I continued to sort out and organize what is most important to me in my creativity and where my place is in the modern art environment. Inspired by the endless interviews with artists on the YouTube channel I watch, I formulated the main aspects and motivation for my work.
Narrative Exploration
Firstly, the main motivator for me now is the trauma from the war. The inner desire to help myself cope with the emerging new reality, unfortunately, became central to my work. But not only the concern for self-healing but also the unbearable desire to correct this injustice, to talk to people who do not hear, to turn them to the side of good - this is even more than self-healing. It's like the purpose of life - to make the world a better place. This is a deep conflict in my mind from the disappearance of my parents and the appearance in their place of someone I don’t know. This personal narrative of pain from the loss of loved ones, the destruction of my happy past, the awareness of not belonging to anyone or anything, self-identification in a situation when the world hates your culture, and I say that not everyone is like that and it is not correct to identify, all this results in a personal narrative of unusual materials, which are endowed with increased emotional connotation.
Transformation of Childhood Memories
I realized that the moment of rupture and conflict played several roles. On the one hand, I am trying to build and accept a new reality, and on the other, I am naturally processing my past. Through such a reassembly of old and new, I came to my «wooden sticks». This is the material of my childhood, I was happy and the world was beautiful and creative. In latest works, I began to destroy my old works (destroy beauty, reassemble the past)
and add childhood memories to them through the wooden materials of my workshop.
I suspect that beauty is not enough to make a strong impression. Beauty somehow speaks unequivocally about the negative aspects or the so-called “shit” that every person has and is an integral part of him.
“It follows, then, that the aesthetic ideal of the categorical agreement with being is a world in which shit is denied and everyone acts as though it did not exist. This aesthetic ideal is called kitsch.” Milan Kundera in The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Therefore, I came to the conclusion that my works have become very beautiful and everyone likes them, but at the same time, they are not strong. They do not have the power to influence the human mind, because they do not have this element of “shit”. Only the combination of beauty with shit, like a good person with a bad character, will be relevant and truthful. Such work will become aesthetic, because, in my opinion, aesthetics is more than beauty, precisely because of the ambiguity of the balance of good and bad. Therefore, my personal experience and memories add not only additional layers of meaning here but also raise the question of the norms of beauty and value.
Use of Unconventional Materials
Through the use of unconventional materials, debris from my studio, found old objects, building materials and newspapers, I provoke the viewer's perception. Through my childhood memories, materials are appropriated by me; they become not just sticks and rubbish, but something extremely personal. At the same time, through painting, processing and reassembling them, together they begin to sound differently than individually and in the previous environment. As a result, the final work of art will not fit the traditional norms and standards of art, beauty and the everyday value of the item.
Synaesthetic Expression
In addition, my hypersensitive attitude to texture and colour is dictated by my sense of synaesthesia. Such a non-standard combination of non-traditional objects in art evokes not only visual perception but also tactile, olfactory and auditory reactions of the viewer.
Great detail in the processing of materials - painting, peeling, scraping, scratching, etc., applying sand and other materials to my wooden sticks and objects forces the reader to touch my works (although this is not allowed). This is a manifestation of the tactile sense.
My materials smell of wood, metal, newspapers have the smell of old and wise paper. Because new works are wet at first, they smell fresh and hopeful. Old cardboard may contain the smell of a previous package - a perfume bottle or coffee that I ordered online for home delivery. But now parts of this cardboard box are part of my new artwork. The canvas (or other material) that has also become part of the work smells like hay in a barn in dry weather. All these smells add an olfactory sense to the visual and tactile ones.
In addition, in some works I use the direct need to recreate sound
or I accompany the work with sound.
Here I wrote this piece of music specifically for this installation.
But even this can be avoided, because one of my friends pointed out an interesting detail of my work. Due to this unusual structure of paper, sound is simply absorbed by this surface. So, if you come close to the work, you can hear emptiness and calm. This phenomenon of this technique also adds to the auditory perception of my art.
