Adrienn Újhazi
– (1995, Novi Sad) completed her BA in 2018 and her MA in 2020 at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, Department of painting. As of 2021, she is an independent artist. She explores the interdisciplinary territory between art, science and technology (ASTS), shedding light on the relationship between man and nature. In her work, Újhazi uses a range of artistic media including photography, installation, video, audio, painting and sculpture with living cultural forms, in order to explore concepts concerning society’s relationship with the natural environment. She is a member of Šok ZaDruga in Novi Sad, Híd Kör Art magazine, ReAktor Citizens’ Association and Union of Associations of Fine Artists of Vojvodina.
During my childhood, I spent at least 2-3 months every summer with my grandparents in the countryside near Novi Sad. Most of the time I was surrounded by plants and animals, which became my main inspiration for creating in the field of visual art. Direct contact with nature such as planting, taking care of the garden and taking care of nature was a very close practice to me when I was growing up. During this period, I developed an interest in how to take care of nature and how to start a dialogue with it, and in this sense, I began to use a similar method within my artistic practice, which includes the cultivation of certain elements from nature1.
I believe that the influence of the modern virtual world produces a kind of aestheticized simulation of nature in which man is seen as a living being that is separated from the rest of nature (flora and fauna). This approach encouraged me to search for specific materials that can be useful for experiments in both a visual and biological aspect. At the beginning of the search for such materials, I used various accessible resources such as flour, straw, sand, wheat, yarn and such2.
In my current research, I am including and questioning a biological material called “SCOBY”. It originates from a colony of microbe-bacteria from which mercury-plasma – cellulose is created and which can be treated in various ways3456. So far, it has been presented in various forms and media that include two-dimensional works in various sizes7, photo and video documentation, audio8 and light boxes9, prototypes like bio hats10 and smaller experimental pieces in petri dishes, ready-made objects, installations11 and so on.
The choice of media depends on the conditions, resources and context. The initial motivation for this method of working was my desire to minimally use synthetic materials and create as little waste as possible. This led me to experiment on my own with various products that are available in our kitchens, and which can easily be obtained in adequate packaging. After a while, I learned about kombucha, which was mostly consumed in the second half of the 20th century. The drink was homemade, made from fermented tea, and almost every house had several bottles of this liquid infused with the culture – SCOBY. My research of the material started when I made this drink for the first time. The name of this type of practice can be included in Bio Art, which is oriented towards the research and use of living organisms, i.e. it is based on natural processes12.
Finally, in order to obtain a basic income to survive, I have to do various activities within my field and outside of it. It is a great challenge in our environment, since most independent artists cannot work exclusively on their art.
The text is written in collaboration with Simona Ognjanović (2022).
1Illustration: At my grandparents’ house near Novi Sad, 1998. Courtesy of the artist.2Illustration: Biophilia: Modified Origin, installation, 2020. Exhibition at Contemporary Gallery Subotica. Photo: Elvira Kakusi. Courtesy of the artist.
3Illustration: SCOBY-Kombucha, Presentation of the process of biological material. Courtesy of the artist.
4Illustration: SCOBY-Kombucha, Presentation of the process of biological material. Courtesy of the artist.
5Illustration: SCOBY-Kombucha, Presentation of the process of biological material. Courtesy of the artist.
6Illustration: SCOBY-Kombucha, Presentation of the process and some prototypes of biological material. Courtesy of the artist.
7Illustration: An introduction to Biophilia, installation, 2019. Exhibition Brussels Art Fair 2022. Courtesy of the artist.
8Illustration: May our desires never fade away, installation, 2022. Courtesy of the artist. Link: https://vimeo.com/user67287396.
9Illustration: Biophilia: modified origin, installation, 2020. Exhibition at Contemporary Gallery Subotica. Photo: Edvard Molnar. Courtesy of the artist.
10Illustration: Bio hat – prototype, object, 2019‒2020. Photo: Elvira Kakusi. Courtesy of the artist.
11Illustration: Meet 8, installation, 2022. Courtesy of the artist.
12Ilustracija: Projekat BIOFABRIKA: Open studio-Adrienn Újházi, instalacija, 2022. Foto: Elvira Kakusi. Ljubaznošću umetnice. Link: https://vimeo.com/752185015.
