Commenting on the exhibition Forest line in the Nitra Gallery | Na margo výstavy Línia lesa v Nitrianskej galérii
Annotation | Prof. PhDr. Eva Kapsová, PhD.
The Forest Line exhibition reflects the current issue of the gradual reduction of forest areas through genre-diverse works (painting, object, installation, sound art installation, site-specific, video film, experimental sonic object, etc.) by generationally close authors who have been dealing with the topic for a long time and systematically. The author of the concept and curator of the exhibition, Dominika Chrzanová. composed the works of individual authors in the gallery space in a sequence of paintings which tell the story of the forest from its earliest times thousands of years ago to the present day, when the forest is threatened with extinction and death. She presented the authors not only as artists, but also as researchers of a particular terrain and a particular place; the individual projects bring knowledge, but above all call for sensitization as an appeal to save forests in the era of climate change. The exhibition articulates a distinct conservation ethos, while avoiding primary didacticism. Its effect is primarily an aesthetic experience connected with meditation. The main aspects that resonate in the Forest Line include the aspect of loss, threat, inevitability of changes in nature, the aspect of belonging between man and the forest, but, at the same time, the aspect of distance resulting from the unequal relationship between man and nature (where the forest is its proxy element) and natural elements always have the “upper hand” in the end. The curator makes no secret of her educational intention, and several works may resemble audio/visuals of a natural history museum. In the catalogue, which also includes interviews with artists, each author is confronted with the question: Is sustainability important to you in art practice? How do you go about creating and conserving resources? However, the educational undertone does not stand out from the work and articulation of individual authors, on the contrary, the exhibition draws the viewers into the atmosphere of emotionally discursive discussion and meditation. It thus represents a special contribution to the series of exhibitions with an ecological theme that have appeared on the Slovak and global art scene in recent years.
Read full review in original Slovak language here:
Source | Zdroj:
KAPSOVÁ, Eva. 2024. Má zmysel chodiť do galérie, keď môžem zájsť do lesa? In Profil súčasného výtvarného umenia. ISSN: 1335-9770, 2024. č. 1, s. 121 – 133.
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