Self-titled,
series of self-portraits, 2022-Karlo Štefanek’s self-portrait series navigates the space between
own perception and external observation, in an attempt to expose
the nuanced nature of identity. In this pursuit, Štefanek envisions
identity as ’’a playground where the masquerade becomes the
ordinary, reflections become unrecognisable, style gets lost, and
behaviour bends to the whims of weather.’’
This constant metamorphosis forms the essence of his artistic practice.
In Self-titled, performance plays a vital role, integral to both its creation process and its interaction with the public. Take, for instance, the piece Self-titled, Missing, where Štefanek’s image was displayed across the streets of Amsterdam and New York. At first glance, one might assume that the artist has gone missing, but the irony becomes apparent when the text below the heading is read. The interaction of this piece in the city solicited enough responses from its citizens to then help shape a new iteration for the series (see Self-titled, This is not artist, just some follower of cultural marxism, 210x297 mm, 2024).
Self-titled is a dynamic reflection of an artist in perpetual self-unveiling, inviting viewers into this playground,
as much as it is one artist’s desire to be both the creator and the muse.
Scan until I no longer am, 2024
I cannot speak, I cannot listen, I cannot see, 2024
Come, the Almighty, 2023
The illness glows in every colour imaginable, but right now mine shines mulberry, 2023
I’m just a coaster bearing the weight of glasses, 2023
Venus as a boy, 2023
Web dot com, 2023
Second sex, 2022
I sleep with one eye open, 2022
When the sun was in the corner, 2022
You can take the Croat out of Croatia, but you can’t take Croatia out of the Croat, 2022
A lover is an artist who is a clown, 2022
Copyright © 2024 by Karlo Štefanek
All rights reserved.