At the beginning of the last part of this course, I will give an overview of the new works and some old ones that I have brought to a conclusion.
In addition to this, I will describe all the events that happened to me during this period related to my professional activities.
First, the most resolved works.
In Sheep's Clothing, 2024, recycled wood, fur; acrylic paint, screws, 59 x 33 x 35 cm.
I thought about this object for a long time, choosing different combinations and trying different materials.
My task was to create a multi-sensory body, something that would provoke the viewer either to movement or to the thought process. I was happy with the colour - deep blue, I processed it with a few more shades of dark blue and light blue to make it exciting and captivating. And as always happens in my work, I accidentally came across the remains of a pink sheepskin in my studio.
All that remained was the nuances and technical implementation. With the sharp "horns" I wanted to bring in a sense of unrest and hidden aggression.
After completing any work, I always mentally go through my checklist that I once started keeping. These are smart comments about art that I collected from different books, social posts and open calls.
Is the theme clear and easy to understand?
I think that the contrast between the rough, reclaimed wood and the soft, fluffy fur adds an intriguing visual and tactile dimension that can be easily understood.
Does the art explore the theme in an unusual or previously unexplored way?
The artwork explores the theme in an artistically subjective way by combining recycled wood and fur and the method of assemblage. This juxtaposition of materials – hard, angular wood and soft, organic fur – creates a visual and conceptual interplay that is not usually seen.
Will the art and its message provoke discussion?
The unusual combination of materials and bold use of colour will attract attention and encourage viewers to interpret the piece in different ways, questioning the choice of materials and the meaning of the title “In Sheep’s Clothing”.
What am I trying to say and what does the work itself say?
I am trying to convey a message about the contrasts and conflicts in our world – between nature and human creation, between softness and hardness, or perhaps between appearance and reality (as the title suggests, which alludes to deception or disguise).
Was there a rethinking of skill in this artwork?
Creating this artwork required a rethinking of craftsmanship, particularly in the way I integrated disparate materials.
Does the artwork combine a deep understanding of both the medium and the message?
The precise construction and careful consideration of texture, colour and form demonstrate the artistry and my approach to combining various artistic techniques in order to deliver the message.
What does the work reveal about society and the timeless conditions of being alive?
This artwork reveals an understanding of the constant interaction between nature and human influence, the importance of sustainability and the deceptive nature of appearances. It also reflects on how things are not always what they seem, encouraging viewers to look beyond the surface and question their assumptions.
The next work, in my opinion, is less successful, so I assume that I will continue to refine and change it.
Organic rigidity (Pain), 2024, paint, recycled newspapers, screws, gauze, metal, screws, acrylic, wood, 60 x 45 x 40 cm.
My intention was to embody the headache that I suffer from every month. Natural red clots of pulsating nerves and something sharp, metallic-tasting, black, quiet.
Overall, the beginning was good, but I don't like this box. It's quite simple in solution. And the pain doesn't come out of something square - I need to look for a solution here.
Another work was an experiment with colour.
Precarious Balance, 2024, acrylic, newspapers, screws, sand, сhipboard, paint, fixatives, wood, 86 x 46 x 42 cm.
I was curious to see how the changing color (which I use in my color fields) would behave on the sculpture. Also, this color combination stuck with me and I really wanted to bring it to life.
This work explores themes of stability and fragility through its construction and materiality. A solid, white-painted wooden base supports a vibrant, colourful papier-mâché form, highlighting the tension between the solid and the ephemeral. Gradient colours, moving from blue to green to yellow, evoke natural elements such as the sky, sea and land, suggesting a connection to the environment and the fragile balance within it.
The precarious placement of the papier-mâché form on the wooden structure symbolises the fragile balance we experience in various aspects of life, including the personal, social and environmental spheres.
In the process of preparing this work for public channels, I continued to experiment with the idea of my "fragmented perspectives". The photograph of the details of this work fascinates me with the colour.
And in general, I continued working on this series, where a completely different world opened up for me. I didn’t even suspect that the process of photographing my own works could change the character and meaning of my work so much. In one small fragment, there is a whole life and vast intertwined themes.
At the last session of Silent Critic at OCA, fellow students quite accurately noted that there are two different views of one thing.
Another completed work opens up a very exciting path for me, which I am already eager to try.
Untitled. Glossy pink, 2024, recycled newspapers, canvas, paint, screws, acrylic, wood, coating, 50 x 50 x 15 cm.
