Drago Julius Prelog

Unglaubliche Entdeckung (Unbelievable Discovery, 1970)

Photo: N. Lackner / UMJ, ©️ Bildrecht, Vienna 2024

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Drago Julius Prelog (1939, Celje, Kingdom of Yugoslavia–2020, Vienna, Austria) was an Austrian artist of Slovenian descent born in a contested border zone. He used the technique of collage in his paintings, drawings, and prints. Many of them, such as Unglaubliche Entdeckung, seem to represent fictitious geographical maps, while others resemble plans of imaginary cities.

In some works, the cities and countries explode and form bizarre flame shapes, dominating the image as a “supranation” of sorts. The flames seem to reach into the space like a hand and illustrate the power and arbitrariness associated with the occupation of land and the establishment of borders. Prelog thus reveals the violence behind the map of Europe, redrawn many times during the artist’s lifetime.

Synthetic resin on canvas, simple softwood strip, 150 × 130 cm

Neue Galerie Graz / Universalmuseum Joanneum