19 January - 19 February 2021 - Exhibition of graphics, drawing, painting by Kokimoto
Dürer vs. Döner is Kokimoto's latest project, specially created for the space of KO-OP in Sofia. The author's 42nd solo exhibition contains a series of digitally processed reproductions of Dürer's iconic works - graphics, drawings and paintings, in which Kokimoto combines classical with popular culture.
“Through my interference in Dürer's graphic works, I created a new identity and visual positioning of the author's works in the present, with the clear awareness that this act will provoke the viewer's conventional approaches to the classical artist on the one hand and the contemporary on the other. The impetus for this kind of manipulation came from the landscape of global confusion and change in the perception of fine art today. While the Internet has brought openness and access, my observations have identified a "major concern" in understanding the concept of art.
Many factors from the recent past have been the cause of this confusion, as a result of which people have lost touch with the art of the great masters, and the arrival and popularization of the present has finished them off. Mass culture is ridiculed and rejected, but it is precisely this that is accessible to all. Rude, brutal and honest or sweet, slimy and trivial, it serves us in every manifestation, as an easily recognizable symbol of the time in which we live.
In order to fully understand the specifics of the information society, which I am excited about in this project, I will mention the difference that Sigmund Bauman draws between a productive and a consumer society within the frames of the industrial society. According to him, the basic principle of the first is production (creation, creativity), and of the second - consumption, based mostly on artificially created needs. It is on this comparison, but also coexistence, that the Dürer vs. Döner project is built - a metaphorical clash between two worlds, a play on expressive language and visual improvisation ... My goal is beyond the comprehensiveness of the tone provided through the works in the exhibition, contextual alternatives and Dürer's expressive graphic system, the viewer to capture the "beautiful imperfection" in Kokimoto's added value.
The timely collaboration between the two of us is not accidental. In addition to being the best master of engraving in the world, Dürer invented the artistic portrait. If arrogance awards were given, he would have a whole shelf. Dürer turns himself into a star, in his own works, and in addition to his own works, Kokimoto turns himself into a star and into those of Dürer.
I hope that this new, realized goal of mine will lead to healthier conversations and attitudes towards art - from the sublime to the ridiculous - but also to a greater understanding and acceptance by those who may not always experience it. This is the most important job we can do.”
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