Artist Talk on the roof by the Y's resident artists,Magdalena Kovarik and Reiko Hamano.

Magdalena Kovarik
"Old Possessions, New Myths"

Old Possessions, New Myths reflects on the relationship between property and identity. Through urban interventions it raises the question of ownership and emotional belonging in a neoliberal world where new narratives need to be created. Local culture, countless conversations and a hint of mythology served as inspiration for the project.

Magdalena Kovarik is an Austrian media artist and designer working with emerging technologies between intervention, political engagement and experimental storytelling. Her work takes place where the analog meets the digital, man meets machine and outrage becomes art. The emotional response to very current issues such as the concept of borders or the ongoing refugee crisis drives her artistic efforts. Between humor and seriousness she tries to engage her audience. Therefore she develops interactive installations, tells stories through sensors and crafts virtual worlds. Lately she focuses on cross-media documentary such as Virtual Reality and 360° video.

Magdalena Kovarik holds a diploma degree in Industrial Design from the ‘Berlin University of the Arts’ and studied as an exchange student in Paris and Tel Aviv. As a Fulbright scholar she received a masters degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts ’Interactive Telecommunication Program - ITP’.

www.magdalenakovarik.com/

Reiko Hamano
Born in Osaka, Japan, Reiko Hamano currently lives and works in New York City.She received MFA from Hunter College, 2014. Her work pays attention to the space where the familiar becomes strange and where everyday images can be intensely personal. Combining sculpture, video, photography, drawing, and performance, She explores the absurdity of our senses caused by the contemporary and high-technological conditions.

www.reikohamano.com