Asya Marakulina

I have always been interested in geo maps - as an alloy of knowledge and ideas about the world, as a reflection of the perspective on this or that era. A map is always a freeze frame shot, you should never trust it blindly. It is combined from various temporary pieces like a patchwork quilt. They become obsolete, before they are noticed. While work on one fragment is underway, another has already been destroyed by a hurricane, on the third one a forest has been cut down, and on the fourth the lake has dried up. It is impossible to keep up with all the changes, there is nothing objective anymore and nothing conveys a real picture of the world. Satellite photos can be edited and corrected.

In my work «Flap» I bring a map to life, making changes from shot to shot. I draw animation frames in oil on canvas, comparing a map to a work of art, giving it a hand-made touch and making it individual.

I wanted to highlight a feeling of impossibility to track changes: while the gaze is focused on one place of the map, something has already happened in another area.