Lora Dimova & Leda Vaneva: Hybrid Existence is on view at Helsinki Art Museum, Helsinki
April 30 – June 12, 2022
Hybrid Existence explores the human self as a fluid construct, an expression beyond the parameters of the physical body. The works reflect on various manifestations and transformations of the self, on the relationship between the diverse spaces which humans occupy, and how these environments reshape the perception of how we see ourselves. The works bring together fragments of the self, navigating between the internal and external, the physical and non-physical spaces.
The works of Lora Dimova reflect on the collapse and rebuilding of structures – individual, collective, environmental. They consist of porcelain/ceramic sculptures and installation, paintings and video, exploring history and the return to something lost and forgotten. The work traces the metamorphosis of the self, the hidden forces that operate within and around us. Lora Dimova contemplates the fragile and fleeting state of existence, the body, being part of the environment and its cycle of transformation.
“We carry within ourselves our history, our ancestors, the earth. The soil, the rocks, every piece of nature is a reflection of our existence. We are part of a continuous cycle of transformation, restructuring and refining of matter. Forms and structures collapse, in order to give space for new forms to appear. Porcelain as material very well expresses this idea. Its fragility has otherworldly beauty, as if existing in between two realities – the earthly and the divine. I find its beauty in its imperfections, in the transformations that occur during firing, in the cracks and fractures. I see in them a timeless existence. ”
Leda Vaneva’s Unfolding the Digital Self series focuses on the compound experience of the physical and the virtual, formed by the similar response of the body to both of these sensations. Through a combination of work done by hand and through digital fabrication, she outlines the fragmentation of the self and maps its connections to everything else. Leda Vaneva is fascinated to materialize the invisible, to experience and suggest a broader reality.
Lora Dimova is an artist, living and working in Helsinki, Finland. She holds MA degrees in Fine Art from Aalto University, School of Art, Design and Architecture, Finland (2015) and in Porcelain and Glass from the National Academy of Art, Bulgaria (2007). Her works are part of the collections of Korea Ceramic Foundation, Icheon, South Korea; Saga Ceramic Research Lab, Arita, Japan; ICMEA, Fuping Pottery Art Village, China, etc.
Leda Vaneva is an interdisciplinary artist based in Helsinki. She explores the principles, which guide human perceptions, their limitations and effects. Her work revolves around themes like materiality, chaos and control. She holds MA degrees in New Media (Aalto University) and Photography (National Academy of Art, Sofia, BG).
The exhibition is supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.
Contact
ham@hel.fi
Helsinki Art Museum
Eteläinen Rautatiekatu 8
00100 Helsinki
Finland
Photos courtesy of the artist and HAM gallery. Photos credits: Lora Dimova, HAM / Viljami Annanolli
Photo captions
- Lora Dimova, Origin – Aether, 2022, porcelain, glaze, sand, dimensions variable
- Lora Dimova, Reorder I, 2022, porcelain, glaze, acrylic, 83 x 53 x 5 cm
- Lora Dimova, Morphology, 2020, porcelain, glaze, luster, acrylic, 100 x 62 x 6 cm
- Lora Dimova, Reorder II, 2022, porcelain, acrylic, 66 x 62 x 6 cm
- Lora Dimova, Entangled, 2022, stoneware, glaze, oxide, 74 x 40 x 25 cm
