EXHIBITION
Unknown 2014, Fast Forward III
LOCATION
Museum of Fine Arts, Split, Croatia
DATE
2014
Fast Forward III
The exhibition programme “Tuesdays in the Gallery – Fast Forward” was established in 2012 as a collaborative platform with the objective of promoting cooperation among the youngest participants of the Split visual arts scene. The series of exhibitions presents the works of final-year students at the Academy of Fine Arts in Split. Furthermore, in the 2014 iteration of Fast Forward, the sculptor Dijana Engelmann presents a deformed human figure as a means of introducing herself to the viewer. The figure is both unknown and isolated, yet also universal, representing a face that each of us can identify with if we reflect long enough on our own existence. The figure is constructed from a metal framework coated with laminated newsprint. The sculpture is intentionally designed with double limbs and a unique torso, and features a human head devoid of any discernible facial features. The sculpture is connected to an electrical supply via a cable of over 25 metres in length and is in constant motion, unable to perceive the external world. In other words, the modern man’s inability or refusal to see and recognise the individual becomes apparent when he is torn between his desires, abilities, and societal expectations. This serves to illustrate the significance of artistic endeavour. In accordance with the established definition, the human being is a thinking, social, spiritual, and natural entity. Nevertheless, it is pertinent to question whether contemporary humans can truly be considered free beings. Has the concept of freedom become self-destructive, functioning merely as a theoretical concept with no practical application? The concept of freedom has been an unfulfilled aspiration since the dawn of humanity, exemplified by Eve’s consumption of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. The initial humans to emerge from the period of the Great Flood recognised that freedom is an inherently limited concept. The artist underscores the finitude and limitations of the human condition by enshrouding the figure in an electric cable. This prompts the question of whether the modern, technologically dependent human being is similarly constrained. The individual may feel adrift in the world of virtual social networks, where information is limited, filtered and presented in a way that is not entirely reflective of reality. The accompanying text is by Ana Žanko.
Photo: Zorica Bulic ©