ARTIST STATEMENT

Filip Custic Wades Into the Subconscious

The Spanish-Croatian artist has welcomed superstars like Rosalía and Lil Nas X into his pristine yet uncanny universe, which asks discomfiting questions about how technology influences the human psyche. For his debut solo exhibition in Japan, he renders to-scale models of his own head to simulate a “virtual avatar” that provokes an anti-capitalist scenario: What if we weren’t always so alert and hyper-connected?

The Spanish-Croatian artist has welcomed superstars like Rosalía and Lil Nas X into his pristine yet uncanny universe, which asks discomfiting questions about how technology influences the human psyche. For his debut solo exhibition in Japan, he renders to-scale models of his own head to simulate a “virtual avatar” that provokes an anti-capitalist scenario: What if we weren’t always so alert and hyper-connected?

Here, we ask an artist to frame the essential details behind one of their latest works.

Bio: Filip Custic, 30, Madrid (@filipcustic)

Title of work: Cabezza zzz (2023).

Where to see it: “Human Product” at PARCO Museum, Tokyo, until April 24.

Three words to describe it: Asleep/awake. Connected/disconnected. Action/reflection.

“Human Product” by Filip Custic. Image courtesy of PARCO Museum Tokyo

What was on your mind at the time: I wanted to reflect metaphorically on the idea of falling asleep in life, of ceasing to be always alert and hyper-connected.

An interesting feature that’s not immediately noticeable: Falling asleep while watching one’s cell phone seems, to me, to be a customary situation in our era.

How it reflects your practice as a whole: Reflection on what defines our time is very present in my practice, as is the use of bodily elements as an artistic medium. The use of masks, faces, and the reflection on identity in our era is one of my lines of interest and work.

One song that captures its essence: White noise.

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