After experimenting with some ideas and creating an entry for the main work I moved to the idea of self-identification during globalisation and digitalisation time.
Vororte der Körper by Yves Netzhammer [Installation] At: https://curiator.com/art/yves-netzhammer/vororte-der-koerper (Accessed on 29.08.19)
In July I visited an exhibition in Frankfurt and the greatest impression on me was made by Yves Netzhammer. His artworks in-between sculpture, video and installation. Cold, direct and bold - it is what I like. Without reasoning and without all that is superfluous.
Long denying the photography, I came to it at the whole end. It seems to me that our brain began to work like a photo-snapping since our first reaction is to grab for the phone and take a photo. So I decided to start over.
At first there was a photo on iPhone ... it's like a reaction, a thoughtless reflex, an impulse produced by the thought of not missing a moment.
Particular photos surfaced in my memory and formed a story.
Why these images? Because it is about the relationship, all of us couples and loners but we are still connected via the Internet. It is about space, about the speed of the spreading information, about freedom eventually. So a man in the Airplane is a subject of the business travel, subject of self-fulfilment, self-realization… People on the picture connected but they are alone. It is my husband and I. We are talking to each other every day but how we communicate?!
Since I was convinced of the idea of combining natural drawing and digital, static and dynamics, I thought about choosing an object for a digital image. The entire exposition is supposed with a video projection (it will be dark in the gallery space), ultraviolet light will allow preserving the colours of the picture, will bring a digital effect and an additional volume will appear.
The main question I ask myself is where is the subject (personality) in the virtual world of the Internet? Is its essence in the tangible world or virtual? In the present or in the past? Is this a real subject (personality) or his double, or a fictional character? Who creates and forms the subject, society, demand, trends or person with a free will?
First image
I tested first the idea of – how we see people from the side. With the first image, I wanted to separate breakfast actions and what I see in my world. So to say viewer can see my plate and he can put himself in my place. My husband sitting in front of me but actually he is not present – he is reading his email, working… I’m along in my imaginary world. He is almost like in Nausea (Jean-Paul Sartre) Antoine a loner, all his surrounding is absurd and he is in a discussion about the freedom. If for Sartre freedom is a creative process where you can discuss things deep and don’t think about tomorrow’s office day. I create a parallel - my husband and I. He has a solid job and he focuses on it. I stay in my studio every day and creating funny, needless works of art. He is travelling, has success, wealth and me? What do I have? Only colours on the paper that is what I have. Where, then, is freedom according to Sartre? (Lyrical digression)
Technical part of the First image
The Son of Man (1964) by René Magritte [Painting] At: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Son_of_Man#/media/File:Magritte_TheSonOfMan.jpg (Accessed on 19.09.19)
I tried everything on iPad and different cut of the image and different colours but an entire image I understood at the beginning. I saw it as The Son Of Man but the rhythm of objects on the table was like from Giorgio Morandi was needed for my idea of projection. Layer after layer, I applied different materials to create volume and interesting narrative.
Natura Morta, Giorgio Morandi [Painting] At: https://www.wikiart.org/en/giorgio-morandi/natura-morta-7 (Accessed on 19.09.19)
Why did I choose just such a motif with cows and a caricatured pattern? Firstly, I wanted to remove the tension from the portrait. It is black and fairly straightforward with a simple shape. Since this situation did occur during breakfast, the dairy labels depicted cows. In general, for me, a cow is a very significant animal. Some simplicity, beauty and naturalness in it are inherent in nature. I thought that such an opposition would raise the question between technological progress (a telephone in hands for work and communications) and primitive satisfaction of food needs (a cow chewing grass and breakfast). It was supposed to be video and video with cows in the meadow - the mountains and the whole atmosphere were inspired by the nature of Germany. I started to insert collages of cows, cut them out physically, paste them in digital format, but technically it was not a drawing, but a simple photograph. So I decided to make a simple line sketch. There was a plot on the tenth cow and I tried to record a video of the drawing from beginning to end in one process. Everything broke and it was crooked, and after numerous trials, a simple easy sketch turned out to be nothing binding. But this result suited me because this simplicity and unobtrusiveness support the whole idea of digital work - quickly, simply, drew, showed, it was all over and went on new work.
