DURATION: 3. 6. – 29. 10. 2023
OPENING: 2. 6. 2023, 6 PM
Silvia Balážová (*1988) is a student of Fine Arts at the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica. She spent her last semester studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. In her work, she tends to document movement or staying in different landscapes in various ways.
In her latest works, she maps various elements of the landscape. She works with her own technique using seaweed pigment and canvas, blurring the boundaries between graphics and painting. She creates her artworks directly in nature, and thus her creative process is based on the thematization of the physical and emotional experience with the landscape.
The exhibited artworks can be divided into two categories. The first consists of objects hanging from the ceiling, which capture actions such as embracing and lying on parts of a three-hundred-year-old felled tree trunk and rolling on the meadow. The second category includes various surface imprints - of stones, grass, snow, or branches in the sand - and the creation of compositions using found branches or stones. In some cases, it involves layering imprints from different locations, creating collages that connect specific places across different times. The individual actions and principles of creating imprints or canvases are often conceived directly on-site and are influenced by the circumstances and conditions offered by the chosen location. They are typically not prepared in advance.
In addition to the action itself, the nature and its elements, evolving over time, serve as significant visual aspects. The artist utilizes the influence of wind during the application of pigment, and in some paintings, the final appearance is affected by frost. Water, which acts as a medium for transferring the pigment onto the canvas, is also an important aspect. Creating directly in nature evokes romantic connotations but often entails long hours in the wind, rain, or snow, placing the artist in a certain discomfort. The artworks also show a procedural character, with the canvases typically remaining at the site of creation overnight. Proper timing and the duration of the process itself are crucial aspects for the resulting image.
TEXT BY: SILVIA BALÁŽOVÁ
Fotogaléria
