Mariska Karto – photo and gold artist
“I pull away time from its structure and then time appears to be just a definition.”
In short time Mariska Karto was able to develope her creative forces to the utmost levels and creates next to her visual ethereal storytelling portraits, masterful complex hyperphoto collages that goes further than beyond this world. In her work time plays an important role.
In her hyperphoto collages she brings stories of our travels in time and society together and make them one journey. Mariska is fascinated with issues in our current time in society, both at urban level and at international global level.
She believes that, besides beauty and aesthetic designs, art also aims self-reflection.
Her ethereal visual storytelling work contains a powerful atmosphere of mystery, heavenly dark and dreamy language.
Mariska Karto started her career as photo artist in 2012 officially. In short time she has won various well known international awards (including the PX3 Prix De La Photographie De Paris, First place Gold Award, in complete category Professionals Fine Art) and is also nominated as Ambassador of tolerance in 2016.
“Without history there is no present, without present there is no future, no dreams, no memories not something to” go “for.”
“I love using photography as medium in complex hyperphoto collages. Because awesome details like rusty spots, wall discoloration, leafcolors and their spots, whimsical weed growth are everywhere in my architecture/landscape works. In my fresco’s you see human sweat, small details in accesoires, moles, folds in clothing/fabrics and hairgrowth are everywhere in the work.
I use these kind of photographic details to built worlds.”
Info figurative woman- Historical art in today’s perspective
My work excits from personal references. It has hers excistence from who I am. My Indonesian mother, my father with divers latin and cultural backgrounds caused by colonial influences in Latin America over the centuries, my African great-grandfather, my Dutch Frisian great-grandmother (she was called the white lady because everything was white to her, even her eyelashes). She risked her life because in colonial times she chose to be with my African great-grandfather (I admire her! Again and again she comes back into my work ..)
My work reflects the similarities and differences of my background. I mix my various family backgrounds using art and feminine beauty together, creating a hypnotic mixture of enchantment and beauty. That is the soul in my work.
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Info Pink Life
This is the other side that fascinates me. The phase after loss and pain. The contradiction of the vulnerable woman, The phoenix that rises after loss. Sometimes rises as the good, sometimes rises as the evil.
This serie shows woman with fatale attractions. Karto is interested in the phenomenon of fatal women.
Her pictorial photo art shows a timeless fascination for these women. Although the discussion is dead seriously, one could not suppress a smile at awkward moments that this kind of women also may cause in certain situations.
Karto is fascinated by these women. Beautiful women who manipulate and use special tactics to get favors and to get things done. Interesting is the question, why are people allowing manipulating themselves by this beautiful but dangerous women? And what caused that these women are who they are? In addition to these questions remains that the phenomenon femme fatale, is still a restless temper that keeps us busy. Whether you like it or not.
Info War
I have worked at this project from 2013 till now. My fresco’s tell a story, not a story of a single person, but a story of our world. Our old world and our new world, blended together. It was a lot of work to create them, but only with love for our world, fresco’s, photography and photoshop I was able to re-create the glory of old fresco’s again…
In my contemporary fresco”s I show you the struggle’s of our time now.
My fresco’s are meant as a mirror for ourselves.
All is photographed and processed by myself (models, surrounding, background, animals, accesoires etc) I want the complete work to exist from my hands and mind. Creating fresco’s are time consuming, it takes about more than a year to create to about a half year. I’m not working in a team, I create alone and all is done by myself.
“In my fresco’s, you can see chaos, melancholy, death and also love asks its sacrifices in most of my fresco’s. That’s what we see with our eyes. In reality, you see the reflection of eternal struggle. (For example: In soulcollector – refugees exploited and Xenophobia speaks for itself…). It’s the battle of life itself, our life, right at this moment – the difficulties in our contemporary life expressed in old masters frescoes.
In the middle of this chaos, in this massive entanglement, there seems to be no solution, hopelessness. No prospects.
But, by placing the viewer outside of the framework of the fresco, another different perspective exist. A perspective which enables us to find tools, right in the middle of this hopelessness.
We find tools to let life win back its territory.
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Info Surreal City’s – Fantastical landscapes (Contemporary classic city-landscapes):
My first work City Landscape I, is created from a social point of view shaped into an artistic concept. In this work I picture home, it is the area in which I grew up, the Netherlands – Delft/ Den Haag. This city visualize home. It touches emotions. Because the own city is reminiscent of memories, feelings, time and energy that is experienced in this city and that feeling of home we all share, no matter where we come from.
In the second work, City Landscape II – A Queens Kingdom, the work was created from a documentary perspective because the environment, Europe, in which I live in, is threatened by climate change and pollution. The world appears not to be perfect on closer inspection.
Queens Kingdom is built with cities and landscapes from all over Europe.
In Poland this Queens Kingdom will be visible, in motion and sound, for the first time. A collaboration with Dirk Bakkers. A taste of what is possible with 21th-century techniques and photography!
Some more background information:
I am fascinated by the relationship architecture has with mankind. It clearly shows the development of man, culturally, socially and technically. Mankind and architecture are strongly related to each other.
Besides that it is one of the basic needs that people need…. Shelter.
City Landscape II – Info Europe
How does a landscape of Rembrandt look like 300 years later? I have documented what Rembrandt showed with brush and paint, I did with modern mediums; photography and digital techniques. I photographed photo’s from various European cities and combined them in a hyper-collage, into one final image using digital techniques. In this image we recognize Rembrandt’s wordly landscape, influenced by contemporary times.
The work clearly shows progress over the years, but that has also left its mark. New questions arise.
City Landscape I – Info Den Haag/ Delft
The work Den Haag/Delft shows the evolution of Delft and the Hague, the influence of the churches in its historical context and the central government role of the Hague , as the guardian of peace in society, which its function is to ensure that there are no issues and quarrels on its tower and home of many people.
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Clients:
– Several works in the collection of new Waldorf Astoria in Amsterdam
– Several works in the collection of new Hotel Vagabond Singapore (Luxury boutique artistic hotel)
– Several works in high class hotels and luxury houses
-Artist / Fine art photographer for: CORTESE VENEZIA – The historical original perfumes of Venice
A breathtaking company in which history and art are combined together. You can find this commission in my album and link to the website of Cortese Venezia.
“From Cortese Venezia, the most wonderful collection of perfumes developed from the original secret recipes and formulas of Venice, lost for hundreds of years and now rediscovered.”
Representative
The Netherlands – https://www.anitanevegalerie.nl/
Paris – https://www.charlet-photographies.com/index.php/fr/
London – https://leontiagallery.com/