Over the years your artworks have been showcased in several group exhibitions, both in Malta and abroad, and Far But Close was recently selected for exhibition at the Florence Contemporary Gallery: how do you consider the nature of your relationship with your audience? By the way, as the move of Art from traditional gallery spaces, to street and especially to online platforms — as Instagram — increases, how would in your opinion change the relationship with a globalised audience? Joyce Camilleri: The current situation has definitely called for novel measures, where art can still be enjoyed from the comfort of one’s home. I view these virtual exhibitions as a positive experience for I am taking the opportunity to expand my international network of contacts within the artistic field and hopefully collaborate on more tangible projects once the situation has improved worldwide. In spite of this I yet admit that I miss going to exhibitions, viewing the work in real life, observing the artworks up close and meeting the artists face to face. Such intimate encounters with the arts can hardly be replaced by a screen, for the arts are a phenomenon that can scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
only be fully appreciated in the proper sites that are meant to host them like museums, galleries and public spaces among others. scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Joyce Camilleri Land
We have really appreciated the multifaceted nature of your artistic research and before leaving this stimulating conversation we would like scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
to thank you for chatting with us and for sharing your thoughts, Joyce. What projects are you currently working on, and what are some of the ideas that you hope to explore in the future? Joyce Camilleri: I am currently collaborating with Muza, The National Museum of Fine Arts in Malta on an artist in residence programme. The museum gave me the opportunity to use their Community Space and transform it into my very own studio throughout the weeks between the 23rd April to the 30th May 2021. This residency is unfolding into an inspiring experience, as this historical site acts as a platform to introduce my artistic process to the public, whilst also showcasing different works from one week to the next. Due to covid restrictions the residency started when the museum was still closed, a short initial phase that proved to be beneficial as I had time to settle in the provided space and get the process started at my own pace. Visitors can now visit this temporary studio space and participate in this art project as they share their views and seek answers to their questions with regards to my work. I look forward to other similar experiences both locally and abroad both on my own as well as in collaboration with other fellow artists. Joyce Camilleri scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
Hello Krista and welcome to LandEscape. Before starting to elaborate about your artistic production and we would like to invite our readers to visit https://www.krista-gurcka.com in order to get a wide idea about your artistic production, and we would start this interview with a couple of questions about your multifaceted background. You have a solid formal training and you gold a a BA (Hons) in Photography, that you received from the prestigious Kingston School of Art, London: how did those formative years influence your evolution as an artist? Moreover, how does your cultural substratum due to your Latvian roots and your current life in the United Kingdom direct the trajectory of your current artistic research? Krista Gurcka: As an introduction to this interview I would like to say a big thank you for featuring me in your LandEscape Magazine as I love to share my work with the hope of the readers seeing my vision. Studying at Kingston School of Art has allowed me to really explore my work with no Krista Gurcka (b. 1996, Vergale, Latvia) is a London based visual photographer, whose work explores culture, landscape, environmental sustainability and community. Krista received a BA (Hons) in Photography graduating from Kingston School of Art, London, UK in (2018). The never ending change of landscapes is what draws Krista to travel, documenting its shift and impact on our communities while photographing the every day surrounding areas. This curiosity of movement has lead to an array of projects, that explore the human interaction with the natural while bringing in a new perspective of the environmental issues that may arise. Krista’s dynamic vision aims to highlight the strength and beauty of the land while displaying the negative and positive effect of the societies interactions upon the natural. An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected] Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW LandEscape meets Krista Gurcka
WOULD YOU LIKE THAT HERE WE INCLUDE A PHOTO OF YOU?
