Alkimija in papir. Zvesti spremljevalki človeka že od srednjega veka. Takrat je alkimija predstavljala eksperimentiranje s primitivnim kemijskim znanjem, hkrati pa filozofijo, v jedru katere je bila želja po odkrivanju najvišje modrosti in nesmrtnosti. In ravno papir je bil tisti, ki je od okornih in nepraktičnih materialov, kot so kamen, glina, les, kovina, blago, prevzel vlogo prenašalca podatkov iz časa v čas, iz veka v vek. Vse do danes, kjer sta se poslanstvi alkimije in papirja znova združili v umetnosti. Umetnosti, ki se vedno znova rojeva, razpada, spreminja, preoblikuje … Je nesmrtna.
Da, v delih Metke Pepelnak se zavržen, na propad obsojen papir po osnovnem načelu alkimije – solve et coagula, ki pomeni razbij in sestavi – preoblikuje in ponovno rodi kot umetniško delo, ki v svoji biti ohranja njegovo vlogo prenašanja sporočil, le da ji umetnica vdihne novo dimenzijo. Dimenzijo, ki za razumevanje sporočila terja (naj)višjo modrost, modrost uvida zmot o krogu življenja, ki nima zaključka, temveč se v njem ves čas le izmenjujeta minljivost in prerod.
Metka Pepelnak je leta 2002 na Pedagoški fakulteti v Ljubljani diplomirala iz slikarstva pri akademskem slikarju Zdenku Huzjanu in akademskem grafiku Črtomirju Frelihu. Deluje kot samostojna kulturna ustvarjalka na področju oblikovanja, slikarstva in grafike. Imela je več samostojnih in skupinskih razstav. Za svoja dela na inovativno oblikovanih slikovnih nosilcih je prejela več priznanj doma in v tujini, med drugim posebno nagrado Tartini 330 na 57. mednarodnem slikarskem ex-temporu Piran, ki je tudi izhodišče za razstavo v Tartinijevi hiši.
Na razstavi z naslovom Papirnate alkimije, ki je bila na ogled od 6. do 30. junija, so obiskovalci lahko občudovali umetnine, ki niso samo paša za oči, temveč v sebi nosijo odtis poti, ki jo je prehodil material, iz katerih so sestavljene. Kot je namreč v svoji predstavitvi umetnice povedala Lea Škerlič, se umetniški proces, v katerem se rojevajo dela Pepelnak, začne s svojevrstnim ustvarjanjem papirja. Tega ustvari iz skrbno izbrane, strogo reciklirane, odpadne surovine, ki jo raztopi, obdela in kondenzira v primernem formatu in teksturi.
“Včasih kot list, včasih kot papirna pulpa, ki jo uporablja na skoraj kiparski način,” je zapisala kustostinja razstave v predstavitvenem letaku.
Na odprtju razstave, v sklopu Poletne muzejske noči, 17. junija 2023, so poleg Lee Škerlič spregovorili še direktorica Obalnih galerij Piran, Mara Ambrožič Verderber, predsednik Samoupravne skupnosti italijanske narodnosti Piran, Andrea Bartole in Fulvia Zudič, predsednica Skupnosti Italijanov Giuseppe Tartini Piran. Slednji je v času, ko so nagrado Tartini 330 dodelili Metki Pepelnak, predsedovala Manuela Rojec.
Sklepna beseda je, seveda, pripadla osrednji junakinji večera, čigar iskrenost in skromnosti, ki sta veli iz njenega nagovora, sta dali zeleno luč sproščenemu druženju ob ogledu razstavljenih del.
Besedilo in foto: Nataša Fajon
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