Duša Jesih: DAJ MI ZNAK!/GIVE ME A SIGN!, 22.2. – 15.4.2018
Z razstavo Daj mi znak! umetnica Duša Jesih javnosti predstavlja povsem nova dela, ki nadaljujejo njeno prepoznavno različico geometričnega slikarstva in jo nadgrajujejo v smeri reduciranja podob na preproste simbole. Radikalno stilizirani motivi njenih novih slik vzpostavljajo univerzalno vizualno govorico v vsej svoji dvoumnosti, brez jasno določenih pomenov.
Slike Duše Jesih so prvinski odzivi na vizualno kulturo, podvrženo kričečim in agresivnim vplivom divjega potrošništva, zato nemara namigujejo na logotipe blagovnih znamk ali ideološke simbole, vendar umetnica v duhu minimalizma in geometrizma gradi povsem svojstveno vizualno pripoved. Matematično natančne slike so odsev življenja v dobi strojev in digitalnih medijev, ki lahko mnogo natančneje kot človeška roka izrisujejo in multiplicirajo podobe, hkrati pa odražajo absurd njene lastne umetniške geste; podobe skicira s pomočjo računalniškega programa in jih nato ročno prenese na slikarsko platno. Pričujoče slike s svojo amorfno teksturo in neizbežno nenatančnostjo kljubujejo grafični uniformnosti, zato jih je moč celostno doživeti le ob neposrednem stiku z njimi.
Miha Colner
Duša Jesih (1977) je leta 2005 zaključila specialistični študij na Šoli za risanje in slikanje v Ljubljani. Študijsko se je izpopolnjevala na Cité Internationale des arts v Parizu in naposled vpisala še magistrski študij na oddelku za slikarstvo na Akademiji za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje v Ljubljani. Leta 2015 je za dosežke v slikarstvu v študijskem letu 2013-14 prejela študentsko Prešernovo nagrado. Od leta 2007 deluje kot svobodna umetnica, ki se v svoji praksi posveča predvsem slikarskemu mediju, znotraj katerega je od začetnih ekspresionističnih teženj prešla v ultimativno abstrakcijo geometričnih oblik. Navdahnjena z najbolj temeljno vizualno govorico ustvarja grafične in stilizirane podobe, ki so v današnjem preobilju vizualnega dojete kot nekakšni arhetipi sodobnega sveta. Avtorica živi in deluje v Ljubljani.
In the exhibition “Give Me a Sign” the artist Duša Jesih shows her newest works to the public. They are a continuation of her distinct geometric painting which has been refined into minimalist imagery and simple symbols. The radically stylised motifs of her latest works re-establish a universal visual language in all its ambiguity without clearly determined meanings.
A dictionary tells us that the term sign stands for an agreed upon image displaying a certain meaning. Duša Jesih follows this concept almost literally, because in her latest painting cycle she focuses on simple graphic signs which have a direct and effective influence on the viewer’s perception. Her works remind us of universal symbols, which as a part of agreed protocols, regulations and conventions became a feature of our everyday lives in the form of traffic signs, map indicators etc. Global society has been compelled to create a universal visual language which can surmount linguistic and cultural barriers. With regard to the profusion of visual messages in our public, physical and virtual world the artist rejects the explicit and unambiguous delivery of messages as is the practice of the mass media and the popular culture. Instead she embraces a radical stylisation of the image.
The paintings of Duša Jesih are the ultimate response to our visual culture
which is subject to the flashy and aggressive influences of untamed entrepreneurship. This is why her paintings allude to trademark logos or ideological symbols of frenetic consumerism. However the artist builds her unique visual narrative through the spirit of minimalism and geometry. These mathematically precise paintings are a reflection of life in the age of machines and digital media which are much more accurate in depicting and multiplying images than a human hand. At the same time they also reflect the absurdity of her own artistic gesture; she creates her images with the help of a computer programme and then hand-copies them onto the canvas. With their amorphous texture and ensuing precision these paintings defy graphic uniformity. Therefore, we can truly experience them only through a direct contact.
Miha Colner
Duša Jesih (1977) graduated from the School for Drawing and Painting in Ljubljana where she is currently completing her Master’s degree. She then attended the Cité Internationale des arts in Paris for further training and finally in Ljubljana she received a Master’s degree in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design. In 2015 she won the student’s Prešeren Prize for her Master’s degree work. Since 2007 she has worked as a free-lance artist. Her main focus is painting in which she initially demonstrated expressionist tendencies. However she later embraced the ultimate abstraction of geometric forms. Inspired by a basic visual language she creates stylised graphic images which in today’s visual cornucopia seem like some archetypes of the modern world. The artist lives and works in Ljubljana.
