(2020) triptych of digital collages

Through digital collages, Nejc Trampuž expresses his concern about our system and the future of society and humanity, as well as the existence of nature. Consumption, whose machinery we are deeply embedded in, has terrifying consequences for the Earth. It seems likely that our actions will endanger not only nature, but also humanity, which is completely dependent on natural resources—especially water and air. In the Anthropocene era, species are going extinct, the climate is changing, and balance is collapsing. Humanity continues to cross points of no return and creates feedback loops that further accelerate the disintegration of the ecosystem.

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The social system can be quickly and radically adapted; something the coronavirus pandemic has also demonstrated. It shook our reality and triggered a re-examination of societal values and functioning. It is crucial that, in this time of transition to a new reality, we bring solidarity to the forefront and think about the collective good. This is an opportunity to implement profound changes—even to address the environmental crisis, which poses a far greater long-term threat than the coronavirus. Trampuž's starting point is almost kitschy photographs of natural and urban landscapes and scenes. The internet is full of such images, which portray beauty in a clichéd way—beauty we indulge in through screens, even though natural beauty is increasingly rare and is being replaced by the scars left behind by humans. Just as humans treat nature destructively, the artist treats these photographs he finds online in a similar way. Through the improper use of computer programs, he applies heavily exaggerated, destructive digital processing to the photos. This reveals the compression artifact of the digital image file, the colors change, and patterns emerge. The image takes on a new aesthetic—the aesthetic of the glitch (a glitch being a technological error that can also manifest visually). The artist then combines several such damaged photos into a new whole, a collage.