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November 30th – December 6th
At the beginning of the 18th century, French philosopher Julien Offray de La Mettrie presented a radical theory in his book
“Man Machine” where he actually denied the existence of the soul or any other possibility of the metaphysical. Man is in his view broken down to physical, mechanical functions and all mental processes are a consequence of the same unchangeable physical laws. La Mettrie remained a bystander in the history of the Enlightenment movement and his uncompromising atheism a barely recognized challenge to all attempts at reconciling the two worlds. It is here where the sculptures – objects of Marko Stanković, with all of their antagonism of the random and predictable, create a fine disparity between the opposing powers of construction and natural processes.
For this exhibition Stanković took the mathematical term from the theory of probability and statistics – ‘variances’ which represent the mathematical expectation of the deviation of a random variable from its mean.
The mechanical structures and moulds as representatives of a precisely defined and delineated system, together with the paraffin casts, fossil remnants from beings that long ago inhabited this planet – all contain within themselves thoughts of variability, the flow of matter and constant transformation. Unalterable physical laws that maintain a whole system in balance become practically useless in situations where matter functions according to its own rules. The coincidences that arise from multiplication and the rhythm of form repetition are all in favour of questioning these relentless processes.
The variety of casts, their unpredictability and the vast number of possible outcomes are a part of both research with form and the real-time process. These can be seen as paradigmatic examples of the arbitrariness of the contemporary world and furthermore as the fluctuation of meaning and value, especially in the field of art. The subtle differences and changes that take place in time establish new relations in regards to the unchangeable form that sculpture as media contains. Here we can draw a parallel to the natural processes of mutation and variation that constitute the core of evolution. Without these small changes, it is hard to imagine advancement and progress.
One of the key questions Marko Stanković wants to investigate is in what way form reacts when executed in a number of different media. He inquires the method in which mathematical, digital, 3D models function when they are placed into the material world. When transferred to fabric, they acquire a new form and structure that entirely depends on the attributes of the executed material. As a result, the deviations are significant, but so are the possibilities of new shapes and interpretations.
Form, as one of the central characteristics of sculpture in the works of Marko Stanković, is constantly put to the test. It is experimented with both on a macro and micro level. The transition from one aggregate state to the other and the forms produced in such a way reflect uncertainty, yet represent the foundation for investigations that are the basis of every artistic process.
Text: Saša Janjić
Photo: N. Ivanović