Diana Zrnic (b.1995)

Don’t (2024)

Oil on canvas

21 x 30 cm

Private collection of the author

Sometimes I buy art just because it makes me smile. It really is as simple as that. Of all the works in my private collection this one, a recent acquisition, probably lands in the top ten when it comes to the basic task of turning up the corners of my lips on a daily basis. I mean, just look at it!

It isn’t hard to imagine a giant mischievous grin on the naughty little boy whose hand is reaching out for the olives. Girls can be mischievous too, but I’ve always assumed this image depicts a boy. Maybe it’s because the hair on the head of the unseen figure is giving off massive Peter Lorre vibes, but that association might also be due to the long drapes and ominous shadows that evoke classic black & white horror films.

I first encountered Diana Zrnic’s amusing and fractured take on life at the 2022 Winter Sculpture Park. Her submission was a plump, bald, four legged man that appeared to be attempting to ingest his mobile phone. Many more multi-limbed sculptural figures would appear over the following years and then I discovered that her practice included canvas. “Don’t” was included in her most recent solo show (her fifth) which was hosted at Somers Gallery in March 2025, featuring works from the ‘Hiding Place’ series, described as a “contemplation on the disguised mysteries of life”.

The exhibition included a set of paintings depicting rooms that were empty except for tables covered in scattered leftovers. Spilled glasses of wine, cigarettes smouldering in ashtrays, and for some unexplained reason pomegranates and lemons everywhere. In the middle of the gallery sat an actual round table, covered in a lush velvet tablecloth that draped all the way to the floor, echoing the scene depicted in “Don’t”.

In many of the paintings you’ll spot glimpses of random hands or feet but it’s never quite clear if they’re attached to figures that have just scattered away or are returning to clean up the mess. What is clear is that local ragamuffins have sniffed out the unfinished snacks and crumbs to pick at. Zrnic painted many variations on that theme but the pared back, visual simplicity of “Don’t” made it an outlier in the show. That’s something I truly admire about this artwork: it does so much by showing so little.

The composition is essentially an empty room painted using a very limited colour palette, restricted mostly to shades of blue and green. (It’s called “turquoise” I hear the Pontone pedants muttering…) Unlike most of the other scenes the hidden figure is not hopeful but has already achieved success. That little hand isn’t blindly searching for scraps, it’s already snagged an olive shaped prize. Looking at this image triggers cravings for the lovely, buttery texture of a room temperature Nocellara. Should art make my mouth water? This one does.

In addition to a Pavlovian response this work also causes a delayed response. My very first viewing took me a moment to get to the punchline because the thing I immediately noticed was the regimented window grid. Framed by flowing drapes and long shadows, the geometric lines slowly drew my eyes down towards the bottom of the canvas where the stealth action was quietly taking place. My reaction was delayed but joyous. The instant I finally understood the entirety of the scene I lit up like a bright candlelight.

I acquired this work seven months ago and it still makes me giggle every time I see it, and that’s a lot of giggling because it’s hung in the central stairwell of my home. I pass by at least twice daily, sometimes intentionally more frequently if I could use an emotional boost.

That’s why I like it.

Art is an investment in my happiness.