A.I.R. Blekinge 2017
Varvara & Mar
is an artist duo formed by Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet in 2009. Often duo’s work is inspired by the digital age. In their practice they confront social changes and impact of technological era. In addition to that, Varvara & Mar are fascinated by kinetics and participation, which are integral parts of their work. Artist duo has exhibited their art pieces in a number of international shows and festivals. In 2014 duo has been commission by Google and Barbican for creating a new art piece for Digital Revolution exhibition. In 2015 their public art proposal for Green Square Library and Plaza in Sydney was nominated for the final stage. This year they have completed public art commission in Tallinn and have won 2nd and 3rd prizes for public art in Estonia. Varvara & Mar has exhibited at MAD in New York, FACT in Liverpool, Santa Monica in Barcelona, Barbican in London, Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, Ars Electronica museum in Linz, Maribor City Gallery in Slovenia, etc.
Varvara (born in Tartu, Estonia), gained her bachelor degree in IT from Estonian IT College, master degree in digital media from ISNM in Germany and currently is a PhD candidate at the Estonian Art Academy in the department of Art and Design.
Mar (born in Barcelona) has two degrees: in art and design from ESDI in Barcelona and in computer game development from University Central Lancashire in UK. He also has gain a master degree from Interface Cultures at the University of Art and Design Linz. In addition to that, Mar is a co-founder of Derivart and Lummo.
Varvara and Mar are both members of the Estonian Artists Association.
Post Residency
Varvara and Mar will teach at Digital Image Production at Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlshamn during November 2018. Varvara and Mar will give a lecture and presentation of their work during the symposium Digital Urbanism November 15-16th2018 at BTH. Their presentation is Capturing Urban Pace of Life.
WORKS
Anna Estarriola
I am interested in intuitively envisaged exchanges and interactions between the visual and media arts with other disciplines, such as dance, performing arts and technology. The themes of my work revolve around perception of reality, individual and communal behavior, and communication. I am fascinated and disturbed by human beings, and mesmerized and puzzled by moving images, moving bodies and objects. I work with cross-disciplinary narrative structures that explore and question the union of content, medium and context.
Over the last years I have created media installation works combining sculptures and moving image with dance, dramaturgy, mechanics and electronics. I have also been directing performances, dance pieces and short film projects. Further I have worked in several internationally touring theater and dance productions as a video artist and performed as a dancer for other choreographers.
I hold Master of Fine Arts degrees from both the University of Barcelona, sculpture department (2004) and the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, Time and Space department (2009). In addition, I have done studies on contemporary dance. I was born in Catalonia, and I have lived and worked in Helsinki since 2004. I have shown my work, solo projects or in collaborations with others, in galleries, theater stages and side specific locations in Catalonia, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Japan, Norway and Sweden. In spring 2012, I received the Grant for Young Artists by the Finnish Art Association. In spring 2013, I received the half a year artistic working grant by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. In 2015, I received a one year artistic working grant by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. In the autumn 2015 I received the AVEK Prize. From the beginning of 2016, I am working with a three years artist working grant also by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.
Post Residency
The work produced by Anna Estarriola in the workshop of Kulturcentrum and in collaboration with actors, filmmakers, dressmakers were showed in the 8thTurku Biennial in Finland.
Anna Estarriola’s installation was shown in Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova 17 Nov 2017 to 8 Apr 2018.
In a sound proof room three characters attempt to communicate. The three preliminary prototypes represent hypothetical innovations as if yet to be released. They provide options for transpersonal existences and physical permanency. The characters are talking through abstract forms of audible language, pretending at the same time to be aware of themselves and the others. The installation stages tensions and distortions between reality and artificiality, subject and object, understanding and misunderstanding.
Anna Estarriola will have a solo exhibition at Kulturcentrum Ronneby konsthall during 2019.
Works
Bild 1:The system” 2017, Photo: Erkki Valli-Jaakola & Kati Kunnas-Holmström, Porin taidemuseo
Bild 2:Photo credits: Kiasma
Serhed Waledkhani
er en kunstner fra den Iranske delen av Kurdistan som jobber med forskjellige medier inkludert tegning, maleri, stop-motion video, skulptur og installasjon. Serhed`s kunst har sin bakgrunn fra å finne hans egen identitet, barndoms minner fra Al-tash, flyktningleiren han var født i Irak, immigrasjon, folkemord, selvstendighet, kvinner, kurdisk ideologi og menneskerettigheter.
