and wallpapers, characterized by transitions from blue-green to orange, brick tones and the connection between people, bodies of water and animals, she creates a visual calm that alludes to wisdom, tenderness and vulnerability. In doing so, she addresses the similarities between the delicacy of a shell and individual experiences and the depth of the sea. The spiral shell shape speaks of the uniqueness and unrepeatability of life and reminds us of the ever-changing perception of experiences that lead to center and balance. By thematizing marine motifs, the artist reveals her emotions and uses her art primarily as a means of communicating and capturing her own situation. While exploring the hidden and subtle, she remains accessible, observing the human condition in relation to the sea, which is constantly in motion, calming but also capable of chaos and wildness. The artworks are accompanied by a sense of fascination with the small, the delicacy of the connections of living together, a sense of the artist’s sovereignty and dedication to the constant metamorphosis and acceptance of herself in all changing positions.

Biography

Nea Likar (1990) is an illustrator, visual designer, storyteller and freelance artist working at the intersection of illustration, graphic design, visual storytelling and make-up. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, specializing in visual communication design and illustration, and also studied in Portugal (Faculdade des Belas artes, Porto), where she developed an expressive style that continues to influence her work today. Her artistic practice is characterized by the exploration of illustration as a medium with personal, social and ethical potential.

Her subject areas range from introspective topics, personal growth, mental health and interpersonal relationships to environmental issues, the relationship between humans and animals and the questioning of social norms. She pays particular attention to vulnerability, the acceptance of differences and the ethics of the relationship between humans and non-human beings. Her artistic cycles often emerge as diary entries in images – through sketchbooks, color scales, small glimpses and inner landscapes, which she translates into her recognizable visual language.

In recent years she has been very active in the field of exhibitions. Her solo exhibitions include Sén at the Media Nox Gallery (Maribor), Alba at the Srečišče Gallery (Hostel Celica, Ljubljana), Labyrinth at the Salsaverde Gallery (Izola), an exhibition at the Padaria Águas Furtadas (Porto, Portugal), Corners of Chaos and Evolution of Gentleness at the Kvartirna hiša Celje. She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions, such as Ilustrofest (Belgrade), (Im)balance at the Center for Contemporary Arts Celje, the May Salon and Prvenci svetlobe at the Slovenian Association of Fine Arts Societies, an exhibition on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Celje Art Quarter, and others. She is the conceptual leader and organizer of the erotic illustration festival Velvet, which celebrated its 5th anniversary in 2024.s. In recent years she has been very active in the field of exhibitions. Her solo exhibitions include Sén at the Media Nox Gallery (Maribor), Alba at the Srečišče Gallery (Hostel Celica, Ljubljana), Labyrinth at the Salsaverde Gallery (Izola), an exhibition at the Padaria Águas Furtadas (Porto, Portugal), Corners of Chaos and Evolution of Gentleness at the Kvartirna hiša Celje. She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions, such as Ilustrofest (Belgrade), (Im)balance at the Center for Contemporary Arts Celje, the May Salon and Prvenci svetlobe at the Slovenian Association of Fine Arts Societies, an exhibition on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Celje Art Quarter, and others. She is the conceptual leader and organizer of the erotic illustration festival Velvet, which celebrated its 5th anniversary in 2024.

https://sketchstudio.si/

< Nea Likar: Anima Maris, crayons, pencil, acrylic, digital drawing, 2025

artKIT, Glavni trg 14, Maribor
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.