joh.mangold[at]gmail.com
In my artistic practice, I explore the boundaries between materiality and immateriality, as well as reality and fiction or imagination. My work is based on an intense engagement with themes of the unconscious, such as memory, psychological identity, dreams and trauma, as well as the relationship between humans and their environment or nature. In my works, I link interpretations of personal and collective experiences, often making references to mythological motifs or elements from science fiction and pop culture.
I experiment with alternative narrative forms, such as nonlinear narratives, and explore the possibilities of using visual, auditory and textual elements in an intermedial way to induce storytelling. I adopt various perspectives that can be of human or non-human nature, moving between symbolism and encryption, and composing dream-like moments or scenarios. The protagonists in my works enter into a relationship with their internal and external spaces of experience. Their bodies often appear fragmented, distorted, incomplete, or they form extensions, appendages, or hybrids. They are constantly undergoing transformation, describing the body as a site of transformation, as biographical maps, as places of memory where experiences leave markings.
I work in a broad spectrum of media, including drawing, objects, virtual reality, video, sound, and text. By expanding my artistic practice into the digital realm and utilizing immersive media, virtual visual worlds intertwine with the physical manifestations of my works. This results in multimedia installations that invite viewers to examine the interaction between the used media, particularly exploring the experience of analog and digital means individually, and establishing narrative or poetic connections within the nonlinear network of my works.