To “mould” is to form, shape, or model a specific object.

 

In this project, Moulding represents a visual investigation into the transformation of countries that were formerly part of the so-called ‘Eastern Bloc’, and have transitioned from communism to capitalism. The work aims to bring up neglected issues within Central Europe's contemporary society that often very much affect and put pressure on one's mental health or regular life.

 

It’s an exploration of how the current political situations in Central & Eastern Europe affect individuals, topography, and ideologies - how these apparatuses "mould" the layers of our everyday lives in different forms. Whether they are visible, direct alterations made in front of our eyes (for instance within flora & fauna, architecture, and public spaces) or more invisible, concealed policies.

 

Moulding situates itself in Slovenia, traversing from cities to small towns, or rural areas. The photographs draw a line between the past of Slovenia, its lingering ‘Yugonostalgia’ within certain generations, yet also the contemporary country and its present-day issues; such as the resonating environmental question from July 2021 of the referendum on the protection of natural water resources. By exploring the past alongside modern-day Slovenia through the eyes of a non-local, Central European individual born in Slovakia, who can somehow relate to the Slovenian environment to an extent, Moulding asks how will the near future of this country unravel itself. 

 

The work puts an emphasis on matters of “central/eastern-futurism” and the way the Central EU environment has been altered since the fall of communism.

 

 >>> The whole project is coming soon 

I. Hraničář Gallery, Fotograf Festival 2022: Common Grounding group exhibition, Ústí nad Lábem / Czechia, from 30 September 2022 until 18 January 2023, curated by Tereza Rudolf, Elisabeth Pichler, and Markéta Mansfieldová

 

View the exhibition details here

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II. Photon Gallery-Different Worlds exhibition, Vienna/Austria, curated by Špela Pipan, March 2022 - April 2022​

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III. Photon Gallery-Different Worlds exhibition, Ljubljana/Slovenia, curated by Špela Pipan, December 2021 - January 2022​

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Installation photographs provided by Photon Gallery, watch a guided tour of the exhibition here

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IV. DobraVaga Gallery-Co-Existence exhibition, Ljubljana/Slovenia, curated by Ajda Kocutar, August 2021

 

Installation photographs by Lana Špiler