Visual artist Niko Zelenik intertwines 3D illustration and animation with realistic photos and videos to craft heightened and fantastic interpretations of the real world. By adding and manipulating digital and physical elements he creates surreal self-portraits, imaginary creatures and subtly shifting whimsical environments. Through specific visual language, he is building new worlds, which are often drawn from real-life situations, the symbolism of his hometown or his personal experiences.

‍Lunar Swan Song brings the viewer to an otherworldly altar-like composition with many imaginative details and enigmatic impressions. The visual lullaby is set in the underground burial of the moon at the end of its lunar phase. The ‘Swan Song’ metaphor, which refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song just before their death while being silent for most of their lifetime, is used to tell and visualise the story of the moon’s final act before starting a new cycle. At first glance, the dreamy landscape quickly reveals itself as nightmarish and uncanny and is thus a poetic reflection on the passing of time and the cycle of life.

Niko Zelenik acquired a bachelor's degree in Media Communications at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in Maribor and is currently pursuing his Master’s degree at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. He has worked on the visuals, album covers and websites for the mixtapes Cool Party (2023) and EP Dreamland (2024) by Dutch musician Ferdous.  

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Vizualni umetnik Niko Zelenik prepleta 3D ilustracijo in animacijo z realističnimi fotografijami in videoposnetki ter tako ustvarja potencirane in fantastične interpretacije resničnega sveta. Z dodajanjem in manipuliranjem digitalnih in fizičnih elementov ustvarja nadrealistične avtoportrete, domišljijska bitja ali subtilno spreminjajoča se sanjska okolja. S specifičnim vizualnim jezikom gradi nove svetove, pri čemer pogosto izhaja iz resničnih življenjskih situacij, simbolike domačega kraja ali osebnih izkušenj.

‍Lunin labodji spev gledalca popelje v nadnaravno oltarno kompozicijo s številnimi imaginarnimi podrobnostmi in skrivnostnimi detajli. Vizualna uspavanka se odvija v podzemnem pokopališču Lune ob koncu njene lunine faze. Metaforo ‘labodjega speva’, ki izvira iz starodavnega verovanja, da labodi tik pred smrtjo zapojejo čudovito pesem, medtem ko večino svojega življenja molčijo, umetnik uporabi za pripovedovanje zgodbe o zadnjem dejanju Lune pred začetkom novega cikla. Na prvi pogled sanjska pokrajina se tako hitro razkrije kot mestoma mračno in strašljivo okolje ter predstavlja poetičen razmislek o minevanju časa in krogu življenja.

Niko Zelenik je na Fakulteti za elektrotehniko in računalništvo v Mariboru diplomiral iz medijskih komunikacij, magistrski študij pa trenutno nadaljuje na Akademiji za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje v Ljubljani. Delal je vizualno podobo, naslovnici albumov in spletne strani za mikstejpa Cool Party (2023) in EP Dreamland (2024) nizozemskega glasbenika Ferdousa.