Second image
He is travelling more than we see each other. With the exception of art, books also gave me thoughts and fulfilment. I thought better a good copy than a bad original, so I applied dialogue from Oscar Wilde “The Picture of Dorian Gray” in between my own SMS conversation. The idea of using words in the image came to my mind the same way as other arts are mixing all possible mediums. Words can create a different reality, different level of emotions, they can bring additional story on the stage.
The dialogue from Chapter 17 in between Dorian Gray and Duchess of Monmouth. Conversation simply came together with the image. Even though the discussion in this chapter touched a variety of subjects from religion until love, the connotation of this conversation is superficiality and fickleness … So, it is just like to send kisses with an Emoji after a serious conversation.
Technical part of the second image
It was the most difficult out of the three pictures. Because the pose of the person was not easy to find. The working process very representative here: I tested it on the iPad, but it looked like a copy of the photo – there was no artistic approach and it was just boring. But I learned about myself that all works the best way by practice.
I took this photo in 2014. And once I used this image. Also in a series of works. It seems I like the seriality, the narrative, it's like frames taken from life. Here inspiration came from Russian icons.
The Moscow Kremlin, St. Metropolitan Peter with a Life. Dionysius and the workshop, from 1462 to 1519 [Icon] At: http://www.dionisy.com/dionisy/32/index_photos.shtml?03 (Accessed on 19.09.19)
The light around the head of a man sitting in an aeroplane near the window was like an icon for me - a halo around the head of a saint. And this is a primitive explanation of the Bible through the narrative of hallmarks in the icon. But during current work, I rather was thinking about the square format as it is most common for the social media size.
In this image, I try to see where the person is in the present or in the past? When you travel by plane, you are already mentally at your destination. The process of moving does not depend on you because it is just a time for hanging out, your physical body is delivered to another point. The SMS message delivers your thoughts from point to point, from place to place in the same way. For whom is the present for whom the past?
The viewer should participate in this work. As the conversation needs to be online. For example, Mr A and Miss B stand in front of the work. First image introduction, just a video, when it is finished light comes to the second painting and here I offer to Mr A “mirroring” his WhatsApp and play the role with Miss A.
The script is as follow:
Mr A – “In the plane. Will start soon
Miss B – “Pace gives life”
Mr A – “I shall write it in my diary tonight”
Miss B – “What?”
Mr A – “That a burnt child loves the fire”
Miss B – “I am not even singed. My wings are untouched”
Mr A – “You use them for everything, except flight”
Miss B – “Courage has passed from men to women. It is a new experience for us”.
“Have a safe Flight!”
Mr A – “Kiss”
Miss B – “Kiss”
This conversation will stay with Mr A and Miss B and light is switching off and third painting on the stage.
Third image
With the third picture, my ideas were changing all the time. From a composition point of the whole three pictures I liked those two hands on the sides. But the question for me was about the girl’s dress (it is a photo of my sister in the role of me) and her face. I really like the idea of the selfie in the elevator. This type of picture was not existing before Selfie time but now almost I would say it become iconic. The main focus here on the personality. Where is the subject? Who creates the subject? Again here I would like that viewer to participate in the process and paint her face. And the process will be – painting, deleting, painting, deleting and so on…
All together
During the whole course I was not sure what I’m actually allowed to do and what not. I thought that professors can think that I’m tent to abstraction because I can’t paint well normal objects. I thought video and all digital devises will not be accepted as a painting tool. And happen what happened.
I see this work as an interacting art piece with elements of theatre, poetry, real life, digital technologies and music (will be included one day).
Technical part
Size of each picture 79 x 83 cm, Materials used: fluorescent acrylic, acrylic, oil pastel, dry pastel, watercolor, Chinese brushes, varnish, chalk, silver spray
Bibliography and references
1. Oscar Wilde (1890) The Picture of Dorian Gray [online] At: https://www.scribd.com/read/187398501/The-Picture-of-Dorian-Gray (Accessed on 19.09.09)
2. Jean-Paul Sartre (1938) Nausea, (La Nausée) [online] At: https://www.scribd.com/document/251561561/Nausea-sartre (Accessed on 19.09.09)
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