Human / Nature
Viktor Daldon, Slaven Tolj, Sandra Sterle, Ivan Šeremet, Denis Krašković, Ivana Franke, Luko Piplica, Alem Korkut
Human / Nature is a term with multiple connotations. Firstly, it refers to the separate and sometimes oppositional meanings attached to ‘human’ and ‘nature.’ It also refers to the troubled yet vital relationship between humans and nature. The third aspect of the term is the much-disputed idea of human nature itself.
There is now a growing tendency to seek out new forms of spirituality and a rediscovery of ethics in art. The ambition of the exhibition Human/Nature is to present the work of Croatian artists involved in this quest. As well as illuminating the theme of human/nature, each of the works carries a strong spiritual dimension. Some works comment on the present state of the human spirit, others reach out for much-needed solutions to the widespread sense of spiritual crisis. In harmony with post-Cartesian thinking, they call for a reenchantment of the human soul.
It is becoming increasingly clear that we are living in an age of environmental uncertainty. Together with other Central European countries, Croatia faces the challenge of how to preserve the country’s natural wealth and local cultural diversity in an era of global homogenisation. The exhibition includes works that invoke a sense of local belonging.
The question posed is whether the artist can adopt a more affirmative role in contemporary society and act as a beacon for humanity. In reconstructive post-modernism, interconnectedness, social responsibility and ecological attunement are the big issues. Human/Nature is about an awareness of how fragile the balance of nature is, how precious local lifestyles are, and how much it all depends on us. It requires that people look beyond the superficial realities of globalisation and rediscover universal human qualities.
Curated by: Maja and Reuben Fowkes
Human / Nature is a term with multiple connotations. Firstly, it refers to the separate and sometimes oppositional meanings attached to ‘human’ and ‘nature.’ It also refers to the troubled yet vital relationship between humans and nature. The third aspect of the term is the much-disputed idea of human nature itself.
There is now a growing tendency to seek out new forms of spirituality and a rediscovery of ethics in art. The ambition of the exhibition Human/Nature is to present the work of Croatian artists involved in this quest. As well as illuminating the theme of human/nature, each of the works carries a strong spiritual dimension. Some works comment on the present state of the human spirit, others reach out for much-needed solutions to the widespread sense of spiritual crisis. In harmony with post-Cartesian thinking, they call for a reenchantment of the human soul.
It is becoming increasingly clear that we are living in an age of environmental uncertainty. Together with other Central European countries, Croatia faces the challenge of how to preserve the country’s natural wealth and local cultural diversity in an era of global homogenisation. The exhibition includes works that invoke a sense of local belonging.
The question posed is whether the artist can adopt a more affirmative role in contemporary society and act as a beacon for humanity. In reconstructive post-modernism, interconnectedness, social responsibility and ecological attunement are the big issues. Human/Nature is about an awareness of how fragile the balance of nature is, how precious local lifestyles are, and how much it all depends on us. It requires that people look beyond the superficial realities of globalisation and rediscover universal human qualities.
Artists
Viktor Daldon (1972) is a painter, who on this occasion is represented by a photographic series ‘Contemporary Saints.’ Each photograph frames a passer-by against the neon logo of a pharmaceutical firm, revealing a glowing aureola around their head. They are reminiscent of Renaissance saint paintings, but contemporary saints are just ordinary people crossing the main square of Zagreb. The work brings out the value of human life and democratically points out that there is something holy in every human being.
The art of internationally renowned Dokumenta-participant Slaven Tolj (1964) is often connected with his hometown of Dubrovnik. He employs the living environment, local conditions, objects and time present there as building material for his art projects. Tolj’s work is intimate and emotionally charged; he shamanistically performs the power of human emotions. The video he presents here dramatises the end of a love affair through the act of peeling a potato. It is unmistakably the male side of the story, ending with destructiveness.
Sandra Sterle (1965) drew wide media attention with ‘Go Home’, a project realised in New York and streamed on the web, which explored issues of migration, national identity and globalisation. Sterle is concerned with the rituals of daily life and explores places connected to childhood. In the video piece ‘Round, Around’ the artist is shown running around an olive tree dressed in folk costume borrowed from an old peasant woman on the island of Mljet. Running in a circle around the tree of wisdom, circles become cycles of a female nature. Another dimension to the work is that there is no escape from our roots.
