DORIAN PACAK - CTRL+CLAY

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CTRL + clay Samostalna izložba Doriana Pacaka uvodi nas u svijet materijalizirane digitalne ikonografije kroz likove koji su obilježili mnoga odrastanja. Umjetnik u novu formu prenosi poznate figure poput dinosaura, kaiju čudovišta te likova kao što su Cuphead pa čak i Mike Tyson. Njihova uobičajena uloga u prvom planu posvećena je ekraniziranju. Osobnosti i karakteristike publici se prikazuju putem narativa i pokreta. Postavljanjem likova u posve drugačiji medij keramičke skulpture, spomenuti digitalni heroji i antiheroji sada postaju statični i tihi, a njihova originalna moć i uloga nestaju. Protagonisti ove izložbe kroz vrijeme su prošli razne promjene u digitalnom svijetu. Prepravci i dorađivanja usko su povezani s konzumerističkim aspektom digitalizacije. Njihovi likovi naprosto moraju prolaziti kroz prilagodbe budući da razvoj virtualne stvarnosti podrazumijeva puno češće i brže preinake nego razvoj u stvarnosti. U ovoj izložbi, međutim, likovi više nisu u mogućnosti doživjeti preinake, oni ne mogu proći kroz „update“. Možemo reći da se umjetnik na simboličan način igra sa zaustavljanjem vremena, ali uz to i idejom sjećanja. Tematikom popularne kulture, već prepoznatljive u autorovom umjetničkom opusu, publici skreće pažnju na kolektivno sjećanje. Kulturni i estetski utjecaji popularne kulture oblikovali su svakoga od nas, bilo svjesno ili nesvjesno. Oblikovanjem radova i sam autor prisjeća se na koji način su razne videoigre, filmovi ili animirane serije obilježili njegovo odrastanje, a samim time ga definirale i kao umjetnika. Vjerodostojan prikaz i bogat ciklus radova stvaraju atmosferu unutar koje posjetitelji mogu sebi dopustiti povratak u neki drugi svijet, svijet u kojem putem konzumerističkih i kolektivnih koncepata oblikujemo vlastito sjećanje.

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Karla Somek

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CTRL + clay Dorian Pacak’s solo exhibition introduces us to the world of materialised digital iconography through characters that have left their mark on many childhoods. The artist transposes familiar figures such as dinosaurs, kaiju monsters, and characters like Cuphead and even Mike Tyson into a new form. Their usual role is one primarily bound to the screen. Their personalities and traits are conveyed to the audience through narrative and movement. Placed in the entirely different medium of ceramic sculpture, these digital heroes and anti-heroes become static and silent, and their original power and role disappear. The protagonists of this exhibition have undergone numerous transformations over time in the digital world. Revisions and refinements are closely linked to the consumerist aspect of digitalisation. These characters simply must adapt, given that the development of virtual reality demands far more frequent and rapid change than transformation in the physical world. In this exhibition, however, the characters are no longer able to undergo such transformations; they cannot be ‘updated’. It could be said that the artist is symbolically playing with the suspension of time, as well as with the idea of memory. Through the theme of popular culture, already recognisable within the artist’s practice, he draws the audience’s attention to collective memory. The cultural and aesthetic influences of popular culture have shaped each of us, whether consciously or unconsciously. By creating these works, the artist reflects on how various video games, films, and animated series marked his own childhood, thereby defining him as an artist. The faithful representation and the rich body of work create an atmosphere that allows visitors to return to another world, a world in which we shape our own memory through consumerist and collective concepts.

Karla Somek

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DORIAN PACAK Rođen 5.5.1996. u Zagrebu. Maturirao 2015. u zagrebačkoj V. gimnaziji, a 2017. upisuje Likovnu kulturu na Akademiji likovnih umjetnosti u Zagrebu.

Diplomirao je 2023., smjer kiparstvo, u klasi Ivana Fijolića. Izlagao je na šest samostalnih izložbi (Galerija Crta „Na sliku svoju“, Lauba (Šalji dalje) „Dinostalgija“, Galerija Polica, Galerija M23 „Mali formati“, Galerija Šira „FAT BOY“ i Galerija Karas „Retro – Mačo“), na nekoliko skupnih izložbi ( Galerija Šira, Galerija Karas, Galerija Pallas Projects/Studios, Galerija Canvas, Galerija Bačva, Galerija SC i dr.) i sudjelovao u umjetničkim projektima („Umjetnost u zajednici: redefiniranje nasljeđa grupe Zemlja“, „Grand Tour: Postcolonial Pilgrimage and Age of Pyramid“ (Meksiko), „Stearing at the Sea“ (Irska)). Živi i radi u Zaprešiću.

DORIAN PACAK Born on 5 May 1996 in Zagreb. He completed his secondary education at the Fifth Gymnasium in Zagreb in 2015, and in 2017 he enrolled in Art Education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. He graduated in 2023, majoring in Sculpture in the class of Ivan Fijolić. He has had six solo exhibitions (Crta Gallery: Na sliku svoju; Lauba (Šalji dalje / Pass It On: Dinostalgija; Polica Gallery; M23 Gallery: Mali formati / Small Formats; Šira Gallery: FAT BOY; and Karas Gallery: Retro – Mačo / Retro – Macho), and has participated in several group exhibitions (Šira Gallery, Karas Gallery, Pallas Projects/Studios, Canvas Gallery, Bačva Gallery, SC Gallery, among others). Furthermore, he has taken part in various art projects (Umjetnost u zajednici: redefiniranje nasljeđa grupe Zemlja; Grand Tour: Postcolonial Pilgrimage and Age of Pyramid in Mexico; and Staring at the Sea in Ireland). He lives and works in Zaprešić.

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