Process: acrylic paint on used cutting mats / Dimensions: 60x45 cm + 40x30 & 20x30 cm / Year: 2024

The cutting mats used for these pieces of art were carefully selected from an extensive collection, all originating from former art classes where they served as tools for student projects. The marks of use—deep cuts, paint residues, glue stains, notes, and scribbles—reveal years of creative work by numerous art and design students. What remains important is that the mats were never valued for their aesthetic appeal; they are simply imprints of a creative process. Years of use have left a distinctive patina on the mats, transforming them into more than just backgrounds for further processing. At this point, their imperfections and randomness engage in a dialogue with a meticulously planned graphic composition, implemented as a unique surface on top. The question arises as to which layer adapts to the other. Is it the imperfect, randomly shaped patina that marks the carefully planned design, or is it the other way around? Does the graphic conceal the accidental traces of time?

The manually applied acrylic composition, combined with the wooden support structure, emphasizes the handcrafted nature of the artwork. No longer lying flat on a table, the cutting mat now exists as a vertically hanging object, drastically altering its existential purpose and redefined contextual appearance.