Sunken Garden by Tanja Deman - An exhibition of new works produced in Jersey by Tanja Deman, Archisle International Photographer in Residence 2017.
Born in Croatia Tanja Deman's art is inspired by her interest in physical and emotional perceptions of nature, environment and architecture. Deman’s work, incorporating photography, collage, video, public art and sociological research, are evocative meditations on urban space, landscape and human relationships with nature. Observing the legacy of modernism within the natural landscape, Deman’s images reflect upon the dynamics hidden beneath the surface of built and natural environments.She obtained her BFA and MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. Her work has been exhibited widely including: Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb / Kunstmuseum Bonn / 15th Venice Biennial of Architecture, 2016 / The Central House of Artists, Moscow / Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijeka. In 2015 Deman was commissioned to produce a monumental photographic public art project titled 'Sommerfreuden' which presented a wrapping of the Ringturm Tower on the bank of the River Danube in the city of Vienna.
In 2015 Deman entered the ocean to begin Salt Water a new series exploring the underwater landscapes of the Adriatic Sea on the coast of her native Croatia. In her Jersey project Deman develops this body of work further for the exhibition Sunken Gardens. Describing the work Deman says:
‘Growing up by the seaside in a harbour city that recently became a tourist mecca re-directed me towards a quest for hidden off and on shore environments: less approachable marine shores and sea beds. In Jersey I have made a photographic exploration of inter-tidal zones, capturing morphological formations of the seabed, reefs and cliffs that penetrate the sea depths; the transmission and refraction of light through the sea water; and above all the lush underwater gardens of seaweeds.
Observation of the hidden rhythms and rhymes of these silent underwater spaces requires patience. My intention is to translate personal experiences of this environment into contemplative, abstracted images that shed new light on an under-represented hidden world. Here I find metaphorical and uncanny poetics which offer access to these Sunken Gardens.’
By CCAI on 26/07/2017