EXHIBITION: ANAMARIJA DIMOVSKA & MARTIN BRICELJ BARAGA: KASKADE

OPENING: 24/07, 19.00

Intervention at the opening: Irena Tomažin

Kaskade is a modular sound installation – a series of ceramic sculptures visually addressing the form of falling water and its transparency. Although primarily denoting waterfalls, Kaskade can also represent a sequence of stages in a process, each of which triggers the next. 

The project thus presents a series of sculptures that were created in a process with a certain sequence, with each stage being consequential for the form itself, and the cracks and sounds of cracking materials affecting one another. The sound traces of cracks are traces of transient, current, and past traces of processes. In the Kaskade installation, this experience is transferred to an immersive sound installation for the gallery space.

The Kaskade series consists of six sculptural pieces of ceramics, glass and glaze, merging with one another and taking on the characteristics of form. During the heating and cooling process, glass and ceramics expand and contract at different rates, leading to cracks or even disintegration. Cracks make different sounds. The auditory experience of cracking has a unique tone and intensity that can cause feelings of discomfort and stress, or give a sense of satisfaction. The presence of different types of cracks, from barely visible hairline cracks to deep and distinct breaks, enables a profound understanding of and connecting with the work and evokes feelings of transience and fragility. In the context of the sensory experience as a whole, the way our senses interact and overlap needs to be considered. The auditory, haptic and visual elements together create a rich and multifaceted experience.

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Anamarija Dimovska graduated from the painting department of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana with a degree in restoration in 2010, and in 2017, from the applied arts department with a degree in ceramics. In 2012/2013, she studied at the glass department of the National College of Art and Design in Dublin on a study exchange. Since 2015, she has been creating studio ceramics under the artistic name Natura Morta, with a focus on experimental ceramics and useful ceramic objects.

Her inspiration for her unique, recognizable poetic pieces comes from nature. Natura Morta, literally dead nature, is a quiet moment of transition to remind us that the natural environment is a fragile organism. In search of perfect forms that reveal a nostalgic attitude to the past, the artist highlights themes of decay, failure, destruction and rebirth. Her work is based on the tradition of contemporary ceramic practice, wherein she explores the principles dictated by useful ceramics as well as elements of art ceramics. The emphasis is on colors and texture, ranging from a shiny, smooth surface to a matte extruded one, where the glaze takes on the function of form.  

Martin Bricelj Baraga is a media artist and curator. He creates interactive works and sculptures that explore spaces between the environment, nature, technology and humans – his installations and interventions are often placed in unusual urban contexts or natural environments.  His works in public spaces are included in permanent and temporary collections of the cities of Ljubljana. Geneva, Wroclaw, and St. Petersburg.

He has exhibited in many galleries and spaces worldwide: the History of Science Museum in Geneva, ICA in London, Manege in St. Petersburg, the NEMO Biennale in Paris, Sonar in Barcelona, Columbia University in New York, FACT Liverpool, Centro cultural Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Kunsthaus Graz, Museums Quartier in Vienna, and ArbatFest Almaty, among others.

He has received several international awards for his works, including awards from the GLOW festival, WRO Media Art Biennale, Europrix Multimedia Award, Memefest, and Baltimore Magazine, as well as a Plečnik Medal. He is the director of the MoTA – Museum of Transitory Art, the founder of the SONICA Festival in Ljubljana, and a member of the research-oriented art collective Nonument Group.    

Co-production: Studio Natura Morta, Moderna galerija and MoTA – Museum of Transitory Art. Recording and technical execution: Igor Vuk

Further information: https://www.mg-lj.si/en/exhibitions/3982/announcing-anamarija-dimovska-martin-bricelj-baraga-kaskade/