The Promise of

SUBLIME WORDS

The project The Promise of Sublime Words started whilst the course of doctoral studies in 2016, when I was preparing to the final exam in art history. During my research about the ancient statues I discovered many old books with popular sculptures from Antique to Classicism. To spice the process of spaced repetition, I began preparing photographs connected with discussed topics. I photographed museum interiors and exhibitions; also delved into archival materials. I tried to confront myself with photographic reproductions of varying quality and scale. My aim was to show my favorite statues as objects, which arouse ambiguous associations. I tried to distort the usual view of sculptures and finally destabilize a natural sense of order. My technique involved the free manipulation of images. I created new equivalences and relationships – the internal juxtapositions are far detached from the original context of images.

The resulting series of images is about perception of photography as a medium and about present status of the museum audiovisual archives. On the one hand the cycle draws on my private fascinations; on the other, it is a reflection on the usage of photographic material in post-internet times.

- Ewa Doroszenko