WhyWhyArt

Decentralization   Exhibiting Artist & Artwork

Irina Banari   //   homo faber series #4

homo faber series #4, 2014

Acrylic on Canvas

70 x 70cm

Homo Faber or the need to move beyond *Homo faber,latin “tool wo/man”

Painting chose me to unveil the truth. The truth about the controversy of life; the joy of solitude; stamina; the supreme authority of that genius sparkle which keeps us humans etc…

By taking a quotation from Hannah Arendt and Max Frisch concept “Homo Faber” as the title and starting point of my first Asian series of paintings, I had conceived a hybrid project made in Shanghai about the innate drive of humans to fabricate things. Questioning “knowledge tools”, “power tools” and humans as tools. I came with visual response scrutinising my own experience and most recent fears.

As this project trigger off an irresistible, primal urge to make, my figurative representation focused upon hands mixed up with dynamic, vibrant brushstrokes. Capturing zoomed texture of each mark, large geometric shapes entwined around cropped body elements in order to emphasize flowing nature of human paradox. This project aims to step aside from omnipresent technologies, celebrate creativity and pure joy of colour.

I was born in the USSR, in Moldova. At 16 I moved to Romania, at 20 my family emigrated to the US and I had a chance to literally become a global citizen or merely a nomad . Geopolitical context in which I grew-up gave me the opportunity to develop my artistic abilities without distractions, having access to highly contrasting cultural influences therefore I have built a profound understanding of what makes it so unique. Asian experience came as 3 weeks tourist then one semester Chinese learning course and continued as a 5 years adventure. I’ve been seduced by Shanghai’s charm ever since. For me, drawing and painting is like inhaling and exhaling. A necessity. An energy. A continuous search for an answer to my starting point, namely the material and the colour of the support. And that answer is vital, transparent and free.