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Evalajka Pervin
Evalajka Pervin What happens when patience runs out and one is forced to take action? This is question I
investigate and challenge in “ White object explored�.
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The cloth is filled with patterns of early memory of the artist as a young girl in the midst of heavy bicultural baggage. Eager to move forward, no matter what appears on her way, the video shows her performing in a serene environment. The artist calmly observes the object, which is recognizable and yet not, darting back and forth, back and forth, back and forth infront of her. The object is unaware of the fate that awaits it. The video explores the interaction and space between an object and an artist. What happens when the artist decides to take a stance and be courageous to attack what is in front of her. With a dash of humor I give a glimpse of a memory, which echoes a cry of courage to rise up in this staged performance.
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On a backdrop of a soft white lace, which is an original piece of tablecloth.
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An interview with
Evalajka Pervin
Connecting two different worlds and sensibilities, your roots have a fundamental influence of your artistic research: just think of your video My Childhood katekismus, where childhood memory are a starting point for your creative process. How has your history influenced the way you produce art? My history is important for the way I produce my work. It’s about identity and how one defines itself. I was a very observant child very sensible of my surrounding and aware of the two culture presenting them self in my life, my parents cultural roots and the country that became their second home. When I first experimented with digital media I did some spoken word about my memories of childhood school days in Copenhagen. It was like unlocking an important door accessing a vital key to understand the journey of my work. In “ My Childhood Katekismus” I set out to explore one of the gift presented to me on my road of education of life by my parents. It was vital for them to also pass on the religion they found solace and peace in. I went to Koran school every week from my first grade to the fifth grade where I learned to recite and did remarkably well. As young women I gaze through a black net in the video, my eyes searching and exploring the echoes of my voice reciting the first verse of Koran, words emerging to surface as a fragmented piece attached and detached part of me. All these fragments of my history create a platform for me to unfold stories emerging to the surface of my memory. We have selected for this year's VideoBiennale your video "White object explores". White object explores" is not conceived using a metaphoric approach,
but adopting a performative research. When did you get the idea for this work? When I first started experimenting with the spoken word, which is in Danish, I also wanted to share my work without the boundaries of a language. From there it was a natural step to take it to the next level unfolding silent stories twisting and turning perception upside and down with a performative nature in my video work. I use myself as a medium with a minimum of artifact on a plain white background to minimize visual noise presenting the work itself. The idea to “white object explores” presented it self one day when I saw a yellow string attached with balloons used for a party, there they were, used, punctured and detached for the purpose they once had. When I looked closer on each of them they were familiar and yet strange to the eyes. I set out to investigate this object and used the yellow string in one of my work, also in the nature of performative research. This led to the idea of “white object explores” where a white balloon is used as an object. The white balloon not fully in its size resembles something familiar almost an egg, yet not. It’s important that the object to appear as something recognizable and teasing the perception of the eye while interacting with the artist. The relation between the object and the artist is set as a study for relation and boundaries. You are a multidisciplinary artist: in what manner your work as painter influences your videomaking? From the way I construct the multiple layers expressing the story I want to tell, the systematic approach in my painting has definitely an influence on the process of the making of the video. In my drawing and
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painting I as person is always present, either as the figure or the subject presence. As a painter when I work on canvas its possible to create layer after layer until the work emerges. Sometimes the character from the canvas inspires a new idea to a video. I pick up on the idea and start the process of transforming the image into video making. The key element is Humor, precision, playfulness and the curiosity to explore. In the process of making the video I do several takes, performance after performance in one take. In the final work it’s a performance without interruption and presented without editing. The self-portrait has been a strong image in my art sometime as a character or just the naked face in one fine line as a drawing. Looking back at the trail of my work I see myself presence in each work from the selfportrait painted to the portrait in videos, which are carefully presented in selected stage setting. We have been really impressed with the minimalistic approach of "The Clown",
revealing an incredible balance between absence and presence. Could you introduce our readers to this work? “The Clown” in its minimalistic approach toys with the idea of the whole character presenting a reflective and experimental performance. I stage my self as a way to create a self-portrait appearing behind layers, deceptively hiding the person in a assumed character and actually revealing exactly what’s hiding behind the assumed and adapted behavior. The idea is to push the image of the viewer own self-reflection and enable a quiet dialog with the merrymaking façade. You use yourself as the subject for a lot of your work revealing a remarkable performative effort. Could you comment the reason of this choice? As a child I stood on a stool so I could stand in front of the mirror combing my short hair again and again. Fascinated to observe the action and self-reflection I observed this
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performance whenever I could. My parents banned me from the mirror only seeing it as an unhealthy habit to be so self-absorbed. Today when such question is asked I clearly see and understand the birth of my performative nature and why I choose to use myself in my work. Can you tell us your biggest influences in art and how they have affected your work? From early childhood I have collected a vast sum of mosaic of memories of life unfolding and still do. All these mosaic plays an important role when I set out to create. The minimalistic approach is a tool when I break the memory into small pieces and dissect whatever that points direct to the foreign touch and instead let the small story appear as mosaic in a pattern which appear as a new and another integrated complete form. Its clear to me the memories is a definite form. In a series of tableau I gaze upon the world in an instantaneous way and use my senses in an investigating manner. All along I correct the impulses as a reaction on the outward and create a path for the spontaneous outburst
and the extrovert reaction. It’s my aim to try to sense the place where the world and I meet. Thanks for sharing your time and thoughts with us, Evalajka. What's next for Evalajka Pervin? I’m very exited to be selected with “ My childhood Katekismus” for a project organized around the theme of memory. Peak-End is hosted by M I A a program dedicated to screening and exhibiting artist moving image. 3 September 2014 – 8pm – Comfort Station, Chicago, IL 13 September 2014 – 8pm – The Armory, Pasadena, CA I have lots of work in progress experimenting with video installation. At my last solo exhibition 2013 at “Black Box Gallery” in Copenhagen I had the opportunity to create a space for the videos with installation and I would love to have some more possibility to display videoinstallation.