– (1995, Novi Sad) završila je osnovne studije 2018. i master studije 2020. godine na Akademiji umetnosti u Novom Sadu, odsek slikarstvo. Od 2021. je u statusu samostalne umetnice. Istražuje interdisciplinarnu teritoriju između umetnosti, nauke i tehnologije (ASTS), rasvetljavajući odnose između čoveka i prirode. Újhazi u svom radu koristi niz umetničkih medija uključujući fotografiju, instalaciju, video, audio, slikanje i vajanje sa živim kulturnim oblicima, kako bi istražila koncepte koji se tiču odnosa društva sa prirodnim okruženjem. Članica je Šok ZaDruge u Novom Sadu, časopisa Híd Kör Art, Udruženja građana ReAktor i SULUV-a.
Tokom detinjstva provodila sam svakog leta najmanje 2-3 meseca kod bake i deke na selu u blizini Novog Sada. Većinu vremena bila sam okružena biljkama i životinjama, što je postala i moja glavna inspiracija za stvaranje u domenu vizuelne umetnosti. Direktan kontakt sa prirodom poput sađenja, vođenje računa o bašti i briga o prirodi bila mi je veoma bliska praksa dok sam odrastala. Tokom ovog perioda razvilo mi se interesovanje kako voditi računa o prirodi i kako započeti dijalog sa njom, a u tom smislu, počela sam da koristim sličnu metodu i u okviru svoje umetničke prakse, koja uključuje kultivaciju pojedinih elemenata iz prirode1.
Smatram da uticaj savremenog virtuelnog sveta proizvodi neku vrstu estetizovane simulacije prirode u okviru koje se čovek posmatra kao živo biće koje je odvojeno od ostatka prirode (flore i faune). Ovakav pristup podstakao me je da tragam za specifičnim materijalima koji mogu biti zahvalni za eksperimente i u vizuelnom i u biološkom aspektu. Na početku potrage za takvim materijalima koristila sam različite pristupačne resurse poput brašna, slame, peska, pšenice, kudelje i slično2.
U svom trenutnom istraživanju uključujem i preispitujem biološki materijal koji se zove „SCOBY” (SKOBI). On nastaje od kolonije mikroba-bakterija od koje se stvara živa-plazma – celoluloza i koja se može tretirati na razne načine3456. Do sada je predstavljen u različitim oblicima i medijima koji obuhvataju dvodimenzionalne radove manjeg i većeg formata7, foto i video dokumentacije, audio8 i svetlosne kutije9, prototipe poput bio šešira10 i manjih eksperimentalnih komada u petri posudama, ready-made objekte, instalacije11 i tako dalje. Izbor za mediji zavisi od uslova, resursa i konteksta. Početna motivacija za ovaj način rada bila mi je želja da minimalno trošim sintetičke materijale i da stvaram što manji otpad. To me je navelo da sama eksperimentišem i sa raznim namirnicama koje su dostupne u našim kuhinjama, i koje lako mogu da se nabave u adekvatnim ambalažama. Posle određenog vremena saznala sam za napitak kombuha, koja se najviše konzumirao u drugoj polovini 20. veka. Piće je bilo domaće, napravljeno od fermentisanog čaja i gotovo svaka kuća imala je po nekoliko flaša ove tečnosti sa kulturom – SKOBI. Istraživanje materijala krenulo je kada sam napravila prvu turu napitka. Naziv ovakve vrste prakse može se uvrstiti u bio-umetnost (bio art), koja je okrenuta ka istraživanju i korišćenju živih organizama, tj. zasniva se na prirodnim procesima12.
Najzad, kako bih obezbedila osnovne prihode za egzistenciju moram da se bavim različitim delatnostima u okviru ali i van svoje prakse. To je veliki izazov u našoj sredini, budući da većina samostalnih umetnika i umetnica ne može da se bavi isključivo umetnočkim radom.
Tekst je napisan u saradnji sa Simonom Ognjanović (2022).
1Ilustracija: Kod bake i deke na selu u blizini Novog Sada, 1998, ljubaznošću umetnice.
