The Return of Johnathan Livingstone Seagull
Spray, Acrylic
As a part of the series that started in 2015, Johnathan Livingstone seagull was executed in 2018. The series was initiated with the mural called The Diver and it was artist’s self-portrait with the diving equipment painted on the pillar of the bridge in the middle of river. Later on we saw The Swimmer, The Hand of Salvation, seagull and The Message in the Bottle. All of the mentioned artworks deal with the topic of the art opposing the trendy, content empty media culture that is gaining the ground over the cultural input that makes one think and critically asses its social surrounding. Johnathan Livingstone is a character from Richard Bach’s story that talks about the seagull that really loves to fly. He is not flying only because he needs to survive and feed himself, but because of the pure joy of flying and sense of freedom it gives him. But at the end of the story flying will be his doom. This mural is called The Return of the Johnathan Livingstone, meaning that the seagull had returned and it is still facing the dangers of the open sky. It is also referring to the local art scene that is, in spite of everything, supposed to be fighting for the sanity and justice. The seagull is painted on the bridge pillar, facing the Belgrade Waterfront project. A project that was, since its official beginning, disputed and disliked by the citizens of Belgrade because of the many legal, aesthetic, financial and urban planning issues. Seagull stands as a reminder of perseverance and strength facing the area under reconstruction, as he is being flooded every spring and rising from the water every autumn. In all of his artworks on the river Pijanista is playing with the rising and falling river levels during the year.