Miodrag Jankovic

 

Miodrag Jankovic is a son of a migrant family who sought a better life in a  foreign land. This did not turn out to be a better life for a teenager who had been brought up on a diet of adventure playing amongst early Roman architecture, gypsy music, a colourful country and even more colourful characters, full of passion for  life.

Instead he was confronted with conservative lifestyles in endless suburbia, constantly subjected to racism and bullying.

It was these elements that were the starting point of self expression through painting and drawing.

In 1977 Miodrag finished his foundation year at Dandenong Technical College and then in 1978 entered Prahran College of Advanced Education where he was tutored by Jeff Makin, Victor Majzner, Roger Kemp and Bob Jacks.

After graduating in 1980 he embarked on an endless list of dead end jobs, finally landing a job in a picture framing workshop.  It was in this workshop that he experienced handling of original Australian Contemporary Artworks. He was privy to the artists work before they hit the gallery walls.  The artists whose work was being framed were predominately from Powell Street Gallery , including Jan Senberg, Alan Mittleman, Ian Parry, Roslyn Pigott, John Campbell, Peter Booth, Peter Ellis, Rick Amor, John Kelly, John Cattapan, John Robinson, John Walker and eventually himself.

Miodrag holds the dubious honour of being the last show before Powell Street Gallery went down the gurgler along with numerous other galleries in the early 90’s.

Fast forward to 2000 and three children later Miodrag and his family moved from Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula where he paints fulltime and plays music as his favourite past time.