Santa France (LV)
Still Life with Fruiting Bodies
Digital print on dibond (120 x 180cm), 2024
The two still life compositions explore the tradition of foraging for mushrooms within a consumer-driven world. Drawing from personal experience of mushroom hunting from an early age and nostalgia for field guide books, the diptych examines how this sustainable practice has become intertwined with modern consumer excess. The curated objects reflect the paradox of overconsumption, where rarity fuels desire, leading to cycles of exploitation and scarcity. While mushrooms naturally connect vast underground networks, this interconnectedness starkly contrasts with the isolation of overconsumption, where individuals grow distant from the origins of their food and environment, urging reflection on our impact on the natural world.
Santa France is a Latvian digital artist mainly focusing on exploring the potential of 3D software and its usage in creating web-collages, videos, animated .GIF images and digital illustrations. Her nearly photorealistic, yet uncanny compositions are characterized by their impossibly pristine surroundings and the contrasting organic and man-made objects. The established hyperreality draws attention to the software used in its creation, as well as uses its visual language to examine issues rooted in our contemporary existence, dealing with the themes of self-reflection, solitude, nostalgia and digital culture.
Santa France (LV)
Klusā daba ar augļķermeņiem
Digitalā druka uz dibonda (120 x 180cm), 2024
Divas klusās dabas kompozīcijas pēta sēņošanas tradīcijas patērētājsabiedrības pārņemtajā pasaulē. Pamatojoties uz personīgo pieredzi, kas gūta sēņu medībās agrā bērnībā, un nostalģiju pēc lauku ceļvežu grāmatām, diptihs pēta, kā šī ilgtspējīgā prakse ir savijusies ar mūsdienu pārmērīgo patēriņu. Atlasītie objekti atspoguļo patērētāju kultūras paradoksu, kurā reti sastopamais kļūst iekārojams, veicinot ekspluatāciju un trūkumu. Lai gan sēnes dabiski savieno plašus pazemes tīklus, šī savstarpējā saikne krasi kontrastē ar pārmērīgā patēriņa izolētību, kad cilvēki attālinās no pārtikas un vides pirmatnējās izcelsmes, mudinot pārdomāt mūsu ietekmi uz dabisko pasauli.
