For the first time, I took part in an electronic exhibition and was a Masters Showcase 2022 of our institute.
There were about 80 people in Zoom. The graduates of the course took turns introducing each other, asking a question and presenting their work. As a spectator, I was close to those speeches and works that attracted me with the idea, were understandable from the first explanation or fascinated by the method of work or material. I would like to mention here a few of these graduation works.
NISHTHA PATHAK
I was immediately fascinated by the dense fabrics, earthy and natural colours, as well as the detail of these works.
Nishtha Pathak Threaded Tectonics 1. Aerial view of landscapes in unique and vibrant tribal folk art palette. 32 by 40 cm [online] At: https://www.nishthapathak.com/art/p/threadedtectonics (Accessed 26.12.2022)
I also immediately understood the concept of Aikyam - nothing important (or no difference) at a distance. Once seeing our land from the height of an aeroplane flight, the artist combined this impression with the traditional embroideries of India. The increased materiality and simplicity of the idea that came from national traditions is what makes the object attractive to me.
EMMA THOMPSON-CHAPLIN
Another artist that I liked for its layering and progressiveness is Emma Thompson-Chaplin. This is the exact opposite of the previous author. A British woman living in Japan is inspired by the modern urban landscape. The clean lines, geometry and large patches of colour are a reflection of modern Japanese life and the culture's connection to Zen.
At the first moment when I saw these works, the landscape seemed familiar to me, it reminded me of Sao Paulo - tall houses, greenery and all life is not in nature, but in houses. Now that I remember this story, this kind of life is very different from what I appreciate and love now. Nevertheless, I am surprised that these works have hooked me and created an interest in further research on the method of work.
I think I was attracted by the fact that at the beginning of my studies at the OCA I experimented with video projections on pictures. This experience is now alive and the memories are mixed with my life in big cities. This work, it turns out, spoke to me at the level of my memories and my experience. Here I don’t learn anything new, I know the long process of recording and overlaying video on paintings, and I admire the intricate way of presenting work in a city environment, but in fact, this work has become a thread to the bell of my memories. And now this bell is ringing telling me about the past, experiences and emotions.
It's a completely different feeling compared to the first artwork. In the first work of Nishtha Pathak, I plunged into something new, Indian culture, traditions, language, and it's meaning. I realized that even in completely different cultures, the understanding of the problem and its solution can be the same. Since here I get new experience and knowledge, again this work becomes more meaningful for me.
ANNO MITCHELL
Another work, strange, but which caught my attention.
I was attracted by the form, material, surrealism and colour. But as a result, when I started listening to explanations about a large-scale oil disaster on the shores of England in 1967, the whole picture fell apart for me. My mistake was that I very quickly developed this topic for myself. It seemed to me that miracle fishes, underwater beauty and something related to the ecology and beauty of the underwater world will now begin, and here politics and documentaries started.
The collection of artefacts, old photographs, photos of stones and water samples is a narrative that testifies that a person was there, was interested, and studied the subject, but what is the conclusion?
The fact that we forget the disaster, that it was so bad that the consequences of the event can still be found on the coast, that people don't care and they continue to play golf not far from this place? In my opinion, this is a list of facts that do not cause discussion. They are not contradictory. Many facts, but they are not rethought physically but are described by the text, which leads to literature and not to visual art.
Overall, it was a rich experience that made me think about what two years of study at the master's level gives.
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