From February 22 to March 22, 2013, the Quartier am Hafen studio house presented a site-specific media installation with new works by artist Anna Sokolova as part of its exhibition program, curated by Anne Mager. The interventions in the interior and exterior, shown in the solo exhibition “Black-White-Black,” dealt with questions of monumentality and artistic autonomy based on the symbolism of the flag.
Hoisting a flag is always a symbolic act. In her latest work, “Black-White-Black. Manifest,” the Belarusian media artist proudly positions and waves a gigantic flag, a white bar on a black background rising through the air. However, Anna Sokolova’s work is less of a political statement and more focused on the reduction of form and the definition of space.
The Belarusian media artist (born in Minsk, Belarus in 1975) has been exploring the interactions between the architectural environment and the sculptural potential of the moving image for several years. The basic element she uses is the movement of a white line on a black background. In her “Ornament” series, she uses these in alternating formations to create a dialogue with the respective architecture and the viewer. Now, Sokolova is transferring the element of the black and white ornament into three-dimensional space. Both in the exhibition space and on the outdoor grounds of Quartier am Hafen, the flag is being repurposed as a sculptural medium. With “Black-White-Black,” Anna Sokolova has formulated a manifesto of artistic sovereignty and formal-aesthetic autonomy.
