BLACK AND WHITE- stories for five minutes and half an hour
Visual art combines and represents different ways, methods and technique of artistic stories that is crammed into the mind of the artist and have their beginning with coordination of the ideas, tools, technical capabilities and performance.
Artists sometimes show the way that they should 'walk' to form a picture or a work of art that becomes part of communication with art lovers and visitors to exhibitions or researchers of artistic approaches.
Jerca Santej bravely reveals her way and circulation, which marks and passes her through the constant reinvention. Black-and-white instantaneous drawings, instantaneous circuits and vehement moves that more than the consciousness directs the subconscious, showing the thought process that is never started again, but constantly circulates and comes in different forms, directions and shades. Through a multitude of images which was formed rapidly, and together they form a whole, we recognize the artist. This way she opens the windows and doors into her world.
She openly presents us "a diary" without censorship and without other embellishments.
Occasionally, red colour sneaks in her monochrome world, which cuts into the image and reinforces the message.
Through “the diary” - after the overture, the path of creation leads to the story of Jerca Santej, lined up in a cycle of dynamic images. Her inspiration or invisible idols have different personalities, in particular, their importance and traces that they have taken over. She does not choose the same area, she does not expose all in the same way. However, they are constantly intertwined and faced with her view of the world and their energy. Images of Jovanka Broz, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela and Lou Reed appear only when we intertwine into the painter's process. They show reverence to personalities who have left this world in 2013 and helped to shape our planet in their own way. She does not glorify them, but thinks about eternity and fading, and about five or maybe a few more minutes of fame that come and disappear quickly. The artist extended their appearance at least for 'half an hour'. In some parts of this reflection about transientness and short duration are reinforced by selected signs, symbols and signs, which are read in conjunction with the image. The artist is a constant companion of the society. She inexorably sets up a mirror to society while she always turns back to herself, to her work and in her reflection. She also presents the portraits of artists’ colleague: Marina Abramovic, Frida Kahlo and Jackson Pollack and Salvador Dali (more often), where she always impresses with her playfulness, roguery and surrealism. Her artistic idols do not constitute or imply imitation, but they are means of narrative, they appear and hide, like the undergrowth that comes to the fore from time to time. By means of this technique, which enables hiding and uncovering, she has established continuous play and communication between art, visitors and researchers of their images, whilst giving a graphic impression. However, this is not their essence. With the power of water, which we know that is often not only the power but also the superior force, she provides uncovering and concealment, which on one hand represents destruction as a central or key effect. Thereby she draws attention to the principle that it is close to her and is used by the interpretations of her work, her method of creation and perception of the completeness of the process. By creating and using it is necessary to insure 'a third hand' that adds the soul.
With perception of the ambience and integrity, the artist used as his primary creative branch - textile design. Her creations complement the eternal image; they are additionally materialized and encourage reflection about an individual, influence, eternity and interplay between different narrative media.
At the end something about the eternal dilemma, whether black and white are colours. This dilemma is for the works of the artist superfluous. Black and white - each of these colours encompasses countless varieties of shades; above all, they act like a colourful colour palette. As always she experimented with materials and media, thereby she created work that leads on the way – images that are immediately disclosed and images that are necessary to spray and make wet. How and why remains a mystery?
Curator Alenka Černelič Krošelj
