Solo exhibition “Hommage to the Invisible”, 2011

Gallery Dogadjanja, Zagreb, Croatia

Mario Matoković, a young artist, introduces himself to us with his first independent project, an installation of light and ambiance, which represents a sublimation of his artistic explorations and interests thus far. During his creative development, this author experimented with various possibilities of the medium of graphic, which he then combined with other artistic disciplines in an interdisciplinary manner, expanding it to the area of artistic installation and video-art. Although young, this artist has already succeeded in creating mature and articulated works, whose ambition is to establish him within the artistic system of socially engaged artists. His delving into social issues in his work 1/318658 represents a piercing cut aimed at the sick social spheres, and communicates the omnipresent and ever-increasing problem of unemployment and poverty, whereas the title of the work reflects the number of people without jobs in the country at that given moment. In the work Barrel he meditates on how to graphically print parts of a barrel, thus at the same time affirming a kind of ready-madein graphic, and utilizing a play on words in the title, alluding to the increasingly unstable situation concerning the price of a barrel of oil on the free market.His exhibited installation Crosses serves as a hommage to the cross and gerist – the structural axes of every classical sculpture, small pieces which form their structural foundation, and without which a sculpture would not be able to function. While creating this work, the artist pondered on how to accentuate the importance of the cross, this unseen but exceptionally important little piece, trying to give it a monumental character, and put it on the pedestal of a “real” sculpture. Thus the motif of the cross became the bearer of the work itself, which has been transpossessed to the level of spatial idea. From the structural, “secondary” function, the little cross has become the basic concept of the work and the primary focus of this space-light installation. The author has created this hanging installation from an array of rough wooden tablets bound together by wire, which he then arranged in the form of a cross. However, only by a powerful beam of light that floods the installation from a centrally positioned source, is the work given its full dramatic entity. The result is a never-ending chain of wondrous and shifting combinations of reflections on the walls in a dynamic play of light and shadow. Analogous to the Oriental shadow theatre, Mario’s installation evokes the image of a forest of somewhat bizarre cross-like forms, which, when observed from a close distance, due to the wire wound around them, acquires vaguely unpleasant connotations. By circling the installation, the viewer is drawn into its magic by intervening into it, and becoming an integral part of the work, which is transformed in front of our eyes with his every step, dissolving and transfusing into new forms. This way the work acquires a wide range of diverse forms that depend on the angle it is viewed from, and the perceptive sensibility of the viewer.The symbolism of the cross has extraordinary power and dates back to the earliest history. Ever since primordial times it has represented a symbol of immortality, dualism of nature, and the unanimity of contrariety. To the ancient Egyptians it served as a symbol of life, and combined with the circle, as a symbol of immortality. The ancient Greeks perceived it as four basic elements of creation, and to the Buddhists it represented a symbol of abstinence. The motif of the swastika has been used by the Hindu as a symbol of power, magic, and the goddess Kali, which the Nazis then usurped as their own infamous emblem. While the Romans used the cross as a torture device, to the Christians it became one of the most revered religious symbols. In a metaphorical sense, the cross is a symbol of absoluteness and our union with eternity, a link between Heaven and Earth, a bond between Nature and that which transcends it. However, being intrigued by the cross itself and its ability to become a powerful expressive motif by the addition of dramatic lighting, the author was not primarily motivated by Christian symbolism while creating the work. Nevertheless, as it is profoundly rooted in our subconsciousness as such, it is virtually impossible to avoid this connection.With his new work, Mario Matoković has established himself as an intriguing artistic persona, engaged in reevaluating reality and society that surround him, using the medium of graphic as a foundation for further creative explorations in various media. With this installation of light and ambiance, he proved that he had taken a new creative path, and it is our sincere hope that he would continue this successful streak, steered by his very high criteria.

