Haptic Memoria 7 Painting

A contemporary painter is creating abstract canvases with new media practice. Work of Tea Kralj is known for minimalistic color shades of gray and white, she relies on thick layers and usage of industrial stencils to convey her intention. Kralj explores the possibility of creating the materialization of non-material forms, using the digital and traditional means of expression. The central idea of her series titled Haptic Memoria represents the possibility to materialize the elusive nature of a non-material information of artist’s personal memory as a physical (haptic) texture on the canvas. This is being done with the help of computer processing and an industrialgrade cutting machine to make plastic stencils, which artist uses to apply lace patterns onto canvases in thick layers. Human and computer interfaces are working jointly to reconstruct one of the artist’s liveliest childhood memories – lace patterns. Interestingly this is also one of the most common images of the cultural heritage. Apparently determined by her environment and cultural memory, artist is trying to capture her own original conceptualization of her past and present image/ identity. The thick layers of paint and tactile surface represent the possibility to physically ‘touch’ the memory, while the perforated design of the lace and the whiteness of canvases deconstruct every attempt to see the detailed image of the past. Lace represents the form and the content of the Haptic Memoria series. Kralj leans towards the white abstraction on canvas in search to find a perfect moment of remembrance. In her attempts to recreate the personal mechanism of her narrative, she succeeds to present the universal reflection of traditional artefact from the cultural heritage of the past. Gestural strokes and layers of color seem to be made as digital glitches, covering the intimate presence of the moment, and opening the potency of abundant interpretations (layers) at the same time.