Sketch.FIX is an analog, artistic interaction in the style of a photo booth. It functions through the interplay of two people. One is positioned outside encouraging people to enter, whilst the other remains hidden inside.
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The man wearing a top hat and tailcoat (the performer) appears like a 19th-century circus director. He invites visitors to take a seat inside the Sketch.FIX booth and have their portrait drawn by a hidden artist. After taking their place in the Sketch.FIX booth, visitors look into a two-way mirror. Behind the mirror is a person — the illustrator. The portrait is drawn in approximately five to seven minutes while a performer outside conducts a conversation with the person being portrayed. This interaction is a crucial part of the artistic process.
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A philosophical, witty, and reflective dialogue quickly develops. The performer asks special questions that are adapted to a specific theme. Some sentences from the conversation are added to the edge of the portrait.
The conversation between performer and the person drawn is therefore important. In this way three energies are shared between the model, the performer, and the illustrator. They are all interconnected.
Thus, Sketch.FIX becomes a place where seeing and being seen, questioning and drawing, waiting and perceiving intertwine. Sketch.FIX combines performance, craftsmanship, and dialogue into an intimate experience. this produces not only a portrait, but also a conscious experience of time and human closeness — as a quiet yet powerful counterpoint to the automated image production of our present day.
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The artistic interaction emphasizes human connection, artistry and creativity. Drawing becomes an event. Each portrait is unique and reflects the instant of the moment.
THE ARTIST DUO – Anja Tchepets and Johan Robin – produce projects in the fields of fine art and film. Anja Tchepets is an artist and an illustrator, focusing on painting, printmaking, artist books, and illustration. Johan Robin is a filmmaker and cinematographer, who integrates artistic and performative elements into his film projects.
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Together in their collaborative artistic projects, they explore the interaction between film and drawing combining analog and digital film material and incorporating additional artistic media, including painting and printmaking.
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Image credits: Sketch.FIX – Artistic interaction at the 14th Westphalian Culture Conference on the theme of ‘Al and Culture’ and at the Marktzauber – Klostermarkt at the DA, Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst
