Robertas Narkus (b.1983, Lithuania), an artist of the Lithuanian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale and an internationally acclaimed complex artist, received his bachelor's and master's degrees in photography and media art from the Vilnius Academy of Arts. Since then, the artist has been continuing his studies at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and presents original and experimental works that fuse food technology and art.
Narkus is an artist with a unique view of art who works across various genres and forms, and through such hybridity and systematicity, he represents the contemporary art world and society. He defines his artistic activity as 'emergency management in a changing economy'. At this moment, the 'changing economic situation' refers to the existing ambiguous neo-liberal world power system, and he exaggerates this and reflects the strategy of using the social function system to recognize social problems in his world of art. The artist's creative process is understood as an independent artwork in itself and a composite installation combined with various media projects.
Following the Venice Biennale and the return to Lithuania, a satellite exhibition is started at Art Corner H, a multicultural art space of Sunblanket Foundation located in Euljiro, Seoul, from the First of February. Especially this exhibition will be enriched with congratulatory remarks from globai wide art personages congratulating Narkus on the successful completion of the Venice Biennale. The main work in this exhibition, which will be the last of the grand project that started with the Venice Biennale and will be composed of new works that will allow the artist to appreciate the world of art he has been pursuing for the first time in Korea, is <Dopamine eyes>(2022)to be.
The heart-shaped structure, taller than a human's height, is reminiscent of individuals exchanging 'Likes' in SNS environment. From the hugely exaggerated shape and eye-catching colors to the details in the center of the work that are expressed in a kitschy way reminiscent of cartoons, this new work closely reveals the contemporary society that the artist has dubbed the 'attention economy'. ln addition to this, this exhibition presents photographs, videos, and installation works created by the artist while imagining humans in a post-technological world. ln particular, the works being negotiated with the artist for this exhibition are meaningful in that they deal with the motives behind human choices and decisions he has been exploring, including the Venice Biennale, in connection with technology, the hottest topic in the contemporary art world.
Organizer Sunblanket Foundation
Partner of the exhibition Lewben Art Fou ndation
Official Partnership Lewben Art Fou ndation, Lithuanian Culture Institute,
Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the Republic of Korea, MMCA Residency Changdong, Korea Mecenat Association
Art Director Taeho Choi
Assistant Curator Eunyoung Kim
Design Nerijus Rimkus
Exhibition / Book Design Sol Kang
