Folded Caral Shape I.

During 2018 I have had a very intense and exciting artistic stayin Japan, supported by the Danish Arts Foundation. I have made a whole new series of works based on the bondage technique Shibari, which I try to incorporate into my own personal experiences and techniques.

A part of this project was that the well-known bondage artist, Nawashi Go Arizue spent a day tying me up and hanging me from the ceiling in a variety of ways. This was photographed by the Japanise photographer Yoshiaki Kita and filmed by video artist Izuru Mizutani at the theater where it took place. This artistic research, has resulted in videos, photos and abstract rope/glass objects, that are conceptually connected. The "Restrain and Release" working title of this project goes to the core of what I'm trying to say. Neither as an artist nor as a human being can one ever be in complete control. But being in complete control isn’t important. However, recognizing this basic condition of life, is crucial.

The central idea of the collective production of works is –
that in addition to shaping and dictating my own materials
– also become sculptural matter myself. Who and what is controlling what and why becomes blurry during the whole process. Being introduced to the Shibari art was for me absolutely essential in this context and gave me a completely new understanding of my own art and materials.

Maria Koshenkova