Montenegro.com continues with a series of interviews with famous people and diaspora. This time we have the honor to introduce you to our great friend from distant Japan. Rajo Bošković is a Montenegrin artist who has been living and creating for many years in Japan in the far north of the country in the city of Asahikawa. Rajko Bošković is not only an outstanding artist, he is also unique "ambassador" of Montenegro and its culture in the Far East. Thanks to Rajko, many people in Montenegro and the diaspora that I have been with for years following his activities and work, they had the opportunity to get to know one completely new world and learn much more about what the Japanese actually know about Black It's burning and how they look at us in general. A special place is occupied by the story of Rajko's ice figures as a unique artistic expression and many others his successes as a true representative of the area he belongs to by birth. Rajko Bošković finished elementary school in Nikšić, after that he went to Herceg Hovi, where he attends a famous art school, after which he goes to Belgrade, where after finishing the art academy, he began to travel all over the world Europe, in the following years he exhibits in Paris, Frankfurt, Venice, Prague and many other cities. In 1993, his life journey took him to Japan, where he stayed until today and with his works he significantly affirmed not only himself but also the country from which it originated.

And you were one of the students of the famous Herzegovinian art school? When and where did your artistic career actually begin? From the time when I first remember myself, which would be somewhere around four year, I felt a constant need to draw something, or make something, out of anything what kind of material. I drew with charcoal, which I took from the hearth, from of burnt wood, everywhere where a trace, i.e. a line, could be seen, by walls, stone slabs, tree trunks, and who knows what else. Besides drawing, I really liked making clay figures, and luckily for me right away next to our old house, there was an excavation site, where I spent most of my time childhood. The art school "Savina" in Herceg Novi was the right place for learning artistic survival, and everything that awaits you later in life. For they say that school was "famous", and it was really special in every one view. Herceg Novi, in those years, was a city where a large number of people lived top painters, musicians, writers and other famous people. The art school has always been in the center of attention of the cultural public. We are gave a special spirit and life to the whole city. We did occasionally eccentric well-intentioned outbursts, but good-natured and cultured Bokes always had sympathy and tolerance for us artists mutual envy, neither we could do without Boquez, nor could they do without us. Leaving Herceg Novi to study in Belgrade, I thought that would be it only during my studies, and that I will then return and live there forever. I took all of Boka with me, all its beauties, all the mornings and the sun illuminated landscapes.

You are a man with extremely rich life experience, you have exhibited in many European and world metropolises and you have a very long and successful career behind you artistic career. What do you consider your biggest success so far, which one is it moment in the course of your creativity left the biggest impression on you? I received the first prize for painting in 1968, at an art exhibition "Varaždin spring" for the picture "Vietnam", and the last one in the city of Sapporo for picture "Discussion of Wolves" in 2004. In the time between these awards, something happened a lot, and my favorite, when it comes to painting, are definitely two exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum in Tokyo. Then my dream became a reality. Looking at my paintings in the beautiful Metropolitan Gallery, I thought how every dream can be achieved, if a goal is set. I remember how I was I was shaking with great excitement, shaking so much that I even felt like unpleasant.

You live in the far north of Japan, what are the conditions for creating and in general for the life of an artist like you in such natural conditions and the environment? I lived in Tokyo for two years. It's an amazing city, that is an anthill, where everything moves, nothing stands still, everyone is doing something at the same time time, in three levels, underground, on the ground, and above ground. It's a city where you have to admire something at every step. Everything is so different from of European cities, so that some small similarity can hardly be found. Tokyo is not a suitable place for a creator, on the contrary, such a big city is somewhat suffocating, and it is difficult to get the strength so necessary to create something good. I have often heard from fellow painters that the northern Japanese island is Hokkaido a mecca for painters and all creative people. I heard they exist and two cities, one is Asahikawa-the city of painters, and the other Higashi-kava-city of photographers. They said that the winters are very cold, because it is Siberia across the road, that the snow falls every day, that the bear and the fox go out on the road and they stopped the car looking for something to eat. Deer is a semi-domestic animal they got so excited that the Japanese government passed a law to make it large corrals where they could stay because they are a terrible threat to the road traffic. This island is called "Edge of the World" or "End of the World", because it is life in the polar circle really like life outside planet earth. Just a hundred years ago The Japanese captured this island. Otherwise, they have always lived here "Ainu" tribes. Their costumes and customs are terrible they resemble American Indians. I became very friendly with them I often go to their place for a session to smoke the pipe of friendship and understanding.