boundaries as every other project was set for the students to manage themselves - this allowed us to come together in groups and work towards something that we were all very passionate about and I believe this also boosted our creativity as we were given full power over how far we can take a project. Which initially allowed for me to discover that I am very drawn to nature, as I had moved from a small town in Latvia to a big city such as London at the age of 11, my whole world had changed. Later on in the years I felt that the longer I was living in the city something was missing, so I went on travel adventures to see what that was and through being able to see all the landscapes of other countries I went to ‘I fell in love’ again with the rural space. For this special edition of LandEscape we have selected The Other Side, a stimulating project that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article. What has at once captured our attention of your work is the way it invites the viewers to explore the bond between the environment and communities that inhabit it, highlighting the complexity of the relationship between local sociopolitical situation and the theme of environmental sustainability. Krista Gurcka: When walking our readers through the genesis of The Other Side, would you tell us something about your usual setup and process? I have been fortunate enough to figure out my ideas and the theme of what my photography is from a young age while traveling and exploring what my practice is during my studies in College and University, therefore I no longer plan where and what I will be photographing. I let the journey take me with it, as my intuition and eyes work together in order to realise exactly what is happening in certain areas within my travels, while also talking with the locals and going on journeys on my own or with a group to think and two fully observe the space I am in. Then comes the photography, I shoot as I go of what I see and what’s in the moment as it captures the realness of the location I am in. This allows the viewers to experience it in the same way as I am making them feel like they are with me. Your works seem to be laboriously structured to pursue such effective and at the same time thoughtful visual impact: what was your working schedule like? Did you carefully plan each shot? Krista Gurcka: My work consists of shooting on the go and letting my viewers come along on a journey with me through my travels, exploring the landscapes as they are In their most natural way. I believe through traveling and just shooting I have managed to pick up my photography style, therefore my work is not structured at all. I want to be able to show the world in its most natural state including the social and global issues happening in the areas photographed Krista Gurcka scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
as this provides the realness and truth that we need to see. As you have remarked in your artist's statement, you the never ending change of landscapes draws you to travel, documenting its shift and impact on communities. Your works draw heavily from the peculiar specifics of the environment: how do you select the specific locations and how do they affect your creative process? Krista Gurcka: As mentioned earlier my work is very free-flowing I let the place guide me rather than selecting destinations, as the whole purpose of my work is about boosting natures natural side. I believe the environment helps me, due to its colours and structures as well as the mood the space holds allows me to connect within. It is essential to feel the landscape in order to be able to create that effect of strength that it holds and bring viewers into what it feels like while being there. For an example my ‘Pyroxene’ project focuses on mostly how the natural habitat claims its own identity so most of the images consist of huge forms and natural structures that have not been edited or staged where the images are so centred on the landscape itself it makes the viewers feel small allowing for nature to show its masculinity. We appreciate the way you sapiently combined sense of beauty with the urgence to raising awareness in the viewers. In this sense, we dare say that you used beauty as a tool to scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
Krista Gurcka scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
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Krista Gurcka scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land reach the depths of consciences, in order to sensitise the viewers: do you agree with this analysis? In particular, how do you consider the role of aesthetics playing within your artistic research? Krista Gurcka: Yes, I agree with this statement, due to the simple fact of believing in energy and it aligning itself naturally. Once the viewers see the images there is always something there for them to connect with even with the most simple image on view. But once they connect your senses instantly start to heighten and you want to explore more about the place, its beauty and why that image was taken. I want my viewers to be drawn to something because they want to not because they have to. The aesthetic itself of my work consists of colourful imagery, bright and bold natural landscapes as this allows for the viewers to be more drawn to the subject as well as the main focus within the photograph which is to allow nature speak for itself. Through your artistic production you explore the themes of culture, landscape, environmental sustainability and community. Many contemporary artists, such as Thomas Hirschhorn and Michael Light, use to include socio-political criticism and sometimes even convey explicit messages in their artworks: As an artist particularly interested in bringing in a new perspective to environmental issues, do you think that artists can raise awareness to an ever-growing audience on topical issues that affect our ever-changing society?
