Meet the artist / Matej Koren
Meet the artist / Matej Koren
Who are you and what do you do?
Matej Koren, graphic designer, Art Director and professor of visual communications at the University of Maribor.
Describe your work in three words / adjectives.
Personal, connecting, multidisciplinary.
Best advice on the art world you've received?
A lot of the thoughts of different artists have touched me, but my perception of art is still changing over time.
Artwork / author / music / movie that has been your favorite lately?
Neville Brody (interview) and the film Never Look Away (Gerhard Richter).
What do you fear when you create?
I'm not scared anymore. ;)
What creation tool would I not be able to live without?
Sketchbook and pen.
What do you consider to be the biggest success of your artistic career so far?
Connecting and working with other great designers, visual artists.
How do you view the positive or negative critique of your creation?
It is important for self-reflection.
Name an artist that you would like to be compared to.
I have no desire to be compared to anyone, but I enjoy getting to know the worlds of other artists.
How did the pandemic mark your work?
Attention is more focused on the family, work from home, less time for a sketchbook.
The relay question of the artist Nateša Prosenc Stearns:
Suggestion, provocation, suspension, paradox, catharsis ...? What is important in your creation
Process, contemplation ...
Matej Koren graduated from the Faculty of Education in Maribor at the Department of Fine Arts. He studied at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London. In 2005, he worked for Stefan Sagmeister in New York, one of the most influential design studios in the world. He is the winner of the three highest awards of excellence for design in Slovenia, the Brum Awards and many other awards. His works are also published in the book Trek by David Carson. Matej is the founder of the author group Kiddog, which in recent years has organized exhibitions and creative workshops in Slovenia of some renowned designers in the world (The Designers Republic, David Carson, David Foldvari, Stefan Sagmeister, Bojan Hadžihalilović, etc.). In 2005 he founded his own design studio (Matej Koren Studio) in which he works as an Art Director. Since 2018, he has also been lecturing on visual communications at the University of Maribor, where he was elected assistant professor for the habilitation field of fine arts (visual communications).
