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The lines and colors I selected for Monomyth were the direct result of taking part in processes associated with shamanism. There are structures and colors that dominate your thoughts during individual sessions; they are hallucinatory elements. So the forms and colors you see are actually direct overlays of structures from those visions.
(Filip Berendt)
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Filip BerendtMonomyth I A, 2016Archival pigment print on dibond, acrilic paint, MDF50x50cmMonomyth is a series of dynamic works depicting Filip Berendt’s personal experiences of his mystic journey to South America, where he took part in shamanistic sceanses under the influence of hallucinogenic substances. The final images are collages of black and white photography with abstract painting.
In mythology, the monomyth (also known as'the hero's journey') is a common narrative pattern depicting a hero who embarks on a quest for personal discovery. After multiple trials and a decisive victory the hero returns home deeply transformed. The term is taken from American author and anthropologist Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. He proves that in all mythology, the journey of the hero adheres to the same structure, meaning that there is some sort of pre-universal narrative pattern that dictates how humans created mythical structures.
The collaged photographs depict three-dimensional assemblages created by Berendt in his studio, that are inspired by his memories from those experiences. The artist destroys the assemblages after documenting them on the photographic film.
The resulting images combine the artist's background in sculpture, graphics, painting and photography and remain the only trace of the process. They illustrate the fragmentary, fictional nature of memories in memoirs, and self-told stories of personal growth and adventure.
Go here to read The Heroic Return by Dominik Czechowski
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My work with shamanism was directed at visualising some form of this monomyth - a personal and artistic experience - that could lead to the creation of works depicting this phenomenon. These works are the result of using ayahuasca, a natural hallucinogen.I wanted to see and experience the basis of the myth that permeates all cultures: the monomyth.
(Filip Berendt)
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Filip BerendtMonomyth II F, 2017Archival pigment print on dibond, acrylic paint, MDF70x50 cm
Right now I am concentrating on the eradication of photography memory - the selectivity of memory, forgetting, or how our brain misses things when it is overstimulated with situations and impressions. I'm concentrating on using photography to piece toghether a memory collage, which is exactly what Monomyth is about.
I treat these pictures almost like they are windows or portals, like how sacred paintings are venerated in various religions. The frames for this windows and the individual components should be cut off from the surrounding world - the boundary should be made visible and very obvious. That is why all elements are made in my studio by hand, all toghether with the frames
(Filip Berendt)
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Artist's Biography
Filip Berendt (b. 1975) lives and works in Warsaw, Poland. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Lodz, Poland, at the Academy of Fine Arts, Gdansk, Poland and at the Royal College of Arts, London, UK.
He works across multiple disciplines including painting, photography and sculpture. Recent solo exhibitions include Entropia Gallery in Wroclaw, Lokal_30 in Warsaw, and l'étrangère in London. He was included in group exhibitions at Muzeum of Contemporary Art in Wrocław, BWA Wrocław, Labirynt Gallery Lublin, BWA Katowice, and The Kraków Photo Month. He is the recipient of many photographic awards and his work has been reviewed and profiled in various publications including the British Journal of Photography, FOAM and the Wall Street Journal International Magazine.
Filip Beredt - Monomyth: Approche, Paris
Past viewing_room
