Black swan
Darren Aronofsky
The movie Black Swam from the director Darren Arnofsky had a huge impact on my research and interests in my practice. Described often as a psychological horror, it shows how a someone's personality might be affected by strong emotional burst, reacts uncontrollably, self-destructively, driven by strive for perfectionism, but finally reveal in him a part of the personality that was disguised before that.
I was intrigued by the powerful way that transformation was shown through visual means in the movie, observing to the edge of brutality the most ‘monsterous’ manifestations of a person, against the threat he sees around, real or not, or against himself. Of course, I make a link between my interests with dance and movement itself, which are central part of the storyline. This is a story about dualistic nature, torn between perfection and infant vulnerability, implementing the notion of inseparable presence of two forces –good and evil, white and black swan, which somehow must inevitably exist together in order to desired perfection to be reached, or at least brilliant performance to be conceived.
Marina Abramovic
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In her work ‘Generator’, Marina Abramovic invites the public to a space of sensory deprivation, which creates a quite physical and mental state of the viewer. By headphones and blindfolds the visitors are deprived of any sense of hearing or sight in order to experience their body, their mind and the space surrounding them. The main notion in Abramovic’s work is “nothingness”, but she places the viewer in a position of vulnerability. The notion of Fragile State onto the viewer’s body and mind is in dialog with the exhibition ‘Fragile State’ in ThPinchukArtCenter ‘Generator’ is part from. The project is centred around the notion of Fragile State, which reflects upon the fragile state of the world order, or in a more abstract sense it refers to ideological, cultural and social vulnerabilities. But it is equally a notion that can be understood in a deeply personal sense, the fragility of body and mind, or a state of risk.
This second work is the set design for the opera released to celebrate the centenary of Claude Debussy’s death last year. Opera Vlaanderen brought to the stage a new production of Debussy’s only completed opera, Pelléas et Mélisande. The set design and visual concept are created by Marina Abramovic, at her second collaboration with choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet. I wa not particularly inspired by that piece of work, but I was really attracted to it and found a lot of similar element in the approach, use of space and materials, and again fundamental questions involved.
‘Imhof reveals the space between body and reality, the space where personality comes into being’ as the curator Susanne Pfeffer shares in an interview..
Anne Imhof “Faust” at German
Pavilion, Venice Biennale
'Bacon’s transparent framing devices that encase and imprison his subjects are echoed in Imhof’s glass structures within the pavilion. She was drawn to the fragility and hardness of glass, its liquid quality as well as its capacity to adapt to the two-dimensional status of painting. “The glass gave me the possibility to have something that reflects and works as a surface itself,” said Ann Imhof about the project.'
Antoney Gormley
Antoney Gormley is a sculptor, but he is known for his work with the body, Especially considering the human body as a space. Space of different processes through my perspective.
'Blind light' is a piece that challenges the terms of perceptions - in and out. The closed field filled up with simulated atmospheric phenomena deceives the senses. Turns up-side -down the idea of the closed space as a shelter of security and confuse the presence of the beholder.
Rosemary Butcher uses of cross arts collaboration in music, visual arts, film and architecture within the choreographic process and her frequent choice of non-theatrical spaces to present her work. Butcher’s influence has followed the ideas and concepts of the visual arts, particularly in painting and sculpture, and has engaged with the developing philosophies within those movements in her choreography.
Rosemary Butcher
In her work After The Last Sky is a video installation that deals with the isolated body in exile, working with mental and physical boundaries.
Carmen Beuchat
Carmen Beuchat is widely known as an artist and choreographer developed postmodern dance. In her practice, she is promoting a philosophy of democratization around the body in movement. Her work is engaged with performance, including dancers, and she is know as one of the pioneers of a dance form in the dance-theatre called contact improvisation. Alone or in collaboration she executes performances based on a contemporary dance, moving mobile structures.
Jusepe de Ribera
'Art of violence'
I believe, working on my piece 'Legacy', I was somehow provoked and inspired by the exhibition of the Spanish baroque artist Jusepe de Ribera – Art of violence /Dulwich Picture Gallery/, regarded often also a heir to Caravaggio. His dramatic depictions of saints and martyrs are far more realistic and anatomically sound, but even though related to religion, the topics of Last Judgement are deeply implied in my interests and quests.
Connor Harrington
Connor Harrington is considered political street artist, but I find fascinating and captivating his style and technique. His use of colour and composition, figurative and abstract correlation. This is quite much the direction I want to take in my painting practice. I was especially attracted to his series of paintings informed by costumes with historical context, also evoking the idea of politics and inequality in the society.
Rebeca Fontane Wolf
I was strongly influenced by the artist Rebecca Fountain-Wolf after visiting her exhibition at Someth1ng Gallery. Especially in terms of applying masterfully figurative art of a great merit to an abstract surroundings and background. Her themes are centred around the femininity, but female body and presence are also main part of the visual language in my paintings.