Starting from the question of what I see when I observe a certain space, I analyze primarily visual, but also theoretical aspects of the possibility of transforming space. The concept of creating space from nothing is particularly interesting to me in the digital domain, because when we create a mental image of space, we supplement it with information stored somewhere in the subconscious, just as software can create new content from a limited set of information. Here, of course, we must distinguish between the notion of space as a physical location, and the subjective experience of space (mental, virtual, imaginary, dreamy, etc.). In my works, both are intertwined, with special emphasis on the visual aspect of the space generated by the image or video work itself.
Romana Pehar (1992, Kotor, Montenegro) completed undergraduate and specialist studies in Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje. Currently a master's degree student of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. During her undergraduate studies, she spent two semesters on an exchange at the Humboldt State University, California, USA, while during her master’s studies, she spent one semester at the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague, Czechia. She had four solo and numerous group exhibitions (Montenegro, Slovenia, Serbia, Austria, Portugal, Czechia, North Macedonia).
Suboptimal
How many invisible processes happen right before us within familiar structures which enable us a safe and comfortable being within the living space? How is that space and our relation towards it transformed when something out of the ordinary happens inside it when dormant dangers start manifesting? Questioning the space of the home and its safety, i.e. possibilities of unsafety, the artist built the space of the painting with the material which underwent different types of digital manipulation. The base material is photographic documentation of the incident in the living space, which is upgraded in the digital space. The software creates a new spatial material from the given surface, by mimicking the neighbouring space from which it draws visual information. The newly generated parcel of space is visually familiar, but it is an unresolvable reflection of the existing space. The borders of the basic place and the one that is digitally created are blurred. The interior is transformed multiple times, so any possible documentative essence of the space itself is lost, and the space of the digital painting is developed. The digital paintings are printed on paper and installed in the space on plastic foils so that they are viewed as inseparable from the space in which they are floating.
Interview
What is the language in common for the young people today?
Language is a formal system, and the question is whether what is common to young people can be systematic, or whether the diversity is too great to be simplified and generalized. In any case, if that common language exists, it is digital, encrypted, pictorial, mimetic or memetic, isolated, recorded as a voice / video message, typed, googled, symbolic, confusing ...
What does the process of making one of your pieces look like?
The works are created around some situations in space, mostly by accumulating materials and then living in limbo, which I unravel and translate into certain concepts, sketches, if necessary. Lately, I haven't actually finished any work until the exhibition comes, and I'm transforming some even after that.
Which challenges have you faced while making art as you know it?
Taking art too seriously, or completely unserious.
Do you consider yourself an artist, and what does that word mean to you?
I still don't know that.
What is your escape from reality? Do you even have a need to escape from something?
There is no escape from reality, only an escape from obligations. In that sense, cuddling and the sea, swimming and traveling, and ultimately - sleeping.
What does the word innovative mean to you?
Innovation is hard to notice and recognize as such at the moment it emerges. It takes time for innovation to be discernible. The most important thing for me is that what I do seems fresh and lively at the moment of creation, and that again there is some discomfort of the unknown. These are often good signals that something is innovative.
Do you have a plan for the future? Where can your artistic practice take you?
I'm not sure that there is an extremely ideal starting point. I tend to like to study, so enrolling in another master's or doctoral degree is not excluded.
What made the biggest influence on you to become what you are today and do what you do now?
Stress.
How would you describe Serbian (Balkan or European-depends on where you live and work) contemporary cultural scene?
I am thrilled by the alternative scene and the very good exhibition spaces. It saddens me that although there are a lot of interesting projects and individual steps forward, everything lies on the waves of personal enthusiasm, without much support from institutions.
In which way does your creative process shape you or changes you as a person, if it does at all?
Of course it changes me, my creative process varies between therapy and torture.