Absolute or relative condition, 2019-20, Oil paint on paper and wood, silkscreen on paper, 35 x 48 inches.
TATIANA ISTOMINA
Artist Statement
The central question in my art practice is the condition of knowledge. How do we know what we know? How do we know what we know is true? Is there one truth? Who owns it? Who is allowed to know what, and who is denied knowledge?
My work involves finding, collecting, and creating images, objects, and films related to various histories. I play the role of a researcher, archivist, and occasionally, a detective, reconstructing missing connections, probable causes and hidden consequences of past and ongoing events that differ widely in scale and character, from the Russian Civil War to the local discussion on immigration in San Antonio, Texas, before Trump’s election. This approach to art-making is informed by my background as a research scientist specializing in physics and data analysis. The main task in scientific research is identifying a key problem, whose solution may hold answers to a variety of diverse phenomena. As an artist, I look for similar “key” stories and images, which may appear obscure at first sight, but nevertheless signal important cultural and societal concerns.