Ivan Šeremet (1952) likes to point out uncomfortable truths. He succeeds with very reduced tools in expressing the frustrations of social realities. ‘New Testament’ consists of a pocket edition of the New Testament, into which a 100 kuna note has been slipped as a bookmark. It’s a reminder of a common side of human nature, of bribery, dishonesty and everyday hypocrisy. The work explicitly states that money is the new religion. It raises questions about the state of organised religion, as well as the superficial materialism of global capitalism.
There’s a convincing humanism and positive spirit to the work of award-winning sculptor Denis Krašković (1972). Lying in a hammock, gazing at repetitive landscapes, we’re torn between meditation and apathy. Although ‘Laziness Wins’ can be read as a criticism of human indifference towards nature, it can also be seen as an invitation to relax. The work suggests we should stop seeing life as a struggle and celebrate the true nature of existence.
Ivana Franke (1973), at present on an art residency in Japan, use such materials as paraffin, paper, threads, and fishing line to create site-specific environments that are in tune with the principles of Zen Buddhism. Her work is gentle, sensual and fragile, and evokes abstract dimensions of the human mind and the natural stillness of space.
Luko Piplica took photographs of cyprus trees growing in his native region of Konavle. The trees have physical abnormalities caused by underground energy streams. We’re made aware of the force of nature, invisible interconnections and the vunerablity of living forms. By choosing to photograph natural deformities he draws our attention to the unconventional.
Alem Korkut (1970) is a sculptor who recently modelled a portrait in clay, placed it in a glass container full of water, and made a video of the process of dilution. It’s a poetic meditation on the inevitability of physical decomposition. In this final stage, humans again become part of nature.
The art of internationally renowned Dokumenta-participant Slaven Tolj (1964) is often connected with his hometown of Dubrovnik. He employs the living environment, local conditions, objects and time present there as building material for his art projects. Tolj’s work is intimate and emotionally charged; he shamanistically performs the power of human emotions. The video he presents here dramatises the end of a love affair through the act of peeling a potato. It is unmistakably the male side of the story, ending with destructiveness.
Sandra Sterle (1965) drew wide media attention with ‘Go Home’, a project realised in New York and streamed on the web, which explored issues of migration, national identity and globalisation. Sterle is concerned with the rituals of daily life and explores places connected to childhood. In the video piece ‘Round, Around’ the artist is shown running around an olive tree dressed in folk costume borrowed from an old peasant woman on the island of Mljet. Running in a circle around the tree of wisdom, circles become cycles of a female nature. Another dimension to the work is that there is no escape from our roots.
Ivan Šeremet (1952) likes to point out uncomfortable truths. He succeeds with very reduced tools in expressing the frustrations of social realities. ‘New Testament’ consists of a pocket edition of the New Testament, into which a 100 kuna note has been slipped as a bookmark. It’s a reminder of a common side of human nature, of bribery, dishonesty and everyday hypocrisy. The work explicitly states that money is the new religion. It raises questions about the state of organised religion, as well as the superficial materialism of global capitalism.
There’s a convincing humanism and positive spirit to the work of award-winning sculptor Denis Krašković (1972). Lying in a hammock, gazing at repetitive landscapes, we’re torn between meditation and apathy. Although ‘Laziness Wins’ can be read as a criticism of human indifference towards nature, it can also be seen as an invitation to relax. The work suggests we should stop seeing life as a struggle and celebrate the true nature of existence.
Ivana Franke (1973), at present on an art residency in Japan, use such materials as paraffin, paper, threads, and fishing line to create site-specific environments that are in tune with the principles of Zen Buddhism. Her work is gentle, sensual and fragile, and evokes abstract dimensions of the human mind and the natural stillness of space.
Luko Piplica took photographs of cyprus trees growing in his native region of Konavle. The trees have physical abnormalities caused by underground energy streams. We’re made aware of the force of nature, invisible interconnections and the vunerablity of living forms. By choosing to photograph natural deformities he draws our attention to the unconventional.
Alem Korkut (1970) is a sculptor who recently modelled a portrait in clay, placed it in a glass container full of water, and made a video of the process of dilution. It’s a poetic meditation on the inevitability of physical decomposition. In this final stage, humans again become part of nature.