Krista Gurcka: I believe we can make a difference, as even the smallest event or project can bring something positive to someone due to the snowball effect. All things start small but once more people start to believe and join together as a group the bigger the impact and change on environmental issues. Us artists have a huge use of social media platforms where we can playfully create narratives and stories to introduce to our viewers which is a huge opportunity in order to educate people as well as with getting them involved within art shows / exhibitions and events that could help raise awareness. Some artists have even gained access to much higher companies and organisations such as within the government and local authorities who have helped artists show their work on a much bigger scale, as well as receiving help and funds to create art and events with, which is such a huge accomplishment and shows that we can do it with enough dedication and hopefully this will be my journey in the future too. We appreciate the way your works capture surrounding life of such unique landscapes, to address the viewers to appreciate also ordinary aspects of life: how important is for you to highlight such little as epiphanic details of the landscapes that you capture? Krista Gurcka: Capturing the hidden and the ordinary as well as the unseen areas and objects in my photos is the true form of my photography style, as they display real factors scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
Krista Gurcka scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
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scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Krista Gurcka Land of what is happening around the world. I believe most every day photographs only focus on the pretty side of the area and forget to highlight the communities and truth about our landscapes. Therefore I believe by introducing this aspect within my images and storyline highlights the real importance. This form of photography is also a way for me to help my viewers connect back within the natural, as we have become so technology consumed that we have forgotten to look around or just sit back and observe what we have. This is a way for people to get grounded and find beauty within the ordinary so I hope they take it in as much as they can even if its for a few minutes. Another interesting project of yours that has particularly impressed us and that we would like to introduce to our readers is entitled Pyroxene, a stimulating series that unveils the aesthetic potential of Canary Island's wild landscape, and that has particularly fascinated us for the way it shows the relationship between the environment and its inhabitants. An important aspect of your artistic research is centered on the exploration of the human interaction with the natural: how does your everyday life's experience as a traveller fuel your creative process? Krista Gurcka: Curiosity is the key, it keeps me alive and exploring - constantly learning new aspects and ideas of what life is. Without this I would have never been able to go deep with my research and learn the truth about society and how affected communities are. It’s like a scientific experiment coming up with solutions, seeing how two things work together ( such as landscapes and communities ) or by simply throwing two
together and waiting for an outcome and ways to see what works best. This way of photography allows me to talk with locals and go in freely with my subjects and what I am photographing as this does not take away from the fun of it - it helps me naturally come up with ideas and solutions. Manipulation in visual arts is not new, but digital technology has extended the range of possibilities in the field of Photography: as a visual artist who started her journey with an analogue camera, how do you consider the role of technology playing within your artistic practice? Krista Gurcka: As much as I love my analogue camera and the authenticity it brings to my photography, I also love technology. It allows us to go further and show more of what has never been seen before such as aerial shots of landscapes - I believe this is the strongest point of showing change as it covers such a vast area of land in a simple and quick way. Furthermore, I don’t delve too much into who has the best quality camera or holds the most expensive equipment I believe it is more about the idea behind the work it shows the artist cares. Then once the idea is perfected I believe its right to make sure that the work catches up to it also - its detail and production depending on how big your work is and to ensure it is represented to its best potential as the visual side will hold great weight and the rest may follow. scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Krista Gurcka Land
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Over the years you have produced a number of publications including Pyroxene (2018) and The Other Side, and you also participated to a number of group and solos in London: how do you consider the nature of your relationship with your audience? By the way, as the move of Art from traditional gallery spaces, to street and especially to online platforms — as Instagram — increases, how would in your opinion change the relationship with a globalised audience? Krista Gurcka: My relationship with the audience is quite inviting I would say, I usually make myself present at events or exhibitions so that people can come and speak with me to get to know me or my work in more detail. But as we are evolving into the digital world faster than ever I believe it is important to ensure we stay connected and post daily on platforms such as Instagram - it has also become much harder to stand out on social media as an upcoming photographer so it is all about the work you put into it such as advertising and engaging! For some social media seems daunting but it is all about adaptation and knowing what works best for you, some artists only post images of their work and some introduce themselves and some just have an amazing portfolio that pops and they instantly get likes! So don’t give up and experiment see what works see what does not and keep it going - as I am still figuring it out myself so don’t let it bring you down. P.S you can check out my work @belles.studios. Krista Gurcka scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
