Vjeko Sager

Imperfect Reality Perfect Illusions

Presented on stage by Vjeko Sager at Ryeberg Live Vancouver 2014.

Vjeko Sager at Ryeberg Live PuSh 2014

Vjeko Sager’s Ryeberg Live performance belonged to the realm of the unprecedented: he accompanied his selection of YouTube videos with live action drawing rather than any text. His material? Charcoal — a practice he has been mastering since 1995. Vjeko thinks of his charcoals as “failed attempts to understand the meaning of life and art.”

Once on stage, Vjeko taped a blank page onto a rudimentary drafting board and, without a word, began his first drawing. His chosen YouTube videos played on the big screen above the stage. Each video seemed to influence the charcoal he was working on. The audience watched over his shoulder as each of his drawings took form.


Armstrong & Miller Show, “Origins of Art Criticism” (S5Ep1, 2007)

Vjeko Sager Ryeberg Live PuSh 2014


markfreeman408, “Elephant Paints Self Portrait” (Thailand, 2010)

Elephant and Vjeko Sager


Jorgen Leth, “Andy Warhol Eats A Hamburger” (66 Scenes From America, 1982)

Andy Warhol Vjeko Sager

MOCAlosangeles, “Paul McCarthy on Dan Graham” (2009)

Vjeko Sager Vancouver Ryeberg Live 2014

Letters - Vjeko Sager - Ryeberg Live


Art21org, “Jeff Koons: Money & Value” (2010)

Vjeko Sager in Action - Ryeberg Live


Marina Abramovic/Ulay, “Light/Dark: Performance Art” (1977)

Vjeko Sager 2 Ryeberg Live PuSh 2014


Showbiz411, “Banksy‘s ‘Morons‘ @ London Art Auction” (2008)

Ryeberg Live 2014 Vancouver - Vjeko Sager

Vjeko Sager Vancouver Ryeberg Live 14

Ryeberg Live Long Live Art

Vjeko invited eleven volunteers to the stage. He asked each person to hold up one of his drawings. Ah ha! Each drawing was a letter. But what did the letters spell?

Vjeko Sager - Long Live Art

Much suspense as Vjeko arranged his letter-volunteers into a sequence.

Long Live Art Vjeko Sager

Then it was clear: LONG LIVE ART! Yes!

Ryeberg Live Vancouver 2014 Vjeko Sager

– Vjeko Sager

Ryeberg Curator Bio

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Vjeko Sager is a visual artist whose work has been exhibited in over 35 countries. He uses cross-disciplinary and comparative research in history, arts and science to locate the origins of the various processes that generate our theories of knowledge, and his artistic practice centres on visualization methods in the age of post-media aesthetics. At the age of 28, Vjeko was appointed an Associate Professor in Painting Techniques at the Faculty of Applied Arts & Design in Belgrade. He moved to Vancouver in 1994. He is on the faculty at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design. More Vjeko Sager here.