Lav Paripović / No comment

An exhibition with the symbolic name No comment  represents the artistic expression of the young academic painter from Zagreb, Lav Paripović. The work consists of two stop-animation videos through which the artist metaphorically refers to the theme of global disasters of mankind. Although the title of the exhibition suggests the restraint of content interpretation and further clarification, there is much deeper meaning behind it because, although paradoxically, silence is sometimes an equally strong answer. Not wanting to name the exhibition, titling it No comment, the artist lets the works speak for themselves. The absence of commentary actually says a lot, and this is where we can find the criticism of social reality that the artist is expressing. This statement can be especially confirmed through the first part of the work called the Tower of Babel, which as a mythical biblical concept is deeply respected and recognizable in Western culture, and throughout history it was a common symbol in art. According to Biblical mythological tales, the descendants of God’s messenger Noah have decided to build a tower so tall that it touches the sky, so as to display their power. Allegedly, seeing this, God realized that people were greedy and decided to punish them by mixing their languages so they could no longer communicate with each other. The break of language also signifies the breakdown of the identity of a nation, which is the key inspirational note of this work. The second part of the work called Twins interprets a sort of breakdown of an economic system. The World Trade Center was the symbol of the US economy power, and its bombing emerged on a global scale as an outrageous catastrophe. What additionally inspires and fascinates Lav is the link he finds in these events (though one of them is mythical), and this is the collapse of architectural buildings as one of the key factors for the foundation of human culture development and activity. With the collapse of large and (in the human consciousness) “safe” fortresses, the society of spectacle[1] is destroyed. What has become a symbol of development and reliance has disappeared in a second. This also deleted the delusion about the Great Promise of Unlimited Progress.[2] By choosing the substructures of Diocletian’s Palace as the exhibition space, the artist intended to further emphasize the symbolism of humanity’s developmental architecture, which in this context “devolves”. The videos are designed with a loop technique so repetition of the action emphasizes the critical nature of the work and creates an atmosphere. With sound as an added effect, Lav wanted to add a dose of humor so that everything would not be destructive and pessimistic. At the end of each video, digital pictograms are displayed, which as a primitive form of language easily communicate the content of work with all viewers. Here, according to my interpretation of Lav’s work, lies the very point and the point is that art as a spiritual way of communication has the ability to reconnect people.

Curator Ivana Vukušić

[1] Debord Guy (1967.), Društvo spektakla, 1967., available at: https://anarhisticka-biblioteka.net/library/guy-debord-drustvo-spektakla

[2] Fromm Erich (1976.), Imati ili biti, available at: http://www.skripta.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Erich-Fromm-imati-ili-biti.pdf