We have really appreciated the multifaceted nature of your artistic research and before leaving this stimulating conversation we would like to thank you for chatting with us and for sharing your thoughts, Krista. What projects are you currently working on, and what are some of the ideas that you hope to explore in the future? Krista Gurcka: Of course, it has been a pleasure to talk with you and share my thoughts, I hope you and the readers have enjoyed this and can all take a bit of knowledge away from it. Currently, I am working on a solo exhibition and a project that explores travel during COVID 19 and how this has affected our communities as most countries abroad main income consists of tourism. So keep posted on my social media accounts as well as my website for more information. Krista Gurcka scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected]
Hello Niko and welcome to LandEscape. Before starting to elaborate about your artistic production and we would like to invite our readers to visit http://niko.me.uk in order to get a wide idea about your mulifaceted artistic production, and we would start this interview with a couple of Niko Kapa is an interdisciplinary artist, the essence of who’s work lies in experimentation, exploration of emotion and the projection of identity in space. Guided by his architectural background, he considers that environment is not something static, but is constantly reconfigured through its intercorrelation with people. He is concerned with the expressive and associative potential of art, perceiving artworks as fundamental spatial explorations, capable of describing experiences while manifesting their interrelationship to life. In his practice, object is treated as a metaphor of the human being, by linking place and its constituents directly to behaviour and activity. Using observation of surroundings, Niko seeks to discover and create new possible worlds and surprising multisensory occurrences. Studying impressions generated by spatial relations allows him to describe the vibrancy of being as expressed by people’s acts. Niko is not just trying to depict and outline form, but the function and life imprints which bear witness to actions. His work aspires to reveal the way presence or absence becomes the tool of understanding our settings, seeking to find links between activity and creation of territory. Considering of the world as an extension of our physical bodies, he is attentive to human behaviour as revealed through the contact of individuals and their backdrop. In that sense he aspires to connect architect’s and artist’s point of view in his practice which focuses primarily in shaping space and its components rather than shaping form. Niko’s works attempt to initiate a connection of what is tangible and intangible, providing an intimate insight to creative procedure through craftsmanship, while withholding individual evidence of their construction. Combining traditional sculptural materials such as clay, plaster, concrete and steel, along with mechanical devices and electronics, enables him to blur the boundaries between creative and technical language as a way to link his interests on both fields of Fine Art and Architecture. This combination is further enhanced with the introduction of organic matter, referring to the exploration of the presence of corporeal in space and the relation of the two. Balancing different methods of expression, he tries to encourage the interdisciplinary interaction that is central to his objectives, investigating the interrelationships between people, space and time and the ways traces and memory capture life and emotion. An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected] Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW LandEscape meets Niko Kapa
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questions about your multifaceted background. You have a solid formal training in Architecture: how did those formative years influence your evolution as an artist? In particular, are there any experiences that did particularly help you to develop your attitude to experiment with different artistic disciplines? Niko Kapa: As an architect a significant part of my work consists of independently researching ideas, striving constantly to expand and improve efficiency in a diverse profession. From my perspective physical works are nodes in the ongoing activity of knowledge production, underlining the experimental nature of art and architecture. One of the great virtues of art is its potential to let us see the world through different eyes, enabling us to keep moving and push the boundaries of knowledge. I believe that art is not exclusive or limited in a closed sphere but reaches beyond. It can engage with architecture, science and design offering ground to be explored. Investigating architecture’s ability to communicate cultural content, I have developed a specific attentiveness in interface of architectural traditions of craft, materiality, pattern and the ways material effects can be tuned to human occupancy. Through my work I try to find points of contact between the world of art, science and technology. Following a creative approach lead by experience rather than a fixed discipline, I experiment with a variety of materials, processes and environments in fields of interest ranging from architecture, industrial design, installation and art. For this special edition of LandEscape we have selected My City, a stimulating project that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article, and that has at once impressed us for the way it unveils the connection between space and human nature, highlighting the ubiquitous bond between the categories of space and time. the genesis of My City, would you tell us something about your usual setup and process? In particular, do you create your works gesturally, instinctively? Niko Kapa: It all starts from observation. Using observation of surroundings, I seek to discover and create new possible worlds and surprising multisensory occurrences. Studying impressions generated by spatial relations allows me to describe the vibrancy of being as expressed by people’s acts. I am not just trying to depict and outline form, but the function and life imprints which bear witness to actions. ‘My City’ aspires to reveal the way presence or absence becomes the tool of understanding our settings, seeking to find links between activity and creation of territory. The concept of repetition was also of primal importance in the particular project since it explores the repeated motion through public space in order to investigate alternative ways of experiencing the familiar. Despite the fact that works require extensive planning, I keep investing on the power of instinct that is informing artistic decisions. In that Niko Kapa scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition sense the final result is always set against personal expectations and the activity is constantly re-evaluated throughout the making process. We have particularly appreciated the way your artworks accomplish the difficult task of