The Special Award of the Tadeusz Kulisiewicz Foundation

 

Kamil Kocurek  | Poland

 

Arena 

intaglio | 2018 | 91 x 325 cm

 

The visual inspiration for my graphic installation was the aesthetics of digital imaging. The installation imitates multimedia perceptions and schemes that create an impression of three-dimensionality and illusory space. I perceive the arena as a multi-threaded and multi-context environment of mass human activity. Since ancient times, the arena has been known as a place of gladiators fights and Greek theater performances, later it served knights' tournaments, today it is a place of mass concerts, stagings, shows and sports competitions. It also functions as a substitute space, a place for exhibitions and fairs – including armaments ones. We know cases when it is directly involved in the field of war or becomes a victim of terrorist attacks or artillery fire. The view of deserted grandstands, grasslands filled with frightened viewers during past events in Paris is in a sense a symbol of present times, which illustrates the metaphorical potential of these types of places. The impressive spatial form and symbolic values ​​can harmonize with its overwhelming and dynamic graphical potential, with its pulsating rhythm, strength of contrasts and its rich structure.