-FUTURE PAST-
The exhibition invites viewers into a world where the remnants of forgotten civilization are reimagined through the interplay of sculptural/drawing constructs in a form of fictive post-apocalyptic landscapes.
The works draw from the monolithic forms of brutalist architecture, which once upon a time stood as defiant monuments to human progress and power. Now, in this imagined future, they are slowly being consumed by nature in a form of lichen that reclaim the forgotten landmarks of men.
In this world, nature does not merely reclaim, it reshapes and breathes new life into the concrete relics, blurring the boundaries between the man-made and the organic. The viewer is invited to contemplate the tension between the stark, geometric forms of brutalist structures and the soft, organic textures of moss and vegetation as they merge into something both familiar and alien.
The crumbling brutalist structures in the exhibition can also be seen as metaphors for the geopolitical instability that leaves behind abandoned and decaying landscapes.
The exhibition’s exploration of themes underscores the fragility of human-made environments and ideas in the face of larger forces—both natural and political. It is relevant to the Eastern European context as well where the interplay between history, architecture, and nature reflects broader themes of change, resilience, and the search for identity in a post-communist, post-industrial landscape. Through this lens, the exhibition becomes a commentary on the region’s past, present, and future.
Eastern Europe has been a site of recurring geopolitical conflicts, from the world wars to the more recent conflicts in the Balkans and Ukraine. These events have left behind not only physical ruins but also deep social and cultural scars.
The exhibition’s portrayal of post-apocalyptic landscapes, where nature reclaims human-made structures, resonates with the experience of communities that have lived through war, displacement, and the collapse of states. It speaks to the region’s resilience and the ongoing process of rebuilding and reclaiming identity in the face of destruction. In this case the lichen(nature) is a metaphor for the resilience, courage and spirit of the people in a face of aggressor. The exhibition echoes the physical and symbolic erosion of past relics and the ongoing negotiation between past and future.
