Artist: Andrey and Aleksey Kulibin
Title: Αθηνά / Athena, 2031 series, Edition of 31
Year: 2022
Medium: Painting, Sculpture
Style: Figurative Art, Concept art
Materails: Mixed media; Wood (oak veneer, birch plywood), baguette frame, flock fabric, acrylic paint
Height: 114 cm
Width: 114 cm
Depth: 8 cm
Weight: 15 kg
Description and information about the work:
The artworks of 2031 series bring up the subject of epochs clash and the search for balance in a modern technological world. Symbolic accents in this series are even more contrasting. On one side are the symbols of common human experience, centuries-old knowledge and unlimited human potential expressed by means of ancient Greek gods images. On the other side are social phenomena of the modern digital world – digital overconsumption that affects the whole human culture in a destructive manner. Yellow elements of regular pixel shape are made of yellow flock. That is a special material used in the majority of artworks of The Epoch series – a built-up yellow matte fabric that is visually associated with emojis' basic color. This fabric is applied using an electrostatic field that draws thousands of yellow spikes onto a special surface. This method symbolically visualizes the very essence of physical attraction, and the material itself looks pleasing amidst acrylic paint. Flock induces the desire to touch it and to enjoy tactile feelings. Inspired by the works of Daniel Arsham and his methods of visual rendition of things' ageing, we recreated the image of destructivism, but Arsham's variable of time is complemented with a variable of quality of that time. Vector of our attention influences the quality of time we spend. In the reality of modern world, where our attention is a prize to win by social media, entertainment etc., it is very easy to get in the trap of non-stop consumption of endless content which is all about semblance, not meaning.