American artist Mark Jenkins' project to be presented in Baku
By Nigar Orujova
YARAT Contemporary Art Space, an organization promoting Azerbaijani modern art worldwide, presents "MANIMALS" project of American artist Mark Jenkins within the framework of Participate Baku Public Art Festival, on the Fountain Square in downtown Baku, at 7.00 p.m. on August 21.
Jenkins, 43, is an artist known in the world for his street installations created from duct tape.
The project involves students of Jenkins' master classes in Baku. As part of the workshops students developed a series of projects on urban environment on the Animal Planet topic.
The sculptures were created from a special transparent packing tape.
The installations will be on display at the Fountain Square until August 30.
The project could be seen as a caricature of the World Wildlife Fund, whose mission is "to prevent the degradation of the natural environment of the planet, to achieve harmony between man and nature, the conservation of biological diversity of the Earth."
In Jenkins' opinion, good intentions, like those of the WWF, can slide into the excesses of social hysteria, distorting their original purpose. Jenkins tried to reflect the "green" ideology in the "Manimals" series, which show the absurdity of utopian and similar installations.
"Manimals" comprises a set of furry or "zoomorphic" human figures. These modern "chimeras" aim to confuse boundaries between man and animal, the internal and external, life and death, nature and civilization.
In addition to the street-art interventions, Jenkins' works have appeared in galleries of the United States, continental Europe, Brazil and the UK. The artist's projects have inspired others to develop "Scotch culture" all over the world. He actively promotes new technology art online, at www.tapesculpture.org, and teaches the process of creating ephemeral sculptures during workshops in the cities he visits.
Jenkins' works have been referenced by such publications as Time Out New York, The Washington Post, and The Independent. One of the world's most popular blogs dedicated to street-art, woostercollective.com, specially reviewed Jenkins' creations.
The Participate Baku Public Art Festival is organized by YARAT! Contemporary Art Space and sponsored by Bank Respublika.