Det visuelle utrykket i arbeidet hans har med bevegelse og minner å gjøre, måten vi husker og glemmer en spor som er etterlatt som en god eller vond opplevelse. Noen ganger finner han gjenstander, samler og tar vare på materialer som kan ha med en ide å gjøre. Materiale som har en funksjon i seg, som for eksempel sykkelens mekanisme som kan snurre på et hjul, tråden kan strekkes og knytes, kull kan viskes, viskelæret kan formes på, stål og aluminium kan smeltes sammen, at du setter to eller flere ting sammen så blir det til et kunstverk. Alt som har funksjon i seg, kan omgjøres til kunst som har med bevegelse å gjøre. De gjenstandene har som oftest med et minne eller opplevelse å gjøre. Målet er å finne ut hvordan vi mennesker og dyr beveger oss, og hva det betyr å bevege seg.
Serhed utdannet seg først hans Bachelor i 2014 og Master grad i 2016 ved det internasjonale programmet fine Arts i Trondheim/ Kunstakademiet i Trondheim(KIT). Waledkhani har utstilt i forskjellige steder i Norge og Sverige. I 2011 deltok han i Høstutstillingen i Oslo, noe som ledet til en Debutant pris og en vandreutstilling i 2012, som reiste fra Sandefjord, Bergen, Fauske, Trondheim og som endte i 2013 i Fredrikstad. I 2016 og 2017 var han med i en internasjonal gruppeutstilling som ble kalt ”Make a Change” i Sverige om flyktningkrisen i Europa.
Post Residency
Serhed Waledkhani höll i en Sand-animation workshop för unga under City Memory Dialogue i Gdansk, Polen, under juli 2018 med stöd av kulturavdelningen för staden Gdansk och inom Think Tank Transbaltic-projektet som Konst i Blekinge driver.
http://thinktanktransbalticpilot.blogspot.com/2018/07/invisible-traces-animation-workshop.html
Works
Jacob Taekker
Jacob Tækker (f. 1977, Sønderborg) studerade på Kungliga Danska Konstakademin och har ställt ut på museum och gallerier både i Danmark och internationellt. Han arbetar med video och digital konst som handlar om emotionella tillstånd, existensens rutinmässiga natur och människors uppfattningar och drivkraft för att hantera den.
Tækker ägnar särskild uppmärksamhet åt den enkla, humoristiska bilden i rörelse och skapar verk som innehåller element av både komedi och tragedi, så att man aldrig kan vara säker på om man ska skratta eller gråta. I sina verk är Tækker samtidigt huvudrollsinnehavare, regissör, kameraman och manusförfattare.
Post Residency
Today I died – Jacob Taekker
Installation på Kulturcentrum Ronneby konsthall 27 januari – 1 april 2018
På ytan ser Today I Died ut som en typisk shoot’em up. Beväpnad med en ljuspistol förväntas besökaren/spelaren döda den avatar som materialiseras på skärmen. Det finns dock en hake eller två. Ett: karaktären är en 3D-modell av danska konstnären Jacob Taekker (född 1977), två: det digitala alter-egot dyker upp igen efter att ha blivit skjuten. En räknare på skärmen visar antalet dödsfall. Skärmen fylls snart av identiska lik. En lekfull allegori över reinkarnation? En kommentar om virtuell död? En reflektion över spelets banalitet? En hyllning av de konstgjorda kropparnas ihärdighet? Ett skämt om Super-Egots högdragna närvaro?
On the surface, Today I Died looks like your typical shoot’em up. Armed with a light gun, the visitor/player is expected to kill the avatar that materializes on the screen. However, there’s a catch. Actually, two. One: the character is a 3D model of the Danish artist, Jacob Taekker (born 1977). Second, the digital alter ego keeps reappearing after he has been shot. A counter on the screen shows the number of deaths. The screen is soon filled with identical corpses. A playful allegory of reincarnation? A commentary of virtual death? A reflection on the sheer stupidity of gameplay? A celebration of the persistence of on-screen simulated cadavers? A joke on the overbearing presence of the Super-Ego ?
Works
