credits EppKubu
*Beginning at the KHM: What are the things you are most looking forward to and/or are excited about?
At KHM, we are most excited about the opportunity to launch a new course. We’re eager to engage with the students and implement our ideas and strategies in a dynamic, collaborative environment. It’s incredibly rewarding to support students as they explore their creativity and develop new artworks, and we can’t wait to see the innovative directions they take. Additionally, we’re looking forward to connecting with new colleagues and reconnecting with old friends at KHM. Being invited to teach at such a prestigious institution for media art is an incredible honour, and we feel privileged to be part of its vibrant community.
* What is your artistic background? What are your main starting points in being an artist?
We both have interdisciplinary backgrounds, which deeply influence our artistic and scientific approaches. Varvara’s educational journey began with an undergraduate degree in IT, followed by a master’s in digital media, and culminating in a PhD in arts. Mar’s background is similarly diverse, starting with studies in design and art, followed by a second undergraduate degree in computer game development, and later, a master’s in Interface Cultures. Currently, he is completing his doctoral degree at the Baltic Film, Media, and Arts School at Tallinn University. For Varvara, her artistic path became clear during her master’s studies in Germany, where she knew without a doubt that being an artist was her calling. Mar’s engagement with art took a more defined direction in 2004 when he founded the art collective Derivart, marking the start of his serious commitment to the field.
Our collaborative journey began in 2009 in Linz, Austria. Varvara was working part-time at Kunst Uni Linz, while Mar was involved with Ars Electronica. Our shared passion for art meant that even in our spare time and late nights, we found ourselves discussing creative ideas and developing projects. This naturally led to us working together. By 2011, we both left our part-time jobs and decided to dedicate ourselves entirely to art. To fully commit to our practice, we embraced a nomadic lifestyle, giving up our rented apartment and spending three years traveling from one art residency to another. During this time, we completed 13 residencies. In 2014, we finally settled in Tallinn, Estonia, where we continue to work internationally as artists.
* Which three words would you use to describe yourself or your topics?
Impossible is possible
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The posts titled “welcome” present and welcome the new staff members of exMedia.
more about Varvara & Mar