Artist Statement - Victoria Mulja

Victoria Mulja

Artist Statement

         I focus my artwork on pop culture, illustrating human’s responses to the ever-changing population diversity and the environment. But, instead of using traditional mediums such as canvas and paper, I now blend these static expressions with video gaming technology to make something new. This transformation was inspired by Cory Archangel’s modifications of the classic retro cartridge games such as Super Mario Bros and Tetris of the 1970-80s to the 2002 video game version of Super Mario Clouds. Another inspiration came from recent generations who always talk on social media about the dynamics of pop culture in our everyday life. The above game conversion and trend in interactions among the youths exemplify the relationship between digital technology and pop culture. Although the blending of cultural expressions and popular entertainment has been gaining momentum recently, few artists have taken advantage of video games is one of the arguably most efficient means of disseminating their latent messages in artworks.

Video captures of  Loop Glitch (2019) with the game ROBLOX, 

            I, therefore, select the sandbox-style games because of their non-linear, structured elements or mini-games, i.e., any of these can be bypassed by the players. Once having chosen a popular video game, I will modify it by removing or changing the parts so that the players can immediately question any malfunction or the game or if the artist is playing the game. Rather than letting the players interact with the game, I have the actions captured and projected the looping video on TV. The video will then ask the players to proceed with the next layer or if the game runs correctly.

           

            Biography

            Born and raised in North Vancouver, Victoria Mulja is a 4th-year visual art major, studying painting, drawing, installation, sculpture, and digital art.  Currently, she focuses on pop culture, human diversity, and the environment. Victoria took part in art exhibitions with other students such as Between Spaces featuring our Studio Class' artworks or as an individual participant in the Anonymous Art Show 2010 and City Fest 2018. One of her accomplishments was to earn appreciation and comments from viewers, some of whom purchased the artwork at the Harmony's Art Festival in West Vancouver and at her painting instructor's exhibition.  Selling more original artwork is Victoria's goal for the future, as it will help build her career as an artist.