exhibition space
artworks
intangibility
conte crayon on paper, digital editing | 59 x 63 cm
The piece is to reflect on the subtle intricacies of interpreting a human expression. The woman visibly changes with each portrait, however, there is little difference between two consecutive ones, which makes it difficult to grasp her true emotion. The high contrast distorts the image, making it more unnatural each time, but also more unequivocal in its sadness. This represents the effect that pain brings upon a person, dehumanizing and taking her over, which is not visible at first glance.
a body chasmed
digital photography | 6x 21x27cm
A body chasmed tells of the inner damages pain leaves on a human, scaring, dismembering, exposing emptiness within. The painted cracks, disturbing both visually and metaphorically are the main focus. The body itself, presented in an ambiguous way that contests the basic idea of anatomy, is to be perceived more as a ductile, living mass, portraying a universal idea of suffering rather than a particular, feeling figure. The sequentiality further explores discomfort, present despite the movement.
a skin uncovered
acrylic paint on canvas | 100 x 50 cm
A skin uncovered originates in an attempt to give an idea of the softness and vulnerability of skin (a gateway to inner life) and clash it with a black surrounding, eating into the pink, smooth surface, exposing its weakness. However, the piece does not give symbolic explanations. Its focus is the variance of the surfaces – one saturated, textured, powerful, one – smooth, delicate, almost translucent. The piece extracts an abstract idea of something beautiful, sublime lending itself to die away.
a man pierced
wire installation | 65 x 36 x 22 cm
The torso made out of tangled wire hangers explores how the structure of the body can represent its metaphysical qualities. The apparent aggressiveness of the material with its sharp ends stands in contrast to the natural softness and vulnerability of the body, making the figure both an aggressor and a victim of the painful, piercing quality of this structure. The inner suffering of a human can be understood through the body’s metaphoric image.
incomprehensibility
conte crayon and ink on paper | 21 x 37 cm
A book can stand for that which is formulated, understandable, meaningful in our existence as it is a product of intellectual activity. The destruction visible in the work reverses that meaning, showing the loss of significance of constituted meaning in the process of suffering. Cutting through multiple layers of pages creates a literal wound overflowing with ink, but also results in a mush of words, which lost the point of linear traduction and left only fragmentary remnants of meaning.
inaudibility
clay | 19 x 11 x 13 cm
Inspired by the prehistoric clay genre pieces, this sculpture seeks to capture the uniformity and primality of suffering. The smooth back, beige with black brushed over, resembles a natural skull, making the figure uncomfortable to watch, but also very bare, stripped from any outside impact. The deformed, quizzical face gives a forthright impression of pain, untamed by either looks or culture. Finally, the black eyeholes contest the poetry of suffering, underlining its liability and worldliness.
a face concealed
tin, fabric | 20 x 14cm
A face concealed explores the concept of a theatre mask. The medium, creased and ripped at the edges brings to mind a more real dimension of suffering – discomfort and physical pain. The mundanity and pragmatism of a tin’s origin contests the sublimity of tragedy imposed by the Greeks, suggesting its universality, even commonness. A mask itself besides being a theatrical object shows how certain emotions can overwhelm, conceal our consciousness and identity, represented by the black fabric.
life is sweet
watercolour on paper | 2x 21x27 cm
This piece is a take on the concept of movie posters, referring to Mike Leigh’s feature Life is sweet, representing the bitter-sweet quality of his filmography. The two versions are complementary as the delicate, pink one represents the tenderness and good-humouredness of life, its sweetness, while the other, grimmer one seeks to portray that which is difficult, disappointing, disheartening. Its duality comments on the nature of sadness, lurking under the surface, uncertain as to its meaning.
she cried that night
mixed media (watercolour, digital photography, digital painting, GIF animation) | 82 x 60 cm
Inspired by Barańczak’s poem She cried that night, but not for him to hear, the work explores the alienation of a crying person. By repeating the phrase multiple times to the point of incomprehensibility, it shows explicitly the painful realisation of a person who fails to understand a close one’s suffering. It shows how damaging and overwhelming it can be to know of someone’s pain and not be able to interfere with their sensitivity, more refined than ours, fenced off by the words not spoken.