Can something be so lifelike that it resembles nothing we know? What role do the effects on our various senses and empathy play in this? In addition to artistic intuition and experimentation, these questions, among others, shape intermedia artist Lili Janca's visual art project called Pacamorf.
The story began with the painting of a dream image. The painting, created based on an intense vision, was built around three elements: a space, a cage and a “living” form. Over time, the composition gradually transformed: during experimentation with different media, the space became increasingly outlined, and the form was filled with material and textures again and again. Pacamorf , the artist’s fine art and personal project, was born as the essence of this process. “The more I worked with Pacamorf, the more it took shape in me: it was no longer just an intangible form and material floating in a vacuum, but an entity. A being with its own personality and life story,” says Lili.
Initially, Pacamorf took the form of a triptych, which was followed by further paintings, sculptures, objects and animations. Today, it has become a sensitive, tangible reality: in Lili's exhibitions, she interacts with viewers as a robot that reacts to its environment. "If you see a lifelike, moving form that is not threatening - it does not attack, and even seems scared, defenseless and weaker - it can easily create a kind of interest or attachment in you. And the possibility of interaction brings you even closer to this strange creature," explains the artist .
In the narrative of the exhibition Skinned, Pacamorf's story continues to take shape. The cage motif seems to dissolve, and the entity created and continuously "educated" by the artist also appears freely. "For a long time, Pacamorf only existed in a cage for me. Now I'm looking for the moment when it wasn't like that, and when it happened," she highlights . The abstract compositions appearing in the works are shaped by objects reminiscent of childhood and evoking nostalgia. The recurring motifs in the works of art break the linearity of time and suggest the parallel existence of different scenes. " Although this art project is a kind of coming-of-age story, which brings with it a linearity, I still think that my personal coming-of-age story is not entirely that either. I think that childhood in a person often exists in parallel with the present, " Lili explains .
And what does Pacamorf symbolize according to the artist?
“Many people ask and answer this question for me. ‘Lili, look at that, that’s you!’ – they often say. There is a kind of echo in the works, and it is probably no coincidence that objects from my childhood echo in my works. I think that for the viewer, these images can give a childhood memory, a nostalgic feeling,” he says.
As he emphasizes, his artworks have evolved through technical experimentation, but in this process there is always a direction or medium that interests him the most from time to time. Currently, he focuses on creating objects. In the Printa edition space, Pacamorf's various alter egos, LACA, DADA and LAVA, take center stage. The experimental objects, covered in molded silicone shells and equipped with zippers, carry symbols of transmutation. This is reflected in the exhibition's title, Skinned , which refers both to the physical nature of the artist's latest works and to the different, overlapping layers of identity.
" Basically, I think that interesting things can result if someone deals with a topic for a long time. I somehow hope that Pacamorf will not disappear from my works, but rather transform again or crystallize better ," Lili concludes her thoughts.
–
Our exhibition Skinned – Pacamorf and the Gullible Babble can be visited until March 14th in the Printa edition space.