Marko Kovačič

In the video works of Ema Kugler, mythology is inscribed in the rituals of everyday life, this time it is the theme of Hydra with many faces. It is illustrated by individual scenes with actors in leather costumes (the author's creations), which restrict their movement and thus already emphasize the separation of man from nature. The last trace of connection - the ritual relationship between man and bull, which is again based on human cruelty to animals - ends with blood, which on a symbolic level also pervades the whole image.

The video starts as a criminal story of one man chasing another, whereby the emphasis is not laid on the final outcome, but on colour surfaces that sneak into the black and white world of industrial plant. Then the colour instantly covers the entire video surface, a naked man's body appears and the camera starts revealing its details. The end of the video presents seemingly frozen bodies that, within the medium of motion pictures, endeavor once again to find the illusion of stillness offered by fine art.

The game of chess as a symbolic and performative practice forms the core of this video, which is essentially determined by staged scenes, reworked mechanical figurines and the performance of the main protagonists. It differs both from the high-tech video spot and fast editing.