‘What does it mean to give agency to the material, to follow the material and to act with the material?’ (Lange-Berndt, 2015:13)
The whole process of creating art was caused by my physical condition. My experience of colour. I remember my first visit to the Art Institute in Moscow - it smelled like oil paints, and I could not tear myself away not from boring paintings with landscapes and models, but from palettes, stretchers and other tools for work. Now I understand that colour was the primary source of inspiration and the beginning of everything, but then ... but I had to create. Work with my hands, do. This state of work, doing, creating is art. It is not the final result that matters, but the time spent at work.
But this is not so for everyone. Each artist chooses his own path according to his interests, taking into account his character, desires and temperament. For instance, I had an idea to prepare shapes out of paper, which I would then use to create the work. The idea came to me a long time ago. I have already imagined the finished result. But for some reason, I delayed the process of work. And when I started, it became obvious that it was not me. I feel uncomfortable doing this boring job. There was discomfort throughout my body. The first point worth noting is that the artist listens to himself, and he is, as it were, led by an inner voice. The second point is that if the artist knows what the final work will look like, then the meaning of the work disappears. It turns out that the creation of art is something natural, originating from the depths of the human essence and unknown, like a search for the meaning of matter.
I've spent the last 10 years looking for the right material and method of work. It is not yet clear if this will remain so. I was greatly impressed by the course of sculpture, where I realised the space and its connection with me and materials. I experimented a lot, and at the beginning of this course I "discovered" paper. The process itself just went on and developed. I listened to the material. The work itself and the result were exciting. Now delving into the specifics of paper, I love it even more. This technique does not limit me in the way I work or the kind of object. So, I can create sculptures and paintings, installations or even performances. The method I use to paint and lay the paper onto canvas is the most natural one for me. I tried different shapes, or change the way paper was applied to the surface, and the energy flow was wrong.
The interconnection of the chosen material and what you would be talking about is not always obvious at the beginning, but through practice, connections are built, and logic emerges. So it became obvious to me that the fundamental principle of the human creation of paper was the idea of transmitting information, emotions through applying paint on paper. It turns out I am doing the same. I put paint on paper to convey emotions, but only in my case paper takes the main place in the narrative. It is still the original paper material that seeks to convey emotions, thoughts. As Petra Lange-Berndt gives the example of Mono-ha artists, who were convinced that feelings arise from the material and "things revealed their existence." Yes, indeed, but what else can convey emotions? Even if it is a performance, where the experience gained from it will be art, it is still a person as a specific type of materiality, an object that broadcasts something for another person. It turns out that the artist replaces himself with the chosen material. He does not exist, but the materiality created by him will transmit emotions and thoughts. And first of all, the artist must appropriate this material for himself. To rethink it, find out its secrets and possibilities. After such a rapprochement, the material will begin to open up to the creator and help in the work. It will be a joy for both.
Bibliography and references
1. Petra Lange-Berndts’ ‘Introduction, How to Be Complicit with Materials’ from ed. Lange-Berndt, Petra, Materiality, Documents of Contemporary Art, London: Whitechapel Gallery and The MIT Press, p13.
Comments