2009 IB HL Visual Art Exhibition: Tino Troska

My greatest influence has always been nature, and especially how I and other humans fit into it. From my point of view, humans have become alien to our environment, which is the central theme that my artwork deals with.
Throughout the IB Art course, I explored how this concept works in different places, how nature and humans affect each other, and what role people play within nature. While I was visiting museums in Amsterdam, I was particularly impressed by Rembrandt’s use of detail in the work. I tried using fine ink-pens to create detailed drawings, too, also exploring aquarelle and watercolors along the way. Ultimately, I ended up with a theme that uses buildings as a way of representing the human intrusion on nature.
The small scale of my drawings forces the viewer to establish a close relationship to the work. Metaphors that reoccur in my work are buildings that represent human influence on the environment, as they are man-made. Consequently, the plants are reacting by invading the man-made structures. This results in a surrealistic landscape. Lastly, I focused on how humans fit into this cycle of conflict. My greatest challenges were in finding ways to express my view of this interaction. To solve this, I looked at metaphors that deal with our connection to, and alienation from nature. My research was influenced by gallery visits in Amsterdam, and also by viewing other artists’ use of metaphor.
Even though my preferred media are ink-pen, watercolor, and aquarelle, I have also experimented with oil pastels, transfer imagery, charcoal and colored markers. Now, that I have explored various different media, I realize that there are infinitely more ways to express myself.