Zoran Mojsilov

Time Machine

November 8, 2018 - May 24, 2019

William and Anna Jane Schlossman Gallery

Originally from Serbia (former Yugoslavia), Zoran Mojsilov is a Minnesota-based sculptor boldly working in stone, steel, and wood. His work has appeared in international museums, galleries, and public venues, including Socrates Sculpture Park, NY; Runnymede Sculpture Farm, CA; and DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, MA.

In 1983, Mojsilov left Communist-controlled Yugoslavia, by train at night, carrying only his sculptures that had been rejected from a prestigious art competition for their expression. This body of work has continued to today within Mojsilov’s Time Machine series – the artist’s latest large-scale sculptural works. Among the four towering 14-foot wood sculptures from the Time Machine series, Mojsilov carved and stained pre-Christian symbols, referenced from Pirot. Resembling surreal machines with hand-carved wheels, cogs, and gears, the series represents the difficult process of reshaping one’s identity throughout relocation. A newly produced documentary film provides context for the exhibition, which also includes examples of Mojsilov’s eminent past work focusing on war and reconciliation. Visitors to Time Machine will be greeted by a woodblock print including a short poem by Louise Erdrich, “Gather Yourself in Darkness. Take Only What You Can Carry in Your Heart.”

Funded by the FM Area Foundation.

Time Machine Programs

Conversation with the Artist
Thursday, April 4, 6 – 7 PM

Hear artist Zoran Mojsilov discuss work in the Time Machine exhibition and beyond with Associate Curator Tasha Kubesh. This gallery program will highlight Zoran’s various influences and career-long concern for humankind, nature, love, and war.
Free and open to the public.

Adult + Child Workshop: Assemblage Time Machines with Ilene Mojsilov
Friday, April 5, 6 – 8 PM

What is your time machine? Create a small assemblage sculpture reflecting your past, present, and future. Starting with a tour of Zoran Mojsilov: Time Machine, participants will discover how symbols translate across cultures and time. For children ages 8+ and their adult(s).
$19 / $15 members
Click here to register

Language Circle Series
Thursdays in April, 12 – 1 PM

Spend your lunch hour exploring and learning a new language. Hear fluent speakers discuss language histories and philosophies, and learn basic greetings. Bring your own lunch, and refreshments will be available.
Free and open to the public

  • Zoran Mojsilov, Time Machine, 2017-18
  • Zoran Mojsilov, Time Machine, 2017-18
  • Installation views of Zoran Mojsilov: Time Machine, Plains Art Museum
  • Installation views of Zoran Mojsilov: Time Machine, Plains Art Museum

Ongoing Exhibitions

S.P.A.C.E. 2024-2026

Ongoing
S.P.A.C.E. 2024-2026

The S.P.A.C.E. (Sculpture Pad Art Collaborative Experiment) project is a public art initiative led by Plains Art Museum in collaboration with NDSU, MSUM, and Concordia College. Sculptures are displayed for two years.

View Exhibition

No Time For Despair

Ongoing
No Time For Despair

To say that right now is the ideal time to make art that speaks directly to the people about social justice is an understatement. Because the very nature of art is to undertake or assume the role of a healer by shading light on the human condition.

View Exhibition

Bee in Flight

Ongoing
Bee in Flight

Community artist and school art teacher MeLissa Kossick, who guides youth classes at the Museum on art, gardens, and pollinators, has created an enchanting mosaic design in the Creativity Pathway in the Serkland Gallery called Bee in Flight.

View Exhibition

Fragile Preservation

Ongoing
Fragile Preservation
A Tallgrass Community

While the Tallgrass Prairie is a community made up of a great diversity of species, Fragile Preservation represents a selection of them.

View Exhibition