Ida Kvetny: Handmade
Ida Kvetny’s solo exhibition Handmade at Charlotte Fogh Gallery (August 18 – September 30, 2023) reflects on the tension between traditional craftsmanship and new digital technologies, including AI. The title Handmade emphasizes the tactile, physical nature of classical materials like plaster, while simultaneously engaging with cutting-edge digital processes, creating a dialogue between the old and the new.
In this exhibition, Kvetny merges her painting and sculptural practices into what she calls “extended painting.” Both two- and three-dimensional works are connected by a shared structural foundation, drawing inspiration from classical ornaments, sculptures from antiquity, abstract art, science fiction, and the digital realm. These elements are layered together, forming a chain reaction of ideas that challenge the boundaries between abstraction and figuration.
A central piece of the exhibition is the plaster relief Niobids Sleeping and Simulating (2023), which represents this fusion of traditional and digital techniques. Classical plaster casts from the SMK collection were first 3D scanned, then manipulated through VR and AR technologies, and finally 3D printed. The completed works were cast back into plaster, preserving the traces of digital processes within a classical medium, thus transcending time and culture. This intricate layering of methods speaks to Kvetny’s interest in how new technologies like AI and digital tools can reshape traditional art practices.
The exhibition also included digital twins of the sculptures, accessible through QR codes and AR, offering an interactive experience for viewers. In addition, Kvetny’s XR film HERMES was presented as a quest performance, where augmented reality elements interacted with the physical space.
Handmade builds upon works created during Kvetny’s participation in the 2022 DR2 TV series Kunstnerkolonien på Sydfyn, and the exhibition highlights her fluid approach to the creative process. Her work invites subconscious and unspoken ideas to surface, while integrating classical and futuristic concepts into a unified artistic vision.