It turns out that out of the five senses, four are present in my works - auditory, tactile, olfactory and visual. Therefore, my feeling of synesthesia, where one sense provokes a reaction from another sense, is directly reflected in my works. This results in a multi-sensory perception. Which, in turn, I like to use for a deep and personal emotional impression on the above topics - war, conflict, beauty, aesthetics.
Engagement with Social and Political Issues
Beauty Standards
It turns out that through non-standard materials and synesthetic expressions, I challenge the standards of beauty and the norms of classical art.
Materialism
By recycling debris and already-used materials, I ask to reconsider the issue of materiality, sustainability and resourcefulness.
Narrative Control - Propaganda
Using newspapers I am talking about the media flow of news and information. By processing one narrative into another (my colour), I ask the question of the fairness of using only one medium of information and invite the viewer to a critical rethinking of all the information we receive.
Value of Emotions and Vulnerability
My exploration of personal trauma through art challenges social norms surrounding emotional expression, especially in cultures where human life is less important than that of the state, and where dying for one's country is valued over emotional and physical vulnerability.
Power Dynamics
Through 9/6 Perspective, I invite viewers to physically interact with my work and consider multiple perspectives rather than just one. I want to question what the authorities say and show that there is always at least one more point of view.
In addition, I “open” the other side of the work.
Thus, I introduce another side where viewers so rarely look. Instead of canvas, I use a metal grid, which creates the feeling of imprisoning sheets of newspaper in a prison cell. It turns out, on the one hand, a beautiful and attractive colour, and on the other, the whole naked truth.
In addition to the descriptive part of my work, I also thought about how I want to involve the viewer. So far, I will only throw a few ideas, but I will reveal them later.
Firstly, this is an interactive involvement of the viewer through his physical involvement - this movement on the one hand to the other in order to consider as one colour changes in another. And so other interactive elements, for example, photographing my work and drawing a digital ball.
Secondly, I want to involve the viewer through conceptual ideas. So I change the direct meaning of materials in abstract forms so that the viewer is involved not only in the direct identification of objects or the search for associations but also in investigating the concepts and ideas in my art.
In addition, my art is often narrative at a sensitive level. It is like a sensitivity book, at the moment when a person gazes at my art, looks at the materials, reads the texture, shape, colour... this experience is modifying into emotions in the viewer.
In addition, public art opens up the prospects of creating artwork involved in the environmental context or in the urban environment.
Thinking about my next steps in the study, I returned to the work of "The Image Object Post-Internet" by Artie Vierkant, 2010. This expanded artist statement seemed to me simple and extensive, clearly structured and easy to understand.
I took the main ideas from the text of Artie Vierkant and tried to make a dialogue with him, expanding and contrasting my conclusions to his.
Work where the viewer needs to photograph my physical object and draw a ball in the photo.
Definition of Post-Internet Art: Vierkant defines Post-Internet art as a response to a cultural condition where the Internet is no longer a novelty but a banality. It is characterized by ubiquitous authorship, attention as currency, the collapse of physical space in networked culture, and the infinite reproducibility and mutability of digital materials.
My response: In a situation when, through the propaganda digital world, we are told that
From my posts on Instagram
"military bases disguised as residential buildings were destroyed, and people are fading in the physical world - this indicates a radical dissonance of reality. My study of what will happen after art after the Internet (Post-Post-Internet Art?) offers a possible shift towards a new era of art, which not only recognizes the digital era but also reacts to it in such a way that it goes beyond the original enthusiasm for the Internet as a subject matter. Ubiquitous authorship, attention as a currency, the collapse of the physical space of online culture, and the endless reproducibility and variability of digital materials have led us to a situation of justifying war. Unprecedented control over digital media becomes a dangerous channel of communication for the artist, while the physical carries the raw and direct truth of reality.
Comparison with New Media Art and Conceptualism: Post-Internet art differs from New Media Art, which focuses too narrowly on novel technologies, and from Conceptualism, which prioritizes ideas over physical objects. Post-internet art lies between these two poles, considering both materiality and methods of presentation and dissemination.
