Vanja Vukelic (@merakilabbe) is a spiritual artist and creator that grew up in a small town in the Balkan Peninsula surrounded by mountains. From a young age she cultivated a connection between the physical world and the inner world of dreams. She works predominately in ink, graphite, watercolor, and acrylic earth pigments to create work that inspires viewers to reflect and heal. Mystical themes and anthropomorphism play a central role in her art to show how interconnected humans are.
How did your childhood shape you into the person you are today, how did it shape your career path...
There are few different aspects of my childhood that had shaped me into the person I am today, and the kind of art I create. Both, growing up on a spiritual reservoir and surviving the war inform my work which depicts struggles and triumphs of human experience intertwined with esoteric and mystical workings of the universe.
Where do you go to draw inspiration...
Inwards. And when I do so I am connected to the world as a whole.
Talk to us about the stylistic elements of your art you have developed in your paintings...
The woman with flowers growing out of her neck is my signature style, and the symbolism i enjoy returning to when i sit in a creative ritual. To me she depicts and inspires a deeper, intuitive, and an honest relationship with the Earth, remembrance of the wild feminine, the ancestral bloodlines and their earthen roots, and simultaneous healing of women and earth who have been dominated and exploited by the capitalist patriarchal paradigm for shocking number of years. She is the personification of the earth as a female deity.
When it comes to self-care/love, what are your 3 musts...
Daily Altar Rituals, Journaling and Dream recording, and Herbal Infusions
You are one of the most spiritual people we have talked to, talk to us about your spirituality, what advice do you for someone looking to find their inner calm/peace/spirituality...
I believe that finding the inner calm/peace, or spirituality is a multilayered process that is different for everyone. If we can all show up in a more human, authentic, and a compassionate way in all our relationships, starting with ourselves, that is a good place to start and pave pathways of deepening the dialogue with oneself and the rest of the living world. Once we turn inwards and commit to a sacred path, the seeking dissolves. Seeking exists only in the mind.
Talk to us about your oracle readings, what should people expect to get out of those...
My One on One healing sessions are exactly what i've mentioned in the response above. They are a safe and brave space where the person is invited to be completely themselves. We delve into the subtle energy body, seek guidance from spirit, and lift the veil in order to return to clarity.
Sessions are beneficial for anyone experiencing an imbalance in their mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual body, looking to discover or evolve their creativity and remember their cosmic heritage.