- created in collaboration with the Austrian Academy of Sciences, ÖAW, Digital Humanities

Penesta Dika, Notre Dame Burning, 2019, Digital Art.

Detoxism or MediaDetoxism – an artstyle (also in music and literature applicable), that represents visual things disseapearing from the presentation space/surface thus "purifying the essence of life". Our mood, soul and mind is ponitinted out. Detoxism or MediaDetoxism presents the state where the soul, mind and good mood are being free out of external influences such as the usage of new media, social media and other. Since we are living in a time where information from different media is served to us at any time in different ways, there are people complaining of various health symptoms, which according to researchrs, accure as a consequence of media overuse. Since our brain cannot process all of them, people show symptoms of fear, depression, psychosis, burn out, etc. which are directly related to the fact of information we receive and cannot process on a natural way. Although we feel preoccupied with the news and infos we hear and read during the day, we cannot make an effective contribution if we do not have a clear mind and spirit, that is, a sober state of mind from which we can think and find solutions to issues to contribute. In this case, Detoxism, or MediaDetoxism presents the state where we tend to remove redundant information we receive. Thus, we can concentrate us on what we want and on what we can contribute mostly. So, a kind of passive energy (from receiving information) is converted to an active energy. Thinking is facilitated by a deep penetration in ourselves. The arworks of the style of Detoxism, or MediaDetoxism reflect our minds and souls that appear free on most of the space/surface of the artwork. A qualitative information results from removing a big part of the daily served information. By doing such a „cleanup“ (detox-detoxism) we can work much easier and faster with dedication on a theme. Often it is the opposite, we receive redundant information for a topic and fail to contribute to it. The representations of Detoxism, or MediaDetoxism symbolize a return to a stable spiritual state. In some of the artworks of Detoxism or MediaDetoxism we are in a “turbulent” (not-so clear) state of mind, but which is becoming both cleaner and more stable. In some others we have been able to push the information in the "corner" and completely clear out the place (space/surface) in order to rethink the presented situation from our point of view. In contrast to Kasimir Malewitch's Idee of Suprematism, Detoxism or  MediaDetoxism shows the way to the liberation of mind and soul. The process of cleaning ourselves and making an information-detox is integrated as a process in the presentation itself.

© Penesta Dika, concept developed under the support of the Academy of Sciences in Austria - Department of Digital Humanities. 

Penesta Dika, Corona-Beauty, 2020, Digital Art.