You are one of the world's leading creators when it comes to figures in ice, that technique is something completely unknown in the regions where you come from, can you tell us a little about how you came to start creating in ice? I was lucky that the World Sculpting Championship was being held that very year ice sculpture. This is held as part of the Snow Festival, which is feature of the island I live on, because it attracts a large number of tourists, because the island is exclusively engaged in tourism, both summer and winter. Making sculptures from ice first started in this city where I now live Asahikawa. (Morning -river).The rich hoteliers did not spare the money to make this with ice world attraction, so they invited famous world sculptors, who made really fantastic creations in new material. To participate in to that competition, a certain must be passed verification, ie qualifications. Through some lucky circumstances I found myself on a February morning in the central Grač square among ten blocks the ice. It was necessary to carry out an investigation, and the time was limited to 48 h. So it works continuously at night, and the temperature is usually during the day to -15C, and at night it drops to 40C. For connecting ice water is used as an adhesive for the blocks, which by touching the ice, so glue the blocks so that they cannot be unglued in that place. "Lubav u ice", was my sculpture that received the most points. I was very happy surprised me because I didn't expect it. But that's just a reward, which is a lot more important is that I fell in love with ice sculpting. I discovered that ability which I had as a child when I was sculpting clay figures. The last ten years I made a large number of sculptures. The ice sculpting season starts in December, and lasts until the end of February. Ice is a divine heavenly material. Such purity, such refractions of light cannot be created in any other material. Ice is most similar to a crystal, seen from the outside, but it has many other specificities for which people who have not sculpted it in ice hardly know i can know. It takes a lot of experience to master the ice in completely. The first thing that is needed is for the sculptor to become alive with ice, yes he understands him to the extreme, and after that everything goes easier. I suddenly had enough success with ice."Lubav u ledu" (first prize), "Sokol's Rock" (special award of the French Academy), "City of Ice" (award ziria), "Perfect Form" (Special Award) there was a lot more, but I singled out the most beloved ones. The life of my ice beauties is very short. When the first rays of the sun shine on them, they die before my eyes.. Lightly by dissolving, crystal clear, they rise to the sky making a cloud that will continue to circle the vast expanses. There is a Museum on a nearby mountain ice, I could leave the ice beauties there, but I prefer them leave it in the sky, my opinion is that art should not be captured by museums as well as some prisons.

.You talk about Montenegro very often and you have done a lot for the Japanese the public as they learn more about our country, tell us how the Japanese in general they look at Montenegro, how well they know it, what they are like in your opinion opportunities for expanding cooperation in all areas between Montenegro and Japan? For seven years now, I have been working intermittently in the education department of the ministry culture in Asahikawa. That culture department hires people from various countries in order to present their country to the students here in an authentic way faculties and schools. These lectures are usually twice a month, and they last for two school hours. It was a great chance for me to get to know each other Japanese people with my country Montenegro. You conversations with students can be so interesting that I often regret it the longer they don't last. Last month I had one such lecture at to the Faculty of Medicine in the city of Sapporo. I was impressed when I was on I saw the title "Welcome to Montenegro" written on a big board, it's like this wrote. I programmed the lecture in such a way that the students first say what they know about Montenegro, and then let's talk about it together. Students are over Internet access to all data. What they were particularly interested in was that history and tradition of the Montenegrin people. They were impressed by Montenegrin national costume, which I showed them on the videotape, then geography and natural beauties. When we have worked through all that and looked at it, then it is our turn came politics. When a student asked me how many inhabitants Crna has Gora I told him it was like half the city of Sapporo. A dispute arose, because they thought that I had done something wrong. Then one of the students said; "So much land was able to declare war on Japan." "Yes, at that time C.G. was an independent state, so it could declare war on another country, peace between ours countries was never signed, because C.G. lost its statehood, and so did Japan he no longer had anyone to sign peace with". (I got this explanation from the minister of foreign affairs of Japan) "Is it true that he is a Montenegrin hero cut a famous Japanese samurai with a saber." "Yes, that's true, and it happened in the Russo-Japanese War." It's amazing how serious these kids are prepared this conversation. How much accurate information do they have? Japanese people are the most literate nation in the world, (This is official information, not mine opinion). It happened to me at my exhibition that a Japanese man entered the gallery and said from the door: "God help the hero of Montenegro", and continued to talk like that originally, I was ashamed of the way I spoke. He knows more about Montenegrin language than many Montenegrins. I could hope for everything, but here at "At the end of the world" someone speaks my language better than me, I would never dream of that came to mind. After seven years of experience in contact with students, i to other random interlocutors, I find that there is a great desire of people who would visit Montenegro. I think that Japanese tourists would flood our coast and mountains and all places. What is preventing them for now, above all, is fear and insecurity, when they think of traveling there. The Japanese are not interested the price is not a problem for them, they are interested in safety, accuracy in everything, etc to every place. The great similarity between the Japanese man and the Montenegrin is earlier everything in character. They have a deep-rooted sense of justice, a feeling to keep their word, as well as the feeling of defending their country at the cost of their lives.

A few years ago here in town I had a small presentation of my Crna Above A group of people who know a lot about our country helped me in the central city let's put up an awning on the street and explain to passers-by everything they are interested in, Fr In Montenegro, the interest was incredibly high. Gordan Stojović www.montenegro.com Montenegro Accommodation