PROJECT DESCRIPTION
With my experiences my idea going into this residency was to explore mental health on standby, and how it pertains to body image, eating disorders and the suffering mind. Standing by can be interpreted in a plethora of ways, but after conversations with Anne Labovitz and the rest of the cohort I wanted to examine the aspect of control one’s self in standby.
Anne and I were sharing our stories with mental illness and how we both had some previous experiences with drug use. I take drugs to make me thin, from laxatives, diuretics, ipecac, appetite suppressants, I use them all. Especially in a pandemic when you can not control the world around you, you focus on what you can and that for me is my body. From my experience with an eating disorder the thoughts around food, body, weight and shape consume every activity you do, and I became obsessed with pills as they helped me feel in control.
Popping Pills
Acrylic 6 x 4″
The vibrancy, smoothness and realism I can derive from acrylics tend to be the most potent
Often we neglect to examine ourselves and in my work I strive to share the most vulnerable and authentic depictions of reality to enhance our understanding of the human condition
CANADA I MULTIMEDIA ARTIST
Exploring art making as a methodology that suggests the human condition is more complex than it is currently understood, Alexandria (Ally) Zlatar examines, instigates and provokes notions of the individual experience through specifically focusing on philosophical discourse, body image, embodiment & ethics. Zlatar acknowledges there is power within the un-well body and believes there is tremendous value and potency through examining these subjects through the contemporary art lens. Born in Mississauga, Canada. She holds a BFA in Visual Art & Art History from Queen’s University & a MLitt Curatorial Practice from the Glasgow School of Art. Currently, she is a Professor at the University of Glasgow (GIC) and is pursuing her Doctorate of Creative Arts with the University of Southern Queensland. She has been involved in many exhibition creations & has had personal work shown globally.
The Last Yugoslavia
In an era of globalization, it might be thought that the age of the nation-state is dead and that conflicts surrounding national identity will be less and less important in the twenty-first century. However, it can be argued that concerns over national identity are by no means a thing of the past.
Those who live in Modern-Day Serbia, are competing with the past of the former state. This has eminent repercussions on the current climate. The current architecture and social representation of Serbia have been implying decaying remnants of former socialist glory. The project seeks to address how Modern Serbians interpret the landscape in both generic ‘national’ landscapes and specific places carry with them immense symbolic meanings and form essential elements in ‘nationalizing’ strategies (Kuzović, 2013). Using behavioral counter mapping of the former Yugoslavia, my project is exploring the territory’s history and present that will be re-reading and critically understanding the current landscape and geographic composition of Serbian cities to document and construct a new national identity in the modern era. The project will examine city planning, Brutalism architecture, and land formation to construct a new national image (Kulić, 2019). While Brutalism is famous mostly from the former Yugoslavia the remains will be re-examined through this project following cartographic images of the mountain ranges existing in the land (Kulić, 2019). The graphic renders of the Serbian mountains and architecture give the authentic and rooted representation of the current landscape while redefining and creating a new identity for those who live in a former-socialist Yugoslavia. The artistic approach is supported by research since this visual methodology best incapulstes the core objectives. Striving to examine geography, historical composition and modern representation this work gives this country a new breath of life and juxtapose past, present, and permanence.
The visual narrative at play in the creative works is very important, the lines and colors are depicting the topography of the landscape and the former landscape over the course of Yugoslavia’s legacy and geography. Yugoslavia’s three main mountainous regions occupy about 60 percent of its territory (Pecelj, 2020). The Julian Alps of Slovenia, an extension of the Italian and Austrian Alps, including Yugoslavia’s highest peaks (Pecelj, 2020). Alongside the Dinaric Alps rise dramatically along the entire 640-kilometer Adriatic coast. Colour plays an important part in these pieces since, there reference to the pan-Slavic flags’ red, blue and white, but much more muted, earthy and neutral tones. This approach allows for a fresh representation of the nation while also embracing its roots. These lines are important, they signify the core of the country, the roots, the ground. From there man has created and redefined the territory over and over again. Utilizing these elements my artistic render will create a series of artworks that represent the Serbian counter-territory and will seek to develop an in-depth understanding of the current Serbian relationship with the environment and societal feeling while raising awareness and fostering the new national identity.
