Making out on the Battlefield

The works of Randolpho Lamonier are based on the images shaped by the horror vacui of today’s information age, which the artist deepens through iconographic and iconological references to the history of art, often employing a somewhat surrealistic approach that delves into the dreamlike and personal. Lamonier’s images, according to W.J.T. Mitchell’s classification, can be divided into graphic, mental, and verbal images, and they are manifested through mixed mediums such as assemblage, collage, and readymade, as well as other mediums like painting, tapestry, photography, and video work. These pieces emanate contemporary visual culture; for example, in some installations and assemblages, the artist shows and appropriates various branded products such as Colgate, Listerine, Calvin Klein, and New Balance, where public and private iconography overlap, as do graphic and verbal images, ultimately giving the readymade its painted reflection. The essence of today’s time is crystallized, revealing that we remain deprived of symbolism, or rather, our symbols, dreams, and fetishes predominantly express a consumerist nature.

On the other hand, the exhibition at Hestia takes us back to the symbolism of Eros and Thanatos, expressed through its almost oxymoronic title “Love on the Battlefield”. It features works from earlier phases, including three series of photographs (“Balaclava”, 2013; “Burning Diaries”, 2014; “Ave Guerrilla”, 2014) and the video work “Doom” (in collaboration with Victor Galvão, 2019). It also showcases new works created during the residency at Hestia, such as the continuation of the “Bittersweet Haiku” series, where the artist pairs each still life created using a combined collage technique with a Japanese short form poetry – haiku.  Neva Lukić

Support for the realization of the exhibition: 60th October Salon and Cultural Centre Belgrade

photos: Sofija Modošanov