“I want to give questions, not answers.”
—Evelyn Bencicova Slovakian visual artist Evelyn Bencicova’s (b.1992) enticingly enigmatic series Artificial Tears began as a reaction to the question, ‘What differentiates humans from machines?’, which led to reflecting on the cultural narrative of the ‘male creator’ and ‘female machine’. ‘Artificial Tears depicts the moment of uncertainty and alienation in the most ordinary state of performing an act’, the artist continues, ‘when the meaning, or more exactly, the meaninglessness of one's own action is revealed.’ Here, we see an isolated, anonymous figure – a female automaton – reflected in multiple mirrors with her face hidden behind a Polaroid camera. The use of muted colours and stark lighting further drives the viewer’s experience. With her sleek yet offbeat style, Bencicova constructs ambiguous tableaux that provide no fixed or clear meaning as seen in the present work, transporting us to another place and time. She has exhibited widely and has received numerous awards, including the Hasselblad Masters in 2016, the Portrait of Britain and Berlin Masters in 2020 and the Prix Picto de la Photographie de Mode in 2021. Another work from this series is held in the Fundación MEDIANOCHE0, Granada.
This offering marks the artist’s debut at auction.