Previous to the twentieth century, condominium buildings and row homes have been usually constructed with shared partitions between adjoining properties. Intrigued by these getting older buildings, Vienna-based artist Asya Marakulina started cataloging examples she first observed on walks round her former dwelling in St. Petersburg, Russia.
“Since houses in the 19th century were built without gaps between them, when one house is torn down, the neighboring house often bears traces of the demolished one,” Marakulina tells Colossal. These remnants of decor, plumbing, and different indicators of human habitation kind the idea of her ongoing ceramic collection, There Was a House.
When Marakulina moved to Vienna, she observed an identical phenomenon within the stays of older buildings that had been demolished there, too. Fragments of flooring nonetheless clung to the partitions and the outlines of painted or papered rooms have been instantly—considerably uncomfortably—exterior. The convenience of a heat inside and its related domesticity was upended.
“What touches and affects me the most in images of ruined houses are the traces of wallpaper, tiles, and children’s rooms, which suddenly become visible to the entire street,” the artist says, sharing that the sight evokes a deep disappointment. “These spaces were never meant to be seen in such a way.”
Marakulina likens homes to the our bodies of residing organisms, imbued with feelings, reminiscences, and layered histories. The ceramic cross-sections tackle a portrait-like high quality, capturing easy views of multistory edifices which are concurrently fast and intimate. “Maybe that’s why these images captivate me so much because a part of someone’s inner, domestic life is suddenly turned inside-out and put on public display,” she says.
The homes in There Was a House are usually drawn from actual buildings, images of which she captures herself or finds on the web. Marakulina additionally considers the impacts of conflict and is profoundly moved by the present conflicts in Ukraine and the Center East, the place hundreds of houses have been destroyed and their inhabitants killed or displaced. The half-standing houses concurrently characterize lives misplaced and the hope of sooner or later with the ability to rebuild.
Reasonably than easy copies of the buildings she encounters, Marakulina takes liberties with wall colours, generally including graffiti or phrases she sees on the streets or derives from the information. She scores the clay to create the textures of tile and concrete or delineate lintels and former doorways. The ensuing reliefs turn out to be collage-like, merging places and motifs.
Should you’re in Belgium, you may see the artist’s work in Ceramic Brussels, which opens right now and continues by January 26. In London, Marakulina created a site-specific set up for a solo present at The Smallest Gallery in Soho, which continues by mid-February, and later that month, she is going to exhibit with Vienna Collectors Membership. Discover extra on the artist’s web site and Instagram.
