Violet, show me how tender you can be? (Shades of Love, Desire, Infidelity and Truth)
Tutor: Jaan Toomik, Mark Dunhill
painting, performance, video
cca 5 x 10 m
Shades of Love & Desire & Infidelity & Truth
The master’s thesis is mainly about human relationships and their complexity, which is explored through colors and paintings. Denisa Štefanigová, in her search for answers about love and relationship, has turned her attention from human sexuality to the non-human; mainly of colors and brushstrokes.
In the final work she imagines colors falling in love, being in a relationship, experiencing adultery and wondering how jealousy, infidelity, separation will affect their shades, brightness and volume.
A large energy cushion that holds together all the smaller complex themes presented by the individual images. Although what a person experiences in connection with relationships or infidelity may be positive or negative, it is necessary to focus on the overall image, view, concept and context. Infidelity is a complex fact, just as relationships are, they are neither black nor white. They contain a wide range of colors and shades, which tend to develop more slowly.
I want to encourage and lighten the inner darkness, to heal the traces of a broken heart with an orange sacral. My wall is like the spring season – sexy and blooming.
As Matisse painted the famous and beautiful dance, I wanted to finish my Master project by the ideal idea of everyone being together, flourishing and dancing happily. Is polyamory the right path? I don’t know yet.
As the brush dips into the acrylic paint resting on a repurposed porcelain plate, the canvas can’t wait to hit the paint. Bright Turquoise slowly kisses the white surface of the jute with the help of the brush. Muah, muah, muah. The paint sticks to the layer while Permanent Red Light, wet and almost transparent, caresses the sky blue matter. The two circle each other, mingle and blossom until the devil dance begins. The dance gives birth to the shades of violet.
Videos
Installation view
When two different create another. Detail of painting where a lion is in the romantic couple with a kangaroo and they have a baby.
Detail
Splash. Water is running out of my brush directly on the canvas. Water cuddles colors.
Visitor
From left to right:
“Lick My Brush”, “Colors Falling in Love”, “Shades of Love & Desire & Infidelity & Truth”
Detail of the installation in Ars Project room
detail of the videos installation
“Colors Falling in Love”
Performers: Sofia Fatahhova, Sarah Nõmm and Karolin Poska
Camera: Hanna-Lisa Lavonen, Denisa Stefanigova
Editing: Alexis Desbois, Denisa Stefanigova
Music: Jamie Avis
“Shades of Love, Desire, Infidelity and Truth”
created by Denisa Stefanigova
help with camera by Hanna-Lisa Lavonen
Lick My Brush (2021)
How colors mingle ? Could paint be unfaithful? If one color cheats on another (third), are the color combinations still pure or dirty in the sense that they are bad, as when people lie and cheat in a relationship that is deteriorating? Music by Francesco Duc
Colors Falling in Love(2021)
Colours Falling In Love one of the early ideas for a video work. It is made of three costumes, three performers dancing and moving, representing colors, a gallery, a camera, Hanna, a speaker, various music, fluidity, Denisa’s idea and curiosity. Three performers – three colors – three personalities. Light Violet, from an absurdly stereotypical point of view, portrays a kindly man, a husband who is a stable provider who can be relied upon, a leader who nevertheless retains the curiosity to seek something outside the home. Light Pink, a fragile woman, a blonde and beautiful wife who follows and loves. Ivory Black, a seduction, a temptation, powerful, independent, mysterious. Imagine all three of them in the club.
Shades of Love, Desire, Infidelity and Truth(2021)
Video as an introduction to the complexity of how and why infidelity can begin. The three main character of “snails” or textile “brush strokes” together with the storyteller ask whether it is possible to love more people at once?
Making Love with Painting
Making love with painting (2021), single-channel video projection of filmed performances. I have been ill with Covid, so I have not been in the studio for a while. After missing the daily presence of painting, I decided to bring the idea I had to life – I wanted to make love to painting where there is no violation, no gender, no shame, no jealousy. All of that is like a metaphor.
Can painting replace a real lover?
Is it an infidelity if you stay until late night in the studio, drink wine and make love with painting?
Documentation video showing the method how I made love to those three canvases placed on the floor.
Three canvases, Three paintings, Three lovers (2021)
Detail of the second canvas, the second lover painted by the method of making love with a painting at the beginning of March.
The painting is the result and part of a live broadcast for OPAF (Online Performance Festival).
Third canvas, third lover. I made love to this one multiple times.
I bought my first roll of canvas.
Jute. Very heavy and rough.
Ten meters of love.
I cut a piece of about two meters and laid it on the floor.
I desperately wanted to paint, so I decided to approach painting in different ways.
Experiment with the idea of whether painting or creation can be considered a lover.
