Belarus

Sergei Belaoki is an independent visual artist. The main material which he uses in his artistic practice is glass. He cultivates the dialogue between glass crafts and contemporary art in his artworks. “I graduated from the Department of Monumental Painting of the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. Due to the specialization of my art education, I prefer working in wide areas of public spaces. I choose predominantly glass in my current work because it gives me opportunities to expand borders of the traditional Public Art agenda. The strength, and the simultaneous weakness, of the material is its ability to represent the edge between the strict reality and the ephemeral world of ideologies, ideas, and illusions. I am attempting to use it in my work – to explore how penetrable glass borders are, as well as whether glass is able to change both objectivity by itself and to change our perceptions of it. Technically, my works are mostly installations in public spaces. Hence, I add my glass pieces between space and spectators, radically changing seemingly unshakable values of places – adding, distorting, and correcting its meanings. Taking into account specific reasons of particular places or situations, I can choose the appropriate techniques – stained glass, fusing glass, etc. However, a conception always goes first and foremost – then goes a technique. Everyday life inspires me most in my work. Just as simple as this.”