Darko Masnec
An artist, filmmaker and educator specialising in animated film and videogames.
I completed my M.A. studies and Ph.D. degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, specializing in the field of animated film and videogames. Currently I work as an Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Department of Animated film and New Media. I am also an associate resident at Digital Cultures Research Centre and serve as an Advisory Board member for MyWorld project.
My work focuses on the mediums of animated film, video games, video, and installation, often combining hand-drawn animation and classical gags with abstract, modernist aesthetic. I am deeply interested in storytelling through animation and motion - playing, game and playfulness are often the lens through which I tend to realise my work, even if the result is not interactive. In this sense I view play and perhaps humour that can result from it as an essential tool for learning, engagement, and a way of expressing emotion.
Lately, classical methods feel more and more important in my work. This approach helps me connect with the creative process in a more hands-on manner while utilising the best, or most appropriate, tools technology has to offer. I believe in this way I can also create a sense of familiarity and expectations that are then open to subversion or enrichment through experimentation. One such example is my fascination with how abstract forms can communicate feelings and situations through movements, and how much meaning we as the audience often manage to create on an intuitive basis. This often gels with my interests in animation. As such I find various rhythms, patterns, their recognition and variations an interesting topic, whether in a direct or abstract manner.
Currently, I am exploring subjects such as synesthesia, how words evoke images, abstractions and emotions and how they connect and translate to other senses. Inner life and how it interacts and diverges from the external, remains a constant theme in my work. At the same time, I am increasingly interested in the impact of technological advancements on art, our inner self and the divide between personal and public (art).