My response: Exploration of Conflict, Belonging, Trauma, and Social Change. If to take this idea further, then new technology and concept ideas, as well as materiality and methods of presentation and dissemination are not enough in times of modern conflict. Themes of belonging, trauma, and social change indicate a continued interest in art as a tool for exploring and understanding complex societal issues, potentially leading to more socially engaged and impactful art practices. There is a change in focus from presentation methods through new media and concepts to social, emotional, moral involvement through almost cathartic practices.
Fluidity of Art Objects: Post-Internet art objects lack fixed states and can exist in multiple instantiations and representations. The source object's substance is no longer inherently greater than its copies, challenging traditional notions of originality and authenticity.
My response: Use of Unconventional Physical Materials. No more fluidity of art Objects. If I think further when copies and originals do not matter, only the living lives of people remain and the nature that a person kills. The issue of originality and authenticity is again of utmost importance. During a conflict between countries and family members, it is simply vitally necessary to determine originality and causality, to identify copies and fakes of things and events.
Attention as Currency: With the proliferation of networking methods and reproducible media, attention has become fragmented among various individuals and communities. Post-Internet artists engage with this fragmented attention economy and challenge traditional hierarchies of cultural production.
My response: Synesthetic Emotional Expression. During the period of modern conflict, we saw not only the attention for which everyone fought so much and translated it into currency but emotions. This is ardent hatred and the opposite of it is empathy. The forces of propaganda and defenders of the position of the war add oil into the fire and make more and more hatred, while supporters of the peace say, write, and create art that stimulates understanding, the value of human life, and tolerance. There was a reorientation from attention to emotions and sensitivity.
Role of the Artist: Post-Internet artists often act as interpreters, curators, or narrators, organizing and curating cultural objects taken from any context. They engage with everyday cultural phenomena and challenge traditional distinctions between the ordinary and the extraordinary.
My response: Immersion and Interactivity. In the world of modern technologies, the gap between advanced digital artists and people who do not understand contemporary art, approximately the same as now between my vision of the world and the vision of my father. I see a push towards immersive installations and communication with the viewer that goes beyond visual engagement, encouraging viewers to interact physically or emotionally with the artwork, blurring the lines between observer and participant. Yes, the artist needs to continue to challenge norms and social rules, but this must be done by involving the viewer, and not creating art for himself like. My task is to communicate with my parents in the modern language of art, to try to convey to them a different point of view to the situation of war.
Transmission and Reception: The methods of transmission used by Post-Internet artists become intertwined with their work. Online communities are formed based on aesthetic principles, and artists rely on visual representations to convey their ideas, moving away from language and semiotics.
My response: Incorporation of Propaganda Techniques: Language and Semiotics killed my country. Artie Vierkant was right when he said that Post-Internet artists use the power of the internet and attract a global audience. Unfortunately, this was used not only by artists, but also by the leadership of my country - they extend to manipulate the opinion of people who are in one language environment, and even people living outside this environment, but not involved in another culture. Although it was proclaimed the era of post-Internet that words and semiotics do not have the same meaning as before, it turned out to be true only for artists of this direction. Correct slogans and words in combination with supporting images is the basis of propaganda. At the same time, the kitsch can be without words, but also contain only one position and hide the unclean, dark sides of the truth. Thus, again, on the face, the disconnection between progressive artists and ordinary people. Language and semiotics were and become an important means of communication. At the same time, I personally, came to a situation when the language stopped working - my parents seemed to not speak my language. As a result, I do not see the Semiotics, but the language of art as a solution.
Physical vs. Internet Representation: Post-Internet projects often seamlessly transition between physical and online representation, focusing on rigorously controlled and edited images. The representation through images becomes central, emphasizing aesthetic qualities and universality.
My response: Digital Integration Beyond Post-Internet: Going beyond the post-Internet art, art can be a deeper integration of digital technologies, not only as a subject or medium, but also as an integral part of the artistic process and experience.
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