going beyond the dichotomy between space and time, establishing such a bridge between such apparently distant categories, to become solid containers of memories and emotions: since for My City you expressly drew from your life in London, we would like to ask you how does your everyday life's experiences, as an architect and an artist — as well as your personal memories — fuel your creative process. Moreover, how does your cultural substratum due to your Greek roots and your current life in Dubai and in London address your current artistic research? Niko Kapa: I perceive place as an extension of self. The space in which we live and grow sends countless stimuli and creates a form of communication with the relation being reciprocal. Individuals influence their environment to turn it into an effective receptor of own activities, as much as the environment itself directs or limits to specific responses. As I am exposed in diverse environments, gradual absorption of the habitual reshapes my identity fuelling my work with such change. Moreover, our relationship with history changes constantly. My recent work draws from interaction with my culture more evidently, since I believe that cultural expression can capture through history the evolution of the human species. Inclined
Niko Kapa scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Breaths, from My City series
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Niko Kapa scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land towards introversion, my practice investigates ways cultural identity shapes individual identity while commenting on the overwhelming desire to belong. Being an expatriate and continuously on the move, I am referencing tradition as a way to trace origins and consider how the past impacts upon the present. Thus, I recover and reinvent traditional techniques instilling own physical presence into them, as a way to include the creator’s consciousness in the final result. Each of your artworks seems to be meticolously conceived and laboriously crafted, highlighting the fact that a work of art — besides any retrospective look at its ever-present philosophical aspects — is a physical artefact with tactile qualities. In this sense, we dare say that your artworks expore the connection between what is tangible and intangible to rediscover the concept of materially: how important is for you to highlight the physical aspect of your artworks? In particular, how important is intuition in your creative process? Niko Kapa: For me physicality reflects a notion of control and is a critical aspect of my practice. ‘Fight’ with the material is solidified to a tangible entity, which in turn becomes a container of repetitive and explorative actions. Maintaining an enduring preoccupation to find purpose in the procedure of interacting with matter my works solidify this personal relationship. Outlined by materiality and gestures, exploration of human activity is seen as an extension of self, aiming to provide an innermost insight
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition into the artist’s creative exercise. Always preoccupied with the medium’s potential, artefact is used as continuance of the body, dealing with the link between myself and physicality of the object. Performance-based artworks are concerned with the ‘making’ and how creator’s acts can be defined as the actual work of art, encapsulating its existence as a raw process, extensions of body movements. Retaining marks of working, emotion and frustration, I try through intimate pieces to intertwine the psychological with the physical, as surface and mass is traced by evident human resonance. Investing in the realm of craft, a hand in action highlights the sense of touch with the subject as personal traces of gestures are captured in Tough from Traces and Surfaces series Autograph from Traces and Surfaces series
Niko Kapa scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Time#2 from Traces and Surfaces series
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the works providing evidence of individual identity and expression. As an artist particularly interested in human behaviour as expressed through the contact between people and their surroundings, how do you consider the role of the exhibition space, as bearer of semantic value? In particular, what kind of experience do you aim to encourage your audience to receive? Niko Kapa: Art it is not about reality but its perception. I believe that any kind of creative work should be open to interpretation regardless of substantive merit. The way an artwork is perceived and processed shouldn’t be directed by its originator. Referring to the notion of ‘museum’ or ‘gallery’ as places of adding value to artefacts, the concept of meaning and rationale arises from the relationship between artist and audience. Worth is something manufactured by context and in case of the exhibition space the context itself is enough to strengthen the role of an artwork irrespective of other qualities which might or might not possess. While concepts of value and purpose are central to my practice, I don’t have a clear perspective of what is art, so in that sense my work does not intend to be didactic. I am more interested in the power of ‘statement’ and the rendition of the ‘incident’. We have really appreciated the vibrancy of delicate, thoughtful nuances that mark out your Traces and Surfaces series: how does your own psychological make-up determine the nuances of tones that you decide to include in your artworks? Niko Kapa: Showing an interest in personalizing the mark, process-based pieces transform body energy and inner turmoil to celebrate temporary liberation from anxiety. Sometimes artwork emerges out of sheer boredom. Panels become receptacles of discharge reflecting a form of vandalism against own work. Exemplifying gestural strength actions are instinctive and informed by the effectiveness of raw process. Creation and destruction coexist clashing with each other to convey the power of emotion. Here the trace functions as a signature as the body rhythm is projected on the surfaces of industrial components. Concerned with materiality and procedure while engaging with object’s physicality, gesture disrupts the perfectness of construction materials exploring the possibilities spontaneity is able to offer. Conceived as mental and emotional landscapes such arrangements provide multiple perspectives at once, being demonstrative of the experimentation among dimensions and physical presence. Evident of activity blending natural and humanmade, representation of time becomes co-dependent of wrinkled emotions materialized through eroding forces impacting on matter. Defined by their own inherent dynamics, these are compositions one can observe self-evidently uncovering the way they were formed and occupy space. Perceiving such pieces as explorations of human body’s presence in space, records of activity are seen as purified expression similar to Lucio Fontana’s works which exemplify importance of art as gesture. Industrial materials evocative of construction processes establish a formality merely to be Niko Kapa scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
