Art helps mend a broken heart

IN late-2022, when Dragan Simic needed urgent triple bypass surgery, suddenly his focus shifted to his heart.
A professional visual artist, that fixation continued during his recovery, with his acrylic painting and collage work featuring many hearts.
Those pieces are now on show at the Old Butcher’s Shop Gallery in Soldiers Hill in exhibition, Hearts for Every Occasion, which expresses his journey from hospital to happiness.
“Everything was new for me,” he said. “Every painting has a story behind it. The collage is all about what I was thinking after my heart attack.
“It’s a meaningful collage of ideas and problems, like am I ever going to travel on a plane again?
“I painted a broken heart because there were a million things going on in my head when I had my heart attack; what’s happened, why has it happened?”
Simic said having painting to focus on after such a big life event and shift in his health has helped him heal and get to a point where he feels calm again.
“Art chose me, I didn’t choose to be an artist,” he said. “There’s something in me pushing me to express myself.
“When you’re recovering, everything goes so slowly. You question, why can’t I go faster?
“The artistic point of view pushes you naturally, you need to do something, and this is what created what you see in my exhibition.
“When you walk around, you can see the struggle, until you end with the beach and the garden painting.
“Obviously something has happened. I’m getting somewhere better.”
The symbol of rabbits features throughout the collection of works, which Simic said symbolises a “good life,” full of energy and happiness.
Originally from Serbia, Simic and his “adventurous spirit” moved to Australia in the 1980s and he became a Ballarat local three years ago.
He has exhibited work throughout the country, in New York, and in Italy where he has a huge following.
“Italians really like my work,” he laughed. “I have 20,000 followers on Facebook and all of them are Italians.
“Hey, I appreciate it. They understand me. They’re passionate people.”
Simic’s exhibition is on until Sunday 28 January at 112 Seymour Street in Soldiers Hill.