Starting from the etymological origin of the word "photography" – the term is composed of the two ancient Greek words photós (light) and graphein (write, paint, draw) – the Austrian-Bulgarian artist Borjana Ventzislavova (born 1976 in Sofia, Bulgaria, lives and works in Vienna) deals in her new series We/re nature with the interface of nature/civilization, lightness/darkness and existence/extinction. The constant pulsation of the highly technological world surrounding us has permanently separated us from nature. Surrounded by flickering screens that flood us with thousands of images, analogue, "real" experiences are increasingly becoming a scarce commodity. In We/re nature, Borjana Ventzislavova visualizes the light, which symbolizes the beginning and end of a physical existence and is the source of all life, in specific images that express this state of transition. At the heart of the project is a series of colour photographs showing a figure accompanied by light sources. By means of long exposures, the artist allows this figure to gradually "dissolve", thus evoking associations with a ghostly being that is both present and absent. Life energy is transformed into light energy and vice versa. In We/re nature, the transformation and the connection between light and matter manifest themselves in dark, enigmatic images full of suggestive-mystical power. The mixed media project includes photography, an object and light installation, and the brand new cinematic work We The Nature. Here nature is given a voice and addresses a warning plea to mankind, calling for a change in the way we treat the environment and its resources once and for all, before it is too late. This plea is accompanied by striking images of landscapes, which the artist has collected worldwide for over 10 years.

 

We The Nature, 27 min, HD, Color, Stereo

Concept, Camera, Editing, Production: Borjana Ventzislavova
Text and Adaption: Ovid Pop, Borjana Ventzislavova
Sound Design: Sebastian Meyer
2nd Camera: Maximilian Pramatarov, Iv Penev-Ventzislavov, Erin Turney
Post-Production, Visual Effects: Mladen Penev, Borjana Ventzislavova
Voiceover: Anat Stainberg
English Text Editing: Graham Parkes
German Translation: Ovid Pop, Lisa Ortner-Kreil

Curator: Lisa Ortner-Kreil

Open House Day, 23 March 2021, registration under www.kunstforumwien.at/vernissage
Online Opening, 23 March 2021, 8pm, www.youtube.com/user/BAKunstforum

 

The exhibition is open from 24 March on, free admission.

 

The project is supported by the Republic of Austria – Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport.