NEOPHYTE III: ON THE EVE OF THE SHORTEST NIGHT
Jura Shust
Neophyte Cycle (2019 - present) is a multimedia project that explores the profound relationship between the human psyche and the natural world in conditions of socio-political crisis. The first two parts of the cycle were filmed in Belarus, while the third part will be shot in Polish Podlachia, nearby the Polish/Belarusian border. Young Belarusians in exile will be involved in the project as performers. Like in the previous parts of the project, young people will undergo an immersive experience shaped by the artist's ethnographic research. More specifically, the project 'Neophyte III: On the Eve of the Shortest Night' represents an author's interpretation of the Summer Solstice celebration.
Jura Shust explores the relationship between ritual and escapism. Intrigued by semantic polysemy, informational intoxication, and ubiquitous aspiration for an out-of-body experience, he reflects on how the mythological overlaps with the technological. The sacral idea of incorporating the human mind into a global network, with its tendency for decentralization, inspires the artist to redefine the concept of spiritual ecology. A forest, as a metaphor for a parallel world, is seen by the artist as a shelter for magical and partisan forces, a space of non-linearity and freedom. Based on scientific research, Shust’s practice merges sculpture, video, and installation to construct mental landscapes illuminated by ethnoreligious beliefs and flooded by biopolitical intentions.
︎︎︎ Jura Shust ︎
︎︎︎ jurashust.com
Jura Shust (*1983, Belarus) lives and works in Berlin. Since 2012, Shust has exhibited at institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, GfZK (Leipzig, DE), Badischer Kunstverein (Karlsruhe, DE), Contemporary Art Museum S.M.A.K. (Ghent, BE), Calvert 22 Foundation (London, UK), Blaffer Art Museum (Houston, US), Management (New York, US), Museum de Domijnen (Sittard, NL), Mystetskyi Arsenal (Kyiv, UA), Tranzit.sk (Bratislava, SK), Arsenal Gallery (Białystok, PL) and other galleries. He also took part in the 14th Baltic Triennial, CAC (Vilnius, LT) and the 4th Art Encounters Biennial (Timișoara, RO).
Jura Shust explores the relationship between ritual and escapism. Intrigued by semantic polysemy, informational intoxication, and ubiquitous aspiration for an out-of-body experience, he reflects on how the mythological overlaps with the technological. The sacral idea of incorporating the human mind into a global network, with its tendency for decentralization, inspires the artist to redefine the concept of spiritual ecology. A forest, as a metaphor for a parallel world, is seen by the artist as a shelter for magical and partisan forces, a space of non-linearity and freedom. Based on scientific research, Shust’s practice merges sculpture, video, and installation to construct mental landscapes illuminated by ethnoreligious beliefs and flooded by biopolitical intentions.
︎︎︎ Jura Shust ︎
︎︎︎ jurashust.com
Jura Shust (*1983, Belarus) lives and works in Berlin. Since 2012, Shust has exhibited at institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, GfZK (Leipzig, DE), Badischer Kunstverein (Karlsruhe, DE), Contemporary Art Museum S.M.A.K. (Ghent, BE), Calvert 22 Foundation (London, UK), Blaffer Art Museum (Houston, US), Management (New York, US), Museum de Domijnen (Sittard, NL), Mystetskyi Arsenal (Kyiv, UA), Tranzit.sk (Bratislava, SK), Arsenal Gallery (Białystok, PL) and other galleries. He also took part in the 14th Baltic Triennial, CAC (Vilnius, LT) and the 4th Art Encounters Biennial (Timișoara, RO).
