NEITHER PLAYER CAN SPECIAL SUMMON MONSTER
«Neither Player Can Special Summon Monster» is an exhibition that melds the visionary worlds of Natalia Janula and Estefanía B. Flores. In this artistic journey, we will explore the convergence of urban and natural environments, the interaction of the female human body with articulated anthropomorphic elements, and the creation of emotive worlds through science fiction, femininity, and the invention of traditions.
From her base in London, Janula weaves a visual dialogue between the urban and the natural, highlighting the duality of our environment. Her installations, represented on a clean wall, unfold the richness of sculpture, video, and performance. Padlocks on forged railings symbolize the connection between public spaces and intimacy, while articulated anthropomorphic elements express a narrative that goes beyond the tangible.
Fertility, feminism, and fluidity intertwine in her works, challenging expectations and prompting deep reflection on the role of the female body in society. The invention of traditions is evident in each installation, where tradition is redefined through the lens of the contemporary.
From the Canary Islands to London, Flores merges her architectural background with live art in its infancy. In this enclosed space, small screens become windows to her exploration of interactive gaming. Her work transforms the female human body into a living project, challenging norms and exploring art in its nascent stages.
Forged railings of public spaces become a symbol of the connection between the tangible reality and the game, where Yu-Gi-Oh cards inspire a science fiction fantasy. Invented traditions manifest through installations that trigger emotional elements and embrace inventive tradition in a contemporary context.
The exhibition comes to life through the dialogue between these two visionary artists. The exchange of studies between Janula and Flores becomes a living project, where the duality of their approaches converges in an installation that challenges perceptions and stimulates critical thinking. The intersection of the emotional and the technological creates a space where new possibilities take shape.
«Neither Player Can Special Summon Monster» is more than an exhibition; it is an experience that invites reflection and dialogue. Here, in this enclosed space, live art is in its infancy, and installations become windows to imaginary worlds. Science fiction fantasy blends with tangible reality, and the invention of traditions redefines our understanding of contemporary art. This is a call to explore, question, and immerse oneself in the duality of the created and the invented, guided by Janula and Flores.
About Artists’ Brief:
Natalia Janula is an artist born in Poland and a researcher of Roma heritage currently residing in London. She graduated with honors from the Slade School of Art in 2015, exploring artistic practices spanning sculpture, video, installation, and performance. Her focus revolves around urban and natural environments, delving into the intersection between the two. Recurring themes in her work include domestic and fictional landscapes, object-oriented ontologies, queer and interspecies bodies, and the interaction of the natural world within a technological setting.
Conceptually, Janula delves into the exploration of the potential and paradox of a hyper-capitalist, globally connected reality. Bodies, nature, gender, and labor are employed in an industry where even invisible and abstract forces, such as love, can materialize into a definitive economy of objects, units, and value. She has exhibited her work in the UK, USA, Asia, Canada, and Europe, participating in solo and group exhibitions at prominent spaces like New Art Projects and Union Gallery.
On the other hand, Estefanía B. Flores, originally from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is a visual artist and former architect residing in London and the Canary Islands. She studied architecture at Polytechnic University of Madrid and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, earning a master’s degree in Fine Art from Goldsmiths University of London as the 2020 recipient of La Caixa Foundation Grant for Postgraduate studies.
Flores’s work has been showcased in various locations, from indigo+madder gallery in London to Matadero Madrid, Athens Digital Arts Festival, and hARTslane gallery in London, among others. Her artistic approach encompasses sculpture, video, and drawing, exploring affections and aversions within digital game spaces, simulated emotions, and the emergence of a technological demodé culture.
She delves into the chaotic nature of contemporary entertainment, analyzing and labeling persistent fictional principles. Flores employs a semi-sculptural practice of mixed media to work on altered scenarios, creating spatial tales where clever yet precise objects and beings dream of desirable futures. Her sculptural language draws from a deep hardware fetishism and a fascination with the nostalgia of iconic technological devices in our cultural landscape.
In summary, both Janula and Flores contribute unique perspectives through their artistic explorations, whether at the intersection of urban and natural environments or in the immersion into the emotional complexities of contemporary digital spaces. Both artists have made their mark in various international exhibitions, contributing to the contemporary art conversation with their distinctive approaches and profound reflections on society and technology.
