Model Earth
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Model Earth

Fries Museum

Leeuwarden

2023

Type

Solo
Fries Museum

The work of Katja Novitskova (Tallinn, 1984) revolves around the relationship between ecology and technology, around the meaning of images in relation to biology and human evolution. She sees the human penchant for (making) images as an expression of the relentless expansionism of the human species. The fascination with appropriating whatever landscape, natural environment, or entity by visualising it and thereby mapping it underlies Novitskova's work.

Today, more than ever, there exists an unprecedented abundance of raw data, encapsulated and disseminated through media artefacts. It is precisely these digital chronicles that are the source of Katja Novitskova’s inspiration. Everything we think we know from scientific research is potentially of interest to Novitskova. The source of this knowledge, such as scientific papers and online databases, forms her artistic material.

Novitskova's Earthware series is included in the exhibition. Earthware is based on databases of large numbers of images captured by wildlife cameras for research purposes. Placed in the middle of nature, deep in forests or sometimes even in oceans, these cameras produce massive amounts of photo sequences. Before an algorithm can process the bulk of the photos, it has to learn pattern recognition from humans, who index the initial images.


Novitskova dove into these databases and helped with indexing. She also discovered beautiful examples among the automated images, although that isn’t the primary function of wildlife cameras. She transferred these images to epoxy clay, making a reference to clay tablets and other prehistoric image carriers.

index

Earthware (Dreaming of Laurasiatheria)

UV printer ink, epoxy clay, nail polish 100 x 100 x 2.5 cm Unique Courtesy the artist; Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler Berlin

Earthware (nyt)

UV printer ink, epoxy clay, nail polish 100 x 100 x 2.5 cm Unique Courtesy of the artist; Fries Museum, Leuuwarden (NL)

Earthware 7/26/2017

UV printer ink, epoxy clay, nail polish 122 x 165 x 3 cm 48 1/16 x 64 15/16 x 1 2/16 in Unique Courtesy the artist; Fries Museum Leuuwarden (NL)

Earthware 06.13.2017

UV printer ink epoxy clay nail polish 121 x 161 x 3 cm 47 10/16 x 63 6/16 x 1 2/16 ins Unique Courtesy the artist

Annual Report (Rate of Extinction) (IV)

Annual Report (Alphabet) (III)

Annual Report (Alphabet) (I)

Start, bias encoded, finish

Digital print, polyurethane resin, rotating ceiling hook 70 x 154 x 0.5 cm Unique Courtesy of the artist; Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, Berlin

If they were boulders they could run

Digital print, polyurethane resin, rotating ceiling hook

Pattern of Activation (embryogenesis)

digital print on aluminum, cutout display, acrylic glass worm approx: 247 x134 cm eggs: 70 x 48 cm (each)

Approximation (C. Elegans, hooked)

Digital print on aluminium, Cutout display, acrylic glass 52 x 220 x 6 cm Courtesy of the artist; Kraupa- Tuskany Zeidler Berlin

Invasion curve

Digital print, polyurethane resin, rotating ceiling hook 120 x 80 cm 47 3/16 x 31 7/16 ins Unique Courtesy of the artist; Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, Berlin

Neolithic potential (fire worship, deer horns)

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