A.BRAN
Life VS Hope
07.04.2017.-09.04.2017.

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In the winter of 2016 I went for the first time to California in a month long trip. There was no big plan or mission, just a careless journey by train, buses, cars, hitchhiking, etc. I started it out in San Francisco, later moved to National parks, then Los Angeles, then back to San Francisco, and down to Los Angeles again by car taking highway via Big Sur by the ocean. An emergency call from my family brought me back to my hometown. After the red, pink, yellow and orange Los Angeles sky and the grey warmth of concrete I faced the grey winter sky, carrying a 20 kilo baggage of strange mood. Life kicked hard again with random problems, bad financial situation, personal relationship disbalance. One thing laid over another, but situation was not changing. Death of a close person did not help. Mobile loan brought another bill to my pocket, and a 2 kilo clay cube into my home. I started to build money banks from clay at home in evenings, and it went to some good meditation level, with idea to do a exhibition. Idea was keeping my alive, i started to transform ideas to media, slowly building heads, life and hope. After emails with Maija, green light was one. Head was bussy, it was my escape.

,,Life Vs Hope,, is exhibition about balance, fight and love. You can find joy and sadness in one line, never give-up button, and old computer graphics effects mixed with black humor. You are in a room, game is starting and you need to find object that describe your situation. I wanted to create organic space with same color palette as mood symbols, and different objects that describe my alter egos as an interactive illustrator. Exhibition include works:

First part, hand made material with a lot small tattoos flashes that symbolize our skin collection and stories during our life and also as a symbol to past and future using old Russian carpet styles on a wall as a reference. Small yellow duck as that i found in Los Angeles trash box flouting on broken peace of concrete like on line, balancing between to peaces and watching to ,,Life,,.

Clay heads as ,,money banks,, that collecting money with different personal missions. From big cookie head, that need money for sweets, to guy with dog that need money for simple needs (P.S it was a first head from collection and it exploded during first cooking, what i see very symbolically. )

Two works made with feltips technic as ,,Life,, in one frame and ,,Hope in another one. Game with different levels, bosses, bonuses, symbols, colored carefully with 30 years kid hands.

8 works made with feltips on a4 Photo paper as a symbols thats i pictured and colored. You can build stories and different scenarios going from one to another one, using two ore more symbols. Movie, and you as director.

Construction worker installation in yelow colors as symbol to ,,FUNDAMENT,, building life in positive way, not only believe in hope but as act to start build life by yourself. Including ,,Stay Positive Stay Hungry,, book with humorous attitude to life. Work in constructions for 3 years was useful in the end.

Two small illustrations framed in black frames, lied down as cooffuin as a sarcastic way to sad life moments, and one as a symbol with working class human religion.

Door with penis pattern as symbols to more easy way and attitude.