Visiting Mermaids is a collection of artworks by Krisztina Czika, made from found negatives and printed onto concrete. The project explores the sea as a cultural as well as a natural space, focusing on how it impacts on the lives of Sri Lankan women. The date stamp on the found negatives tells us that the photographs were taken in 1991. In the photos, we see the joy and mutual support of a community of women clearly enjoying themselves on the beach. What makes the images all the more striking is that in Sri Lankan culture, due to societal expectations and the prominence of traditional gender roles, the seaside is typically a male-dominated space.
The project came into being after Czika’s artist residency in Sri Lanka was cancelled due to the global pandemic, and because of travel restrictions and a strict lockdown, she found herself, to all intents and purposes, trapped on the island. One day during a brief respite from lockdown, Czika found the negatives in a pile of street trash. She wasn’t able to see exactly what she’d found, however, until she returned to her studio in Amsterdam in August 2020.
Artist: Krisztina Czika
Dimensions: 24cm x 36cm
Year: 2020
Frame: Artwork has it’s own hanging system
Technique: Photo printed on concrete
Visiting Mermaids is a collection of artworks by Krisztina Czika, made from found negatives and printed onto concrete. The project explores the sea as a cultural as well as a natural space, focusing on how it impacts on the lives of Sri Lankan women. The date stamp on the found negatives tells us that the photographs were taken in 1991. In the photos, we see the joy and mutual support of a community of women clearly enjoying themselves on the beach. What makes the images all the more striking is that in Sri Lankan culture, due to societal expectations and the prominence of traditional gender roles, the seaside is typically a male-dominated space.
The project came into being after Czika’s artist residency in Sri Lanka was cancelled due to the global pandemic, and because of travel restrictions and a strict lockdown, she found herself, to all intents and purposes, trapped on the island. One day during a brief respite from lockdown, Czika found the negatives in a pile of street trash. She wasn’t able to see exactly what she’d found, however, until she returned to her studio in Amsterdam in August 2020.
Artist: Krisztina Czika
Dimensions: 24cm x 36cm
Year: 2020
Frame: Artwork has it’s own hanging system
Technique: Photo printed on concrete
