Residual Kinships: An exploration of Fragmented Relations Beyond the Self

Residual Kinships: Fragmented Relations Beyond the Self, curated by Mila Miloševski, encourages individuals to delve deeply into themes like residual kinships and fragmented relationships, urging them not only to observe closely but also to actively question these themes. This means to accept new perspectives and to challenge hegemonic standpoints. “The inspiration for the theme was my curiosity and reflection on my own identity as well as the relationship others have with their own identities and how that reflects in the way we go about interacting with the world around us”, the exhibition’s curator, Miloševski, argues. It is important for her to showcase a variety of artists and bring their works together under a common theme. The main premise is to highlight the growing significance of connectivity with our environment and others amidst the ongoing climate and social crises.

The online exhibition is held from the 14th of February until the 12th of April on follow.art and features a palette of diverse artworks from a variety of artists, each approaching the themes in their own unique style. Such a virtual venue was chosen by the organizers to overcome the physical constraints of offline exhibitions, which enables the display of diverse artistic pieces that range from photography and paintings to sculptures crafted from concrete.

While artist Josip Artuković describes that his “stylistic approach to photography is largely informed by the history of the medium”, Karolina Koryl’s style is inspired by browsing Tumblr and other art-related websites. “I had an amazing chance to see all the artists who are not mentioned in boring books you read at history of art classes”, she noted. The artists’ influences, spanning from Artuković’s fascination with  “1900’s crime scene photography” to Koryl’s inspiration by  the “early 2010s Internet” provide for  an interdisciplinary exhibition that invites everyone, no matter where one’s artistic interests lie, to dive into different explorations of residual kinships and fragmented relationships with oneself.

Since Residual Kinships displays a wide range of different media,  so it is no surprise that each artwork offers a unique perspective on the exhibition’s overarching themes. Cecilia Bullo explains that her inspiration for these themes stems from the core theme of ecofeminism that permeates most of her artwork. While Bullo focuses on social issues such as the intersection of ecology and feminism, Konstantins Belihs states that his art for the "Residual Kinships: Fragmented Relations Beyond the Self" show was inspired by his own feelings and experiences. “I thought about memories”, Belihs states. The exhibition thus examines the perception of one’s environment as both social and individual phenomena.

Every one of the exhibition’s artists utilizes a different medium to convey their own unique message. Each message, no matter if it alludes to  broader social context or on one’s own subconscious, is highlighted by the use of specific techniques. “Working exclusively with analogue film in the shooting process really emphasized the texture and the ambience of the feelings I was trying to represent”, Artuković explains. For her sculpture & In the Year of the Rabbit: I Was Once a Liminal Daughter, Bullo aims “to imbue the artwork with a multi-sensory experience” by combining multiple media such as bronze, porcelain, Aloe Vera extract, medical shunts, and hardware. Each technique is carefully chosen by the artists to visualize their thoughts and ideas in their own original ways. By featuring a diverse range of creatives with unique backgrounds, original ideas and distinctive artistic approaches, this interdisciplinary exhibition manages to connect a variety of individual perspectives, situating  them in the overarching context of how we see ourselves and our environment.

Residual Kinships: Fragmented Relations Beyond the Self provides a broad selection of artworks that effectively depicts the artists' subconscious thoughts and encourages a multifaceted exploration of both ourselves and our perceptions of the environment. Art enthusiasts from all around the world have the possibility to dive deep into the complexities of human perspective and to challenge dominant standpoints on human and non-human relationships. The exhibition is held from the 14th of February until the 12th of April and can be visited here.