Artist Statement

 Settlements, Stations and Endangered Land are the latest bodies of work in the series of paintings which are dealing with the general recognition that some irrevocable events in the future may change the face of our planet, leading to different conditions in which we populate physical and geographical spaces. In paintings titled Colonies and Settlements, pod shaped structures are strewn across the arctic or glacial landscapes. Images suggest human presence in not very distant future, where the inhabitants may be constantly in search of livable spaces. While chronicling the evidence of human interferences within our surroundings, a vision of future settlements begins to emerge.

An image of a scenery is constructed in the space of possible future, using fragments of existing landscapes. The adaptation to new and evolving conditions on our planet will most certainly require innovative engineering and architectural solutions for the new environment. These new inhabitants will have to negotiate the oceanic and atmospheric uncertainties of the planet and restore livable ecosystems. With this in mind, new series of paintings are projections of possible future dwellings, where currently existing prototypes of shelters are placed in changing surroundings.

The project of building the artwork involves a process of research and gathering multiple references and present ideas for inhabiting lands under extreme and changing conditions.The paintings in the series Endangered Land are based on photographic references of actual places, often as a composite of several different fragments. Starting point is usually an idea of a space and then the images are researched to fit that space. Part of the research is also discovery of different survival architecture prototypes.

These constructs may emerge through studies of multiple images of escape capsules, pod dwellings and research stations. The work begins with planning, drawing, collaging and mapping out composition. The initial charcoal drawing sets the general composition which is usually changed with first paint application. Oil paint and cold wax are poured over canvas in horizontal position and paint is allowed to flow freely and then worked into.

This work reflects, on a more general level, the necessity of global collaborative project for human survival and coexistence. It opens important questions: What are our hopes as we emerge on the other side after a passage through a turbulent time? How do we re-build a new environment and re-connect with each other? What will the new landscapes in this future world look like?