Laza Fonkin, Master of Fine Arts, Sculptor & Painter
I was born in Nisus, Serbia, in 1939. Upon graduation from art school with a major in painting I taught art as a high school teacher for several years. In 1976 I left Europe to settle in Vancouver, British Columbia.
In order to get to know local artists and learn new methods I attended the Emily Carr College of Art, graduating in 1981 with a major in sculpture.
Since then I have sought to break away from the endless search for new abstract forms. I view art as a sublime form of communication. I want my artwork to use an understandable language.
In 1988 I bought a ten-acre lot in nearby Mission and built my own studio, where I have been working ever since, mainly sculpting using steel-reinforced wood.
My artistic goal is to re-establish the human form as a major focus of artistic language and communication.
For more on my approach, please read my artist statement.
“Everything has happened as it had to happen.”