Small talk

“Small talk” is a work about relationships and external forces that we allow to shape us as humans. It is about the transformations within us that happen after any interaction with the outer world. And just like small talk itself, this work thrives in ambiguity. Just like small talk it is a game – a game between a person and their environment, intimacy and detachment, distance and proximity, violence and tenderness. By moving through space the work changes itself in relation to the viewer. Any attempts to get closer and see the piece in its details are rendered futile, as the work is not a series of images (as it might appear at the first glance), but rather dots of colors, which our eyes masterfully perceive as full images by filling in the blank spaces. But both of these experiences combined are what makes this work achieve its true shape.

“Small talk” emerged from an internal struggle that I have had for the past few years but which had intensified over the last few months. I was questioning my control over the situations I found myself in and the power that I allowed other people to have over me. I wanted to become the malleable material that I felt I was and give control over my shape to someone else. While the final project is a series of images, in reality they are snapshots of a video, and I would consider the process of making this video also to be a part of the artwork. The person who I wanted to trust the role of moving my body was my then partner. But in between conceiving the idea (and him agreeing on helping me) and the moment of actually creating the piece we had broken up. He was still open to helping me, and we proceeded as planned, which for me made this action to be not only the capturing of my transforming body but also a journey through my own emotions, making it resemble a performance piece even more than I had expected it to be. And I believe that this volatile state of our relationship has seeped into the work, and adds another layer of fluidity to the meaning.

And while the original source is a video, the snapshots are more accurate at representing our perception of what is happening, as we often slip in and out of consciousness – our self-awareness is not a constant. We might not remember the things that have happened in between, but by looking at short moments in time we can try to put everything together and try to understand how we got to the point we are at now.