Title: 'Enigmatica', 'Homo Mortè', 'Homo Carnivorè'

Where: Internationale Underwater Art Festival, Dahab, in the Red Sea in Egypt

Period: 2012, 24th until 27th March exhibtion, and 2 weeks artist residency, exhibition end of March. New solo exhibition in the Red Sea and museum steM Sint-Niklaas in 2015.

Format: knitting Installations

Materials: wool, acrylic, skelet of iron

 

Context & concept: During the International Underwater Festival in Egypt (2011) Joke Raes showed knitted installations that are a reflection of SlumberS facets of human being. It's a selection of an endless series and  is still in process. The work starts from paintings she makes and that she translate into knit pieces. Moving water  is an important factor in the work. Humanity and existence are in continuous state of change. In this context there is a interaction dance between the work and the water. Most art is enclosed between white walls of a museum, but here the space looks endless.

 

The first selected work 'Homo mortè' finds its origins back to the death. Death is something that is absorbing, every living being will sooner or later need to address. Everyone wears different properties of death itself. In between the dark recesses of our soul we wear dark demons, like the deepest underwater cave, where light can not penetrate.

The second work 'Homo Carnivore' approaches the man in all his carnality. The human is exposed as a collection of meat consisting of structures, colors, shapes and spores.

The third piece is called 'Enigmatica' and stands for the incomprehensibility of life and humanity. For ages humankind has been trying to understand existence. Through this work that is not directly in its form to recognizable nor to interpretable, Joke Raes gives existence to aspects of incomprehensible and enigmatic.