Still life 1020-02 Print

What is an object? Sometimes to answer we have to remove from the object its usual sense of functionality. In the absence of its ability to function, an object reveals its true self as an abstract shape. Combined with other objects in similar artificially created conditions, the objects start to communicate with each other in the language of the unique space in which they are placed. This language goes through the process of translation, first of the artist’s eyes and then through his/her ability to compose, to draw, and to paint, thus coming out into the viewer’s attention, where it is getting interpreted yet further, and becoming a unique experience each time. Composing my still lifes, I keep in mind this whole chain of transformations with its open-endedness, making me a performer and a spectator at the same time. I become more appreciative of the original creators of the objects I’m dealing with. This experience gives me a new perspective on human behavior as well. How we act in the social realm depends on our ability to function according to our design, and our design is our given talents. This is an ongoing series of still lifes.. These static and subdued paintings are meditations on the harmonious unity of contemporary conflicting individualities. My work on still lifes begins by browsing antique shops and thrift stores. Out of the vast array of objects, I look for strong, clear, statement-like shapes. I like pre-owned objects. They passed somebody’s taste. They have traces of previous lives. And then, sitting with other objects in my compositions, those objects only play roles of unity with each other. Like strangers in a public space they behave civilly, while carrying their personalities deeply hidden inside. In my still lifes, rather than recreating some situations like in a kitchen or a dining table, the objects are individuals that oppose each other on a theatrical or cinematic stage. When being grouped against each other in a superficially agreeable company, they carry subtle inner conflicts. In my painting technique I strive for balance, where impasto strokes of paint just suggest the shapes’ properties while still being visible as strokes. This gives a sense of transparency of the process.