Your work is inspired by the disease of Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). How did you encounter this disease and why did you decide to investigate it in At my Window Three days long A snow-white butterfly was dying I touched – It fell down I put it in the dry roses?
I experienced severe back pain five years ago and later discovered that my HLA-b27 gene was activated, causing Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) disease. Since then, I have been researching the causes of autoimmune disorders such as AS, trying to understand why the body starts attacking itself. I am curious about the processes and transformations that occur in the body and how one can “fight” their own immune system.
In the work you decided to assemble elements composed of such different materials: a clay stomach, plaster blocks, a metal chain covered with soda crystals, debris of bones, and claws. What is the relationship between the title of the work and the iconography of the work itself, such as a stomach, a crystallized chain, and animal bones?
I wrote this poem while observing a butterfly die at my window. When a butterfly is about to die, it seeks a safe space and stops moving. Even if one touches it, it may fly one last time, but eventually, it falls down. It appears lifeless but still looks alive. I decided to place the butterfly among dry roses, and it became two dead components that appeared alive. Some individuals preserve flowers by drying them to hold onto special memories associated with them, such as weddings or first dates. This process turns the flower into a “mummy”, and the only reminder of its life is the scent, sometimes stronger than that of a fresh flower. I saw an analogy to AS, a disease that begins at the sacrum bone and spreads to the pelvis and spine. The pelvis is shaped like a butterfly and is sometimes referred to as a “butterfly bone”. During AS, the entire body curls like a caterpillar, about to transform into a petrified butterfly. The body of the sculpture includes a metal chain with the same number of parts as the spine, a clay stomach, and twisted leg bones. The stomach plays an important role in AS, and consuming products containing gluten or lactose can escalate inflammation. Maintaining a special diet is highly recommended. In the sculpture, the stomach is filled with soda-rose essence, which leads to the destruction of the plaster blocks beneath, similar to AS’s destruction of bones.
Matter in transformation is a key aspect of this work, from the disease that causes the bones of human beings to become cemented to the crystallization of the water and soda solution on the metal chain. What fascinates you about the chemical transformations of materials?
Chemical transformation is an amazing phenomenon that involves creating physically different substances from existing ones. For instance, when soda and lemon juice mix, gas is produced as a byproduct. However, it is important to note that transformation is not synonymous with progress. The potential of the gas was always present in the components, along with countless other possibilities. The beauty of transformation lies in its neutrality, as it is neither inherently good nor bad, and its usefulness depends on the perspective of the viewer.
The blocks at the base of the work present a carving. What is represented on the plinths and how do these elements go together in the sculpture?
The blocks resemble gravestones that depict the transformed body’s state through reliefs. One relief shows a pelvis that has developed legs and insect antennae, giving the appearance of a butterfly. Another relief displays a person in a difficult condition due to AS with insect-like features. This person represents the “before state” of the fully transformed pelvis. Over time, the blocks are slowly being ruined by dropping water enriched with soda, causing the reliefs to become distorted.