Duo exhibition entitled “Tales of Space and Time”, on view from 23 May until 13 July 2024, brings together ink drawings on paper by Julia Kissina (b. 1966 in Kiev, UA) and sculptures by Senne Roekens (b. 1995 in Antwerp, BE) in a fascinating and emotional installation which creates a dialogue between two artists and engages irony, fantasy, and imagination.
Julia Kissina is an artist and writer. Born in Kiev, she studied dramatic writing in Moscow, then moved to Germany, graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and taught as a Professor of New Media and Art Photography. Currently the artist lives between Berlin and New York City.
Since 2020 Julia Kissina has been working on a group of ink drawings that develop her interest in the undercurrents of eroticism and even violence in supposedly polite society: people, half-human creatures, and strange animals populate cocktail parties whose participants are partly taken from vintage film noir and partly derived from Kissina’s unusual, telling ability to describe the inherent complexities of contemporary social life.
The drawings themselves are mostly crowded scenarios of figures, not always entirely human, mingling together at what might be a high-level art opening or a toast for the preview of a big movie. If it were not for the presence of not fully human invitées, the aristocratic air of the imagery and the black-tie attire of the party participants would be just another record of wealthy people celebrating culture. But, in fact, something else is happening: the people are arranged in an attitude of irony, in which Kissina takes her considerable drawing skills and delivers a judgment, far from benign, on the pretensions of men and women. It is true enough that all the world is a stage, but who would have thought that the actors would be so openly possessed of unkempt desire. Still, Kissina’s judgment is neither final nor absolute; she is recording the undercurrents of a need for recognition as well as human closeness in a way that stays away from judgment.
“I talk about what I see around me, making movie on paper. This is true independent cinema without beginning or end. I have actors and characters, stars, animals, magicians, maniacs and libertines. I have castles and deserts, planets and mouse holes at my disposal. Recently, someone said that this is a movie that cannot exist. During work, I feel being in atrance and all I need for working is an isolation. So the recipe of the creation is simple.” Julia Kissina
Senne Roekens lives and works in Antwerp. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, where he obtained his master’s degree in Sculpture.
The sculptures by Senne Roekens transmit the feeling of truth of things, something stable and constant which goes through time and remains faithful to its spirit.
Discovering the works created by the artist is akin to the experience of traveling both historically and geographically and observing revelation of classical shapes and characters with modern materials and spirit. Some of his sculptures remind archaeological treasures, an object which accumulates both material and spiritual, being changed and reshaped by the flow of time.
Senne Roekens plays with different materials and freely moves from classical clay, ceramic, plaster, and metal to the contemporary techniques using plastic, plexiglass, isolation foam, polystyrene, epoxy, acrylic, silicone, and concrete. The choice of the matter, the initial substance is very important for the artist.
Each work requires its own material which brings the unique character and initiates specific perception of each piece. The appearance of Senne Roekens’s creations turns from semi- transparency and light to the concrete interpreting stone surface, acrylic which can be perceived as a mineral, and so on.
His works vary in scale ranging from small to monumental pieces, often combining into figurative compositions which evoke a sense of tension as if they’ve been shaped by the passage of time, lending them a profound sense of history. He works expressively and physically, ensuring that both the sculpture and the artist himself are always in movement.
“I see myself as an artist who delves into the traditions and history of sculpture and its continuity, exploring how the past intersects with the present. I blend historic and modern materials, combining classical sculpting techniques with contemporary mediums to craft images that feel both ancient and new.
By playing with time, space, and cultural influences, I seek to create a world that feels undiscovered and rich with hidden histories. Drawing from sources beyond traditional historical boundaries, my aim is to evoke a sense of mystery and wonder, infusing my sculptures in a timeless and universal way.” Senne Roekens
