9 X \u2013 10 XI 2018, Haus Gallery<\/p>\n
The focus of the exhibition is on perished \/ decayed forest. To gain new inspiration, the artist visited territories where forest, which was cultivated as a crop, grew on an area of hundreds and thousands of square kilometres. But the activator was another type of nature \u2013 far away from the world of stylists and navigators from artificial environment, Elken redefined his position as an author, which is now declared as solid lands and stone deserts.<\/p>\n
“Whitish and indigo black large forests, destroyed by excess humidity, are at least as inspiring creative platforms as the fire-devoured ecological catastrophe epicentres, with their armies of charred cinders.\u00a0 I can get excited by a dried up, ragged piece of tree; the brutal life force of nature lives its afterlife in these forms before final destruction and fading. The connection with eternity, the presence of a physical substance as a \u201crecycled\u201d material could be surprisingly expressed by a sedimentary rock \u2013 I have seen Creole architecture, in which the fully \u201cabstract\u201d surface of the limestone wall blocks suddenly shows fossil \u201cfigurativeness\u201d and millions of years of history become visible in an omnipresent way!<\/em><\/p>\n Being on the road has been my author\u2019s position as an artist for decades already, both in its literal and indirect meaning; in addition to straight pathways, I also appreciate the logic and rhythm expressed in complex urban structures; in addition to natural rock deserts, I also consider urban conglomerates as grand. As an artist who values the methods of abstract art most highly, I want to be the (re)creator of textures\/forms similar to natural forms \u2013 not an imitator. Freedom and independence of the artist\u2019s creations in today\u2019s world is of course simply illusory \u2013 we refer to and interpret existing art codes through the cultural memory in one way or another, even if, as individuals, we obtain existential depth from the archetypal collective subconsciousness and believe in the uniqueness of an artist\u2019s style<\/em>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n