This work seems to delve into the intersection of media, consumer culture and sustainability. The use of my newspapers – symbols of information dissemination and ephemeral media – encased in a bright, almost synthetic pink coating suggests a commentary on how media and information are consumed and perceived in contemporary society. The glossy finish may allude to the superficiality often associated with contemporary media.
The frame, made from recycled materials, puts the work in the context of sustainability and the cyclical nature of materials. It contrasts with the glossy centre, highlighting the tension between the fleeting consumption of media and the sustainable impact of waste and recycling.
Newspapers, typically temporary and ephemeral, persist beneath the glossy surface, hinting at a desire to capture and hold on to fleeting moments or information. However, the recycled frame suggests the inevitability of decay and the possibility of rebirth and reuse.
With the combination of such diverse materials, I also aim to attract that target group of "art lovers" who still consider recycled materials in art to be trash.
I experimented with AI and now I know exactly where I want to go.
Some of the works were never completed, but for me, this is completely acceptable, since I treat such complexity metaphysically. It's just that at the moment there is no right energy, thoughts and feelings for these works, but they will definitely be a little later.
In working with wooden pieces, I needed to see what would happen if I moved away from the colour fields and left mostly construction materials on the “canvas”.
Only due to the rhythmically repeating folds does the concept of a single, moving colour work.
And the wooden pieces are not quite as they are filled with a large plane and the colour is distributed according to other principles and laws. And I also realized that in this case I completely moved away from my colour that I feel with synaesthesia.
I continue to work on a large public art project. And it begins to live its own life.
In parallel with the panels filling my studio, they begin to say what they want and how they should be shown.
I am actively looking for a place to present this project, and I also posted these mock-ups made in Photoshop for Silent Critic in OCA.
Unfortunately, to date, apart from praise, I have not received any significant or important criticism.
Only one of my artist friends said that this work is very square. And what is not strange, I also felt that the lines of the ends of the work look hard, for example on a plain white wall. Therefore, I need to take this aspect into account when exposition.
In the past, I have already thought about how to implement such an "uneven" silhouette of the colour field. So, I have a solution, but in this case, due to transportation and further plans for these panels, I need them to remain simply straight.
At the same time, I began to think and test how I could recycle the newspapers after the panels were removed from display.
But there is a huge scope for creativity here. The main thing I understood is that paper remains paper and it sticks to each other even after it is painted with paint.
Next, I move on to general events in my artistic practice that in one way or another influenced my vision of the art world.
My collaboration project with another artist continues.
But due to the postponement of our meetings, this project is developing very slowly. In connection with this, and also the fact that my research for the Course "Research" is limited by the number of words, I decided to remove this project from the analysis. We are currently in the stage of reflecting on each other's work. So I will move this project to the next course.
I visited Art Basel this year and for the first time with an art critic and historian.
The main conclusion is that a person always remains subjective. What was interesting to me from the point of view of contemporary thought and culture at this huge exhibition remained unnoticed by him. I can admit that, for example, my beloved Jerry Saltz or Hans Ulrich Obrist will of course highlight other things, but the culture in which the curator is located and his own convictions and views greatly influence the “objectivity” of his narrative.
I also realized that I have an excellent knowledge (forgive me for such self-confidence, in everyday life I doubt myself a lot! but here not!) of the history of culture and contemporary art, because I have supplemented him mentally more than once and interpreted art even more and more extensively. Only once was there something I was not familiar with - autonomy/heteronomy - and that was only because the theory he applied to explain modern art was one of thousands of similar ones, that's all.
A few weeks ago I ran a one hour workshop on "How to Find Your Personal Voice in Art" for OCA students and it was very ambiguous. On the one hand, I formulated for myself several weighty aspects and stages that I had to go through. And this was useful for my practice.
On the other hand, I realized that I need to practice speaking in public because when I get excited and enthusiastic, I stop constructing articulate phrases and my speech gets confused.
As a result, I really enjoyed sharing my experience and simply helping creative people in their search.
Next.
I created a short film using two cameras in which I show how I work. In the three-minute video, I noticed the elegant movement of my hands as I screw or select the right piece of wood for a composition. A detailed approach and precision speak of the sensitivity and accuracy of the decisions I make in the process of creating an art object.
And finally, I wrote a big paper about my synaesthesia for a research book on synaesthesia by Anton V. Sidoroff-Dorso (https://www.journeythroughthesenses.org/anton-v-sideroff-dorso/ More: https://iasasevents.com/leadership/). It also helped me change my attitude towards what I have and rethink the contribution of this phenomenon to my art. Available here: https://www.marinawittemann.com/post/body-of-work-synaesthesia
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