Konstantin Mindadze - Matters of Dark and Irresistible
"Matters of Dark and Irresistible" [AV installation in 3 environments]
“All the things originated from the fire-root as twofold birth – in light and darkness.” - Jakob Böhme
Three years ago, my last solo project “Life-forms 2 – Deviations” ended my frequent public appearances. Yes, I have to admit that I like to drift pretty deep on various subjects – going on the edge each time, but above mentioned result was all about involuntary thoughts based on terrifying reality fact and deeds of other on which my optimistic nature disagrees. Yes, suicide is like anti-matter, paradox to so many philosophers and scientists, whoever tried to attempt to research any reasoning of such un-configurable absurd matter. In aftermath I was emotionally devastated and rejected to exhibit for some while. At least I was satisfied that damned show was over. And so I went, with no special plan, very private, dividing my time only between family and studio. Reading many scientific theories and facts raised many questions and countless possible assumptions worse of not only indirect artificial transformations. Starting from scratch again, without even realizing, I was in very early stage, developing a project which took me that long.
Being satisfied and angry about myself at the same time, maybe that comes closest if I somehow could try and describe the act of randomly stretching canvases and then ripping them right in the middle. Making holes with throwing lots of dark black pigments in of various sizes became sketches. Sculptural installation “Vesper” on which main project is constructed, represents one of my first realizations of such series of sketches. Cause of its very dark unreflective surface on a background as well on form itself – it looks like giant infinite black hole when viewing it from front. Its third dimension is only visible from sides. Animation projected on transparent holographic screen in front of a static sculpture is integral part as well. On left and right side of that main space Octagonal diptych is juxtaposed as exit and entrance into the light and dark and vice-versa – they have longest greyscale gradation of “Portal” series. On very opposite end of the setup seven unit wall sculpture “Organ-on S-3” made of dark glass and pre-programmed LED lights is synchronized on sound wave trajectory with real sound of deep space with amplified frequency – representing expansion of our universe.
There are two additional spaces which expand upon the project – contradictorily bringing multi-meanings on front. Especially diptych “I’m not” – I think it’s more about idea that; even hardcore atheist can be subconsciously sorry in some point in life (though its’ very delicate and private moment) for the sake of unknown, but its ego and ever progressing curiosities of knowing more, can’t be based on naïve or even deep philosophies as single monotonous opinion or any institutional understandings. So in that case ‘chaos’ is always ‘amplified’ and stands open to variety. In same third place is greyscale portal enhancing mystery and minor drawings on self-anger and self-overcoming.
In the first space at the entrance is variety of works, some inspired by basic scientific facts, some by fiction. Besides the thing that I’ve always wanted to paint very disturbing (like in Albert Camus “Stranger” large eye burning sun) – I’ve made a smaller one - more distant version of it. It seem to join as diptych, directly communicating words coined by Johannes Kepler - “The perihelion of any orbit of a celestial body about the Sun is the point where the body comes closest to the Sun. It is the opposite of aphelion, which is the point in the orbit where the celestial body is farthest from the Sun.”
Works like “Methane” and “Chlorine” are more about inevitability of some chemical elements for existence of such incidental life. Unlike difference in experience between observer and explorer, my existed work “Black sphere” (created with real meteorites) fitted on black textural plain “Tourbillon Noir”. Thinking lately so much about spacetime, relativity and our tiny existence in it – I’ve once reimagined visually clusters of dark energy and matter with billions of galaxies to kind of large living anatomical organism, like infinities of macrocosm and microcosm. So I’ve made my little model – sculptural object called “Unknown Genetics” with my blood specimens and DNA inside selfenlighten polyester cast.
Hexagonal spectrum triptych “…And all the rest is sense” made of oil paint, wax and amber solution is only work which has accumulated all the visible colors – all the rest we sense or even not. But in general everything is now mainly grayscale, messing around of extremes of black and white, perhaps to awake the feeling of barely visible, almost unreachable and highlight infinite encompassing’s of arcane dimensions. In such way I’m coming back to life.
Konstantin Mindadze © 2019
Photo Credit: Angus Leadley Brown