“As artists, the only thing we can do today is take elements from existing works and try to piece them back together in a new way.

“When we do this with full intuitive honesty, then a new work of art is created that can stimulate viewers to see reality a little differently. Culture is made up of thin layers of artwork, which are sometimes so thin that they are barely noticeable, and yet each layer changes and enriches our world.”

In Shakine’s studio, we stand and gaze up at a few tall statues he’s made out of bronze.

“In an effort to make a statement about modern culture, I took properties I saw in sculptures made by Alberto Giacometti, and I integrated them into my sculptures to show walking movements from the world of modelling,” Shakine explained.

“So, on the one hand, I’ve included elements from Giacometti, who was a pure and tormented artist who died in his leaky studio in Paris in the 1930s, despite the fact that bundles of cash were found under his mattress, and on the other hand, there is the supermodel figure, which symbolises today’s consumer culture.”

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