 

Text by Ivana Gabrić, 2011

Samostalna izložba “Hommage nevidljivom”, 2011

Galerija Događanja, Zagreb, Hrvatska

Mladi umjetnik Mario Matoković predstavlja nam se svojom prvim samostalnim projektom, svjetlosnom i ambijentalnom instalacijom koja čini sublimaciju njegovih dosadašnjih umjetničkih istraživanja i interesa. U svom kreativnom hodu, ovaj autor je eksperimentirao s različitm mogućnostima grafičkog medija kojeg je interdisciplinarno kombinirao s ostalim likovnim disciplinama proširivši ga na područja umjetničkih instalacija i video-umjetnosti. Iako mlad, ovaj je umjetnik već ostvario zrele i artikulirane radove kojima se pokušava pozicionirati unutar umjetničkog sustava društveno angažirane orijentacije. Dotičući se socijalne problematike, u djelu 1/318658 oštro je kritički zasijekao u bolesne sfere društva progovorivši o sveprisutnom rastućem problemu nezaposlenosti i siromaštva, pri čemu je naziv rada zapravo broj nezaposlenih u zemlji u tom momentu. U radu Barrel promišljao je kako grafički otisnuti dijelove bačve afirmirajući svojevrsni ready-made u grafici, a s imenon rada se poigrao aludirajući na sve nestabilniju situaciju cijene barela nafte na tržištu.Izložena instalacija Križići nastala je kao hommage križu i geristu, malim dijelovima koji čine konstruktivu osnovu svake klasične skulpture i bez kojih skulptura ne bi mogla funkcionirati. Pri nastajanju rada, autor je razmišljao kako bi križiću, tom nevidljivom, ali izuzetno bitnom djeliću podario veći značaj, želeći ga monumentalizirati do uzvišenog nivoa ”prave” skulpture. Stoga je motiv križa postao nositelj cijelog rada koji je transponiran na razinu oprostorene ideje. Od konstruktivne, ”sporedne’’ funkcije mali križić je postao osnovni koncept djela i glavni fokus ove prostorno-svjetlosne instalacije.Viseću instalaciju autor je napravio od mnoštva hrapavih dašćica u formi križa povezanih žicom. No, rad dobiva svoj puni smisao upravo sa snažnim mlazom svjetlosti koja, centralno pozicionirana, dramatično obasjava instalaciju. Rezultat je beskonačan niz začudnih promijenjivih kombinacija refleksija na zidovima u dinamičnoj igri svjetla i sjena. Poput istočnjačkog teatra sjena, Mariova instalacija podsjeća na šumu pomalo bizarnih križolikih formi koje izbliza, zbog žice koja ih omotava, dobiva pomalo neugodne konotacije. Obilazeći oko instalacije, posjetitelj biva uvučen u njenu magiju, intervenira u nju te postaje konstitutivnim dijelom rada koji se svakim korakom pred našim očima transformira, rastače i pretapa u nove forme. Na taj način rad dobiva najrazličitije moguće vizure, ovisno o kutu promatranja i perceptivnoj senzibilnosti posjetitelja.Simoblika križa ima izuzetnu snagu i datira u najdavniju povijest. Od praiskona, predstavljao je simbol besmrtnosti, dualizama u prirodi i jedinstva suprotnosti. Drevnim Egipćanima je služio kao simbol života, a u kombinaciji s krugom i kao simbol besmrtnosti. Starim Grcima je predstavljao četiri osnovna elemenata stvaranja, a budistima je služio kao simbol odricanja. Hindusi su koristili motiv svastike kao simbol moći, magije i božice Kali, a nacisti su ga preuzeli kao svoj omraženi amblem. Dok je Rimljanima križ služio kao sredstvo za mučenje, kršćanima je postao jedan od najvažnijih vjerskih simbola. U metaforičkom smislu, križ je simbol potpunosti i našeg jedinstva s vječnošću, spoj Neba i Zemlje, Prirode s Transcendentalnim. Iako autoru kršćanska simbolika nije bila osnovna motivacija pri osmišljavanju ovog djela već ga je više intrigirao križ koji s dramatičnim osvjetljenjem postaje snažno ekspresivni motiv, ona je ipak toliko bremenito usađena u našu podsvijest da ju je nemoguće zaobići.Mario Matoković se svojim novim radom nametnuo kao intrigantna umjetnička osobnost koja angažirano promišlja stvarnost i društvo oko sebe pri čemu mu grafički medij služi kao osnova za daljnja kreativna istraživanja u različitim medijima. Ovom ambijentalnom i svjetlosnom instalacijom dokazao je da je krenuo pravim stvaralačkim putem, a mi se nadamo da će tako i nastaviti vodeći se i dalje svojim vrlo visokim kriterijima.

Ivana Gabrić, 2011.