Reflecting upon contemporary dystopia,
Vermibus created a new body of work contemplating the artificial nature of reality on multiple levels. Through exploration of some of the most prominent aspects of consumerism, he built a recognizable oeuvre deliberating various imposed standards, which culminates with his latest project entitled “In Absentia”.
The suggestive title of this comprehensive series can be read “
in the absence”, but also “
in rebellion”, and it can be understood as the legal term referring to court proceedings being conducted while the accused is absent. However, “In Absentia” unveils another, introspective layer of Vermibus’ work. Macrocosms of consumerism intertwine with microcosms of the artist’s subjective journey into the depths of the self, while the observers are allowed to connect to both. Presenting advertising as the ultimate manifestation of constructed, fake reality, the artist compares the urban environment with human personality structure and inspires meditation on outer and inner problems the people encounter simply by living in the post-truth society.
True Face of the Parisian Metro
With creation of twenty-one solvent based pieces individually, each revealing their origin with their titles, Vermibus conjured up a series of work, crowned with an atmospheric video piece.
Diverting from the documentary nature of the previous short films the artist had made,
“In Absentia” video is an autonomous work of art that focuses on discovering the truth, stripped of all embellishments. It is a brooding visual tale about urban life, cleared of every and any distraction, including people, alluding to a plethora of issues the citizens face daily, from visual pollution to personal loneliness.
Having more than 1.520 billion passengers, the Parisian subway system served as the prime inspiration and the setting for the project. As the second busiest metro network in Europe, it is also the one with more than an average advertising pollution in comparison to other such systems in the world. All of the posters were first installed and the video was shot on the scene, inside the Metropolitan subway of Paris.
Descending into the City’s Subconscious
Observing the city as a living organism and people as its vital cells, Vermibus has assigned a new role to its