destroyed by artist’s acts that structure the composition. Dynamic in their configuration these primarily artistic experiments are expressing frustration, anxiety and anger through the use of demarcation introducing the element of deterioration. As raw matter intersects with collision forces, accident informs the work accumulating time and actions into surfaces that are highly individual. In the words of Arshile Gorky: ‘abstraction is the emancipation of the mind’. The works from your Traces and Surfaces series has fascinated us for the way they invite the viewers to look inside of what appear to be seen, rather than its surface, providing the viewers with freedom to realize their own perception. Austrian Art historian Ernst Gombrich once remarked the importance of providing a space for the viewers to project onto, so that they can actively participate in the creation of the illusion: how important is for you to trigger the viewers' imagination in order to address them to elaborate personal interpretations? In particular, how open would you like your works to be understood? Niko Kapa: Perception is always contaminated. Personal interpretation is inherent in both the creation process and its ‘consumption’ by audience. For me there is no such thing as misinterpretation. I believe in individuality. When people fail to understand the purpose or even the subject of my work they exercise the same right I have on every facet of the world surrounding me. I don’t think art can be perceived by purely intellectual means and therefore I consider expression more important than communication. The role of either ‘viewer’ or ‘participant’ is something to be decided by audience and not the artist. Treating perception as a building experience I look into the scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Grid#1 from Traces and Surfaces series
potential of art to convey emotions of confusion. In the particular series, the strong sense of witnessing the unfolding of an act in process becomes evocative of universal emotions. The viewing condition of the surface and the way it curtails physical movement examines the strength of subjective interpretation. In that sense I am interested in work able to construct its own situation, investing on the aspect of scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Niko Kapa Land
individualism as demonstrated by Abstract Expressionists and their relationship with anxiety. The gestures dominating the composition trigger a primal relation with the world articulating the correlation between body and space. Negotiation of uncertainty takes place through different methods of distorting, since emotion itself scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Time#1 from Traces and Surfaces series
is a power of distortion. Allowing for a degree of improvisation during the course of execution, chance incidents activate surfaces as diverse ways to express my presence in an effort to visually represent such distortions. Symbols play an important role in your practice, and your artworks achieve the difficult task of expanding our traditional living space, turning it into a large-scale, panoramic vision that provide the viewers with such an immersive visual experience: how do you consider the role of metaphors playing in your artistic practice? And how important is for you to create artworks rich of allegorical qualities? Niko Kapa: Art is a journey of seeking. It is a sophisticated method of encryption. Therefore, artworks have to be creations of mysterious nature. Examining the language of representation, in my work symbols become representative of complex psychological states. Deeply intrigued by history as well as the dichotomy among old and new, with the use of symbolism I explore how images relate to memory allowing for alternative interpretations. I am interested in the feeling of obscurity by evoking a sense of puzzlement through allegories, since the symbolically shaped can challenge limits of perceiving. Open to serendipity, the viewer’s perspective is set against the creator’s intention, while audience is inclined to find significance of their own. Through the use of symbolism and artisanal production, I see my works as contemporary explications of the ancient and primal, able to establish a dialogue between the past and the present. You are an established artist: among the others, you received the IAI Award, Niko Kapa scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
Gesture from Traces and Surfaces series
Shanghai and the iF Design Award, Munich, and over the years your artworks have been showcased in a number of occasions, including your participation to the Biennale, Dnipro Art Museum, Ukraine and the International Crafts Fair, Munich Trade Fair: how do you consider the nature of your relationship with your audience? By the way, as the move of Art from traditional gallery spaces, to street and especially to online platforms — as Instagram — increases, how would in your opinion change the relationship with a globalised audience? Niko Kapa: Duchamp believed that the artwork is completed with the scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Blades from Traces and Surfaces series
participation of audience and obviously this point of view is shared by many artists. Globalization widens access and makes expression of opinion much easier, but this idea of inclusiveness can be misleading for both creator and spectator. For me the physical relationship with work is very important and so is the time investing to ‘unfold’ them. Some of my pieces are intentionally more open than others and the degree of penetration plays crucial role in defining their nature. Artworks which are difficult and demanding maintain effectively individual perspective of their originator, requiring informed and patient audience. Claiming viewer's cooperation while challenging Niko Kapa scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
their expectations can be more rewarding for the recipient. I don’t believe in ‘transparent artworks’. We have really appreciated the multifaceted nature of your artistic research and before leaving this stimulating conversation we would like to thank you for chatting with us and for scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition #2 from Everything series