FINALLY
FIRST ARTWORKS
Sketches for now but in near future will be paintings.

and all of them you can get
on shop.parasite.pl

(...) important element of the project is that the gain from the sale of our works will be evenly split within this "guild"(...)





GIPSY JACKSON (Maria)
acryl on printed paper, 29 x 21 cm






CIGANSKY ANDEL (Zdena)
acryl on printed paper, 28 x 22 cm








GIPSY WHEEL (Joci)
acryl on printed paper, 29 x 21 cm






KAMAV TUT (Zdena)
acryl on printed paper, 29 x 21 cm




&
here is a new note on blog.parasite.pl : blog.parasite.pl/2014/10/first-artworks-social-parasite-painting.html





cheers!

FIRST
Social Parasite
PAINTING






STRAKATÍ / Motley (Zdena)
acryl on old print on fiberboard, 27 x 37 cm


shop.parasite.pl

I was just scrolling through your Russian series (picked up an early one and was looking for framing ideas) and it really is a fully realized idea. What are your plans other than this new series? Gallery options? Obviously cracking the gallery code a b*tch but it would seem you have some ammo with a successful series on this board. Maybe a local indie publisher should compile them in a book?

Time to network, have drinks with people you don't like, laugh at jokes that aren't funny and nod knowingly! But seriously most artists always want a larger audience and there seems to be a vibrant scene in your country. Yet of course from my experience most artists hate the social part of the deal. You need a friend that is a conniving won't take no type to do your dirty work.

I tweeted your site and blog and am certain there must be a lot of artistic talent amongst the Roma.

Many Kale and Anglo Roma people in the Uk now go to school, or receive home tuition through Education Otherwise. Roma still fight for education though, and it is often an uphill struggle, particularly for girls due to family expectations.

I have known Traveller children win scholarships to university, through Cardiff Traveller Education Service, although that’s going back a bit.

There are many, many people in the UK from Traveller family backgrounds, who work in every area of life, including art, yet who hide their identities – I cannot emphasise this enough.

Traditionally the culture from which I emerged has had little room for art due to practical reasons, and has been a culture of story telling. This is no longer the case, and there are many Traveller peoples interested in art.

Ploppi – you say ‘Roma have had lots of bad publicity and each generation gets tarred with the same brush’.

This is very true, but it is the same for the English. If you are English, are you therefore responsible for every mister meaner, anyone who is English has ever committed – going back centuries?

It is the same for young German people.
Prejudice will always unfortunately exist, although that is not to condone it.

You also say ‘That also there must be undiscovered artistic talent’

This true of so many people everywhere.

In the near future I would like to study for a BA Hons in Art History.

I am now in danger of hijacking this thread, but allowed myself to become irritated by remarks on this thread.

I like you Ploppi, and read much of what you write - and agree with it, but please don't be so naive.

Hairband - I am attracted to your vibrancy and generosity of spirit, but I see the situation from a slightly different perspective. 

 Literacy, education, self esteem, and democracy are more important than any art world.  Perhaps, there is a way that a publisher or gallery could help with providing a spring board for more social and cultural change though, and that's a great idea. The art though I believe is about process and intuition, rather than purely just money making finished project. It is education first. 

Eastern Europe is a radically different situation from the UK, and I watch Parasites work with much interest.

Parasite is a pioneer, and doing an excellent job, I hope one day soon some of these Roma, say yes, I can do art, and start doing more of it, maybe one day teach even or go to college. I wonder what the rate of literacy is though. It is a brave and bold start.

Many Roma have issues with identity crisis in the west, self esteem etc, and art offers an opportunity to work through many problems, personal and social.

I like the Mona Roma – obviously someone has a sense of humour! Also the blue man on the blue couch reminds me of a Roma Walt Whitman, the glass reminiscent of The Absinthe Drinkers.

Kind regards to you all.

Thank you for this parasite.

Finally I have gathered all sketches from painting with Czech Roma and you can see them here:
shop.parasite.pl/category/social-parasite-painting-sketches

cheers

Your sense of fun is much appreciated as always Kobron, and this thread has definitely been in need of an injection of such good humour.

The expression 'to hit the road' generally implies going on a journey. This can mean going anywhere – to the shops – to work – or an 800 mile round trip.

I stated that I would no longer make posts on this forum with regard to Traveller Peoples and intend to stick by that.

The internet is not always the best format for communication, there is a lot to be said for intonation, and humour too, can sometimes get lost.
Also, I think our own mood can make a difference to how we read and interpret information.
The internet tends to depend upon, or use bite-size bits of information, sometimes no more than a few words. This is how information is now consumed. Therefore, it is perhaps not the best place for deep and meaningful conversations.

Parasites project, has had very far reaching effect, introducing the forum to a number of people, including a few more academics.
The project has acted as a catalyst, raising a variety of questions and friendly debate, which is a big positive step forwards.

This forum was founded I believe, to focus on art that raised questions, made people stop in their tracks, and prompted them to question their assumptions. It is good to see that art and the manner with which it is employed, still having the power to do this.

We are all equally entitled to our own opinions and beliefs, and there are those who claim, that race and nationality are social constructs, and personally I am ultimately inclined to agree.

Personally, I find it an interesting question, as to why the constructs, and myths that our cultures impose on us, prove to be so important to our individual senses of identity, as human beings, on a shared planet.
But alas, this is an art forum, not an anthropology one!

ŽAHRADA KEŘÚ / Bushes (painter: Terežka)
acryl on old print on fiberboard, 50 x 28 cm



The project has been completed so it is the time to summarize and present results.

My work on the project started a few months before the official start of the action and those organisational issues was based on contact with local organizations, a gallery and people that were working with Roma community in Brno and by them I wanted to find participants for the project. After first days I knew that the contact by phone and e-mail from far away (I was in Poland, they were in Czech) was clearly insufficient. People supported by pro-roma organizations were unwilling to cooperate, even though the proposed remuneration for painting images. The lack of translator and a language barrier slowed down further attempts to find participants, time was running out and shrunk to one and a half week. After trying to seek takers on the streets of Roma Bronx, I decided to change the place of workshop, from a space in gallery (about 2 km away from Roma district) to Roma social community center. We managed to gather a group of 10 people, began the work and realize the project in half shorter time than I wanted.






When we started working together at the Bronx there started to appear more and more Roma wanted to work, including kids, mainly because of the possibility of earning money. There were some minor incidents, e.g. one of participants wanted to bring the whole family and when he met with a refusal then he was resentful and gave up, another person was coming and was doing nothing but he wanted a remuneration. We have to establish who was coming, who was working and painting.







Roma was quickly implemented to the process of painting. During the workshop they presented their vision of the Roma Gypsy culture by painting pictures on the basis of repainting and painting on existing pictures or reproductions of European culture. I just tried to give advices and suggestions only on the field of painting.







Pictures were painted with a humor and a distance to the topic, the most of them include features characteristic for a culture and tradition of Gypsy: vividness and richness costumes, vivid colors, women's and men's ornaments or traditional gowns. Each of used components are a visual interpretation of gypsiness for participants who are modern Roma and by this way they expose gypsy culture on European background in a suggestive and eidetic image.







The result of project was 21 paintings and 30 sketches that can be all viewed and purchased at the online shop - shop.parasite.pl


The summary of action was an exhibition of all pieces and documentary film showing the process which took place in the gallery The House of the Lords of Kunštát as a crowning of Global Communication Festival 2014.








JINÁ KRÁSCE / Different beauty (painter: Maria)
acryl on old print on fiberboard, 44 x 61 cm

all pictures are on shop.parasite.pl

Any chance of making this a yearly exhibition Parasite?

Hallo Rainbows!
I'm calming in my workshop so I have a time for rainbow/s







EVERYONE HAS HIS RAINBOW
acryl on old print on fiberboard, 52 x 52 cm