back to the overview I deutschsprachige Version des Textes Translating different layers of reality into visual signs is characteristic of the work of Ukrainian artist Apl315. Palimpsest-like layers of meaning become visible in his pictures. In this way, Apl315 transfers artistic methods that he developed as a graffiti writer in public spaces to the canvas. Different levels of time as well as different places become visible, and are brought together on the canvas. In one of his paintings, the artist recalls a popular Ukrainian pop singer who now lives in exile. He writes one of her song lyrics on the canvas and then places a drone-shaped figure across the entire width of the picture in a broad painting style. On the one hand, the drone is reminiscent of the Russian war of aggression in the artist’s homeland. On the other hand, the black figure can also be associated with a dangerous insect and build a bridge to Apl’s interest in entomology. It is no coincidence that overlapping content becomes evident here; unexpected attacks from the air make depictions of both drones and insects comprehensible. In eleven languages, another painting entitled „Catacomb#4“ reads „After us, the deluge“ in red letters. On the layer below, signs of the Neolithic Trypillian culture, which was also located in what is now Ukraine, are depicted in black on a yellow background. The dominant plane in the foreground is formed by an opaque white Trysub. The Trident is the dominant symbol in Ukrainian heraldry and can be found on coats of arms and flags, stamps, coins and banknotes. Since the Russian war of aggression, the Trident has symbolised Ukrainian independence, national cohesion and the determination to win. Video: YES, AND… productions GmbH & Co. KG In his painting „Strum2023“, Apl315 sketches a water god from the Nickelmannbrunnen fountain at Nollendorfplatz underground station in a dialogue with the public space around Bülowstraße. He combines this figure as a background with the logos of all European train companies and train numbers. This system of signs on the carriages refers to their journeys, to the beginnings and ends of their routes. If the compartments are covered with graffiti, they become travelling exhibition surfaces that are received by a broad public on their journeys. These two pictorial levels are dominated by an all-over drone grenade, under whose arms on the right and left red colour fields with dripping paint suggest blood. On a large-format mural in the Prenzlauer Berg district, the artist documented historical graffiti drawn in charcoal on the walls of the catacombs in Odesa, bringing them out of the dark underground and into the public eye of Berlin’s urban space. Since the 19th century, Odesa’s catacombs have served as places of refuge and meeting places, and many stories surround the events that took place there. On a façade on the corner of Stargarder Straße and Schönhauser Allee, the signs currently threatened by the bombing are now linked together for passers-by with black paint on a yellow background. The interweaving of enigmatic animal-human creatures, calligraphy and scenes of social interaction can be seen. With this widely ramified web of figures and signs, the artist makes various historical layers of Odesa present and accessible. In his Berlin mural, Apl315 superimposes layers of time, historical events, the underground and above-ground urban space and the cities of Berlin and Odesa. Text: Dr. Silke Förschler Photo: Sebastian Kläbsch/berlinARTcore Photo: apl315 Photo: Sebastian Kläbsch/berlinARTcore Photo: Sebastian Kläbsch/berlinARTcore Photo: Sebastian Kläbsch/berlinARTcore Photo: Sebastian Kläbsch/berlinARTcore Apl315 Apl315 (b. 1986 in Odesa, Ukraine) started off as a graffiti writer in the early 2000’s and to date had numerous solo exhibitions in the Ukraine and abroad. His education is key to understanding the artist’s individual strategy: as a professional entomologist educated at the Odesa State University’s invertebrate department, he researched organic aesthetics and created images, which, from afar, looked like the silhouettes of insects. While continuously working on the streets, Apl315 began to move into new territory and migrated to post-graffiti practices. In the second half of the 2010s, he began using alternative media when creating new works. In interdisciplinary art projects, the artist combines his entomologist background with the newly acquired passion for amateur archaeological research and metal detection. In his case, the metal detector becomes a tool of artistic expression as most of his newer artworks are assembled from objects found on the streets, beaches and in parks. Old coins and rusted cans tell the stories of bygone days, referring to the classical baroque vanitas genre which was focused on the transience of life. His most recent projects are dedicated to the war-torn areas in Ukraine and the Balkans. In large-scale multimedia installations, he asks questions about the fragility of modern-dayecosystems and uncovers deep historical traumas of Eastern and South-Central Europe. Instagram: @apl315_ Website: apl315.info The residency at Fresh A.I.R. was supported by a special scholarship from the Hans und Charlotte Krull Foundation.
