Animalistic Fragments, 1995

Series of hand-cut photo-collages using photographic fragments and paper – various sizes

The Animalistic Fragments series is a six-part visual experiment that investigates the liminal space between human and animal nature. Rooted in the tension between instinct and civilization, between the inner beast and the social mask, these collage works are constructed from fragmented photographic images of animals. Assembled into grotesque, expressive portraits, these distorted yet strangely familiar figures evoke the hidden animalistic drives that linger beneath the surface of the “civilized” human psyche.

The series asks: what happens when the parts are severed from the whole? What new layers of meaning emerge from the dislocation of visual elements? The fractured aesthetic reveals a process of identity dissolution and border transgression – a symbolic merging of human and animal, body and instinct, self and other. The works challenge not only anthropological and biological distinctions but also delve into deeper psychological and cultural strata, confronting the fundamental dualities of existence: control and chaos, reason and impulse, the human and the feral.

Closely connected to the series is Werewolf, a sculptural work in painted plaster that translates the collage aesthetic into three-dimensional form. Inspired by one of the wolf-based collages – composed of fragmented images of wolves – the sculpture exemplifies the transmedial dialogue between collage and sculpture. Werewolf deepens the series’ conceptual inquiry: how are animal traits embodied in the human form? How does the body become a vessel for primal instinct?

The sculpture’s earthy palette and painting technique – reminiscent of prehistoric cave art – are deliberate artistic choices. More than stylistic references, they function as activations of cultural memory, pointing to the idea that human existence is not solely shaped by conscious, socialized behavior, but also animated by raw, archaic forces. Werewolf becomes a totemic figure – at once animal and human, mythic and contemporary – embodying the fusion of ancient instinct and modern identity.

Together, the Animalistic Fragments series and Werewolf challenge not only the boundaries between species, but also the cultural codes that repeatedly trace human origins back to animal ancestry. These works construct a visual universe in which past and present, wilderness and civilization, intellect and instinct coexist – inviting reflection on the complexity of human nature and the stakes of self-knowledge.