Space Identity
Tamara Dragan developed her sculptural image by connecting sculptural space with its habitat – surroundings. She successfully achieved the effect of conquering the space by forming a unity between the outside elements, dynamic of space where the sculpture is, and the static characteristics of the sculpture itself. This is one of the key entities of her artistic expression. In order to fully understand the final product which is presented in the gallery it is necessary to look back at some of the key elements processes that the artist went through during the creation of the artwork. Let’s look at the initial idea which sprang the whole concept of relation between sculptural space and its habitat. It began with a process of reduction and searching for the basic structural form. For Tamara, the basic structural unit is cubic, which leads to the so-called “box”. Finding the final form consists of continuous research of material, approach and technique of work, as well as searching for esthetic values. The final form displayed at the gallery represents the process of a few years of work in different media, from ceramics, paper mass, to metal. From completely empty cubic forms, cubic forms with a figure incorporated inside, to the reflecting ones which bring into their space the elements of the space surrounding them as well as the observer himself. The reflecting form – which in her later works appears as a primary element and one of Tamara’s most used media – basically represents the element of conquering the habitat inside the sculpture itself. Connecting the space in such way by using the reflecting surfaces, the author created a harmonious unity of the sculpture and the space it is in, and with this put a special emphasis on the symbolic of the actual place where the work of art is. The research of relation between space and reflection led Tamara Dragan to incorporate square as a drawing onto reflecting surface, where by using light she creates an illusion of space inside the reflection – the cube. With reflection and creating the cubic form with light, the physically consistent metal elements get their counterpoint, and with this the whole exhibition gets overall balance and esthetic equality.
Igor Vokoun, art historian
