Acta Non Verba
Kladnik & Neon / Acta Non Verba - CGI renders and IRL objects
UGM Studio, Trg Leona Štuklja 2, Maribor, Slovenia
vernissage: Friday, 26 August 2016, at 19:00
Acta Non Verba (Actions, Not Words) is a collection of concepts and objects searching for a place in the contemporary world, one plagued (or blessed) with demands for efficiency and influenced heavily with sport culture and aesthetics. It is a collection of ideas that attempt to bridge the way between the corporate futurism of Dubai's Palm Island and the need for artistic individuality. It tries to reconnect beauty and perfection with art, a discipline which has ignored the basic human need for (visual) excess for far too long. The lustre of highly polished lacquered MDF is as alluring as the sheen of marble, composites are stronger than gilded wood and CGI images printed on polyester hold as much truth (or lies) as oil on canvas. Kitsch and fashion, carbon fibre and marble, digimodernism and megalomania. The best solution to sustainability is making works worthy of worship.
The exhibition will showcase CGI prints of concepts occupying the middle territory between artistic sculptures and high-end designer furniture, a set of prints examining the extremes of human anatomy and an IRL fitness sculpture/object designed for contemporary body modification where shape trumps substance. What is the body of tomorrow, how to make peace with photoshopped imagery, and how to suppress fear that prevents us from surrendering to the ideology of power and wealth? Classical concepts and bourgeois aesthetics in the age of computer render. How to stop worrying and love the (Dubai) future.
Kladnik & Neon are an art/design duo, consisting of Jaka Neon and David Kladnik. After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, they founded Kitsch Nitsch studio in 2006 and have since been working as illustrators, set designers and artists. They create cgi graphics and concepts for contemporary corporate and nouveau riche paradigm. They took part in various group exhibitions: Laserski samit jeftine grafike, Biennale of Independent Illustration, animation project BYOB, project BART.SPACE, and held individual exhibitions: Virtuelle Bourgeoise and Virtuelle Paradis. Their work has been published in various books: Design Genius, Brand Spaces, Graphics in., NEON and magazines: Kaleidoscope, Pencilcase, WorkShop, AIT, Frame, IdN.
Curated by: Jure Kirbiš
The project is supported by: Ministry of Culture RS, Municipality of Maribor, 507 Studio, Aereform, Orodjarstvo Kosec, Kamnoseštvo Radovan, Kauch, Radgonske gorice
High resolution images:
