TIFA