| I am interested in the areas where separate items are evident, and also areas that complicate into mush, personal/collective narratives, and exploring how these stories can be distilled into works. Every identity has a universal weight in its particularities; of course Romanian identity has its own spice and a very rich background that enlivens very much the thinking of other places, and this is very important. I do this work to visually manifest the connection that exists between people. In my opinion, an artist’s worth is based on his or her ability to grow and change with his or her surroundings, and to inspire transformation and progress in others. The future of my work is in finding a balance between the precision of my artistic approach and the paradox…. |  |
Razvan Botis
I am interested in the areas where separate items are evident, and also areas that complicate into mush, personal/collective narratives, and exploring how these stories can be distilled into works. Every identity has a universal weight in its particularities; of course Romanian identity has its own spice and a very rich background that enlivens very much the thinking of other places, and this is very important. I do this work to visually manifest the connection that exists between people. In my opinion, an artist’s worth is based on his or her ability to grow and change with his or her surroundings, and to inspire transformation and progress in others. The future of my work is in finding a balance between the precision of my artistic approach and the paradox presented in the question I explore. I am continuously fascinated by the apparent contrast between new and old, and I strive to find a place where preservation meets innovation. It is possible to allow the freedom or ideas to flow and become actuality.
Hit the road Jack! is a walking stick made out of glass, filled with Johnnie Walker whiskey. With this work I try to combine a static attitude with a dynamic one: the walking stick is a sign of increasing weakness, and contradictorily, the whiskey brand “Johnnie Walker” represents the essence of movement. It’s the magic liquor that gives you the courage and the impulse to develop the right attitude. If the content is liquid, and the carapace is made of glass, it is breakable, as well as the movement of an old man who minds every step he takes. I don’t know if it is important, but the glassblower that helped me make the work was a cripple, and needed help from a stick. I made the butter lamp Burn in memory of my grandfather. Some years ago he made a lamp like this, but he made it with an “Amigo” coffee can, for my great-grandmother, so that they would remain friends forever. The work attempts to combine tree different flames, in a manner of Joseph Kosuth. A flame is to remember; one is for meditation, and the third is for the young spirit. An important characteristic of the flame is that every time it burns alone. The Magic Beans is a work that I made in 2008 when the economic crisis happened in Romania. The beans are made out of 14 karat gold, well polished and shiny. It is about entering a different world with the help of the magic, tricks. With Hidden knife, “it is still not about hiding something but to give the knife its righteous position in this world.”
