We knew how to build a dam

Abstract

Dark tones of black and Indigo saturates the surface of these paintings to evoke the melanchholic mood. The phrases “We know how to build a dam” and “To stop a river from flowing”, used as titles of two small paintings, refered to Yuval Harari’s (2018) influence. In the text Harari writes that for all our knowledge, we do not have the insight of how actions will impact on the future, much like a riverbed downstream from a dam wall. The painting "The Gift" recalls a similar darkness. layered with both oil paint and encaustic (a mixture of pigment and beeswax). In "The Gift" two images once again form a dialogue: on the left, a cloth from the icon of St Stefanus and on the right, a detailed painting of a mourning pin. As with the dam walls, the narrative of an unfolding event was depicted: an incident and its repercussions are called into conversation. The works formed part of the body of research for the project "Enfolding" and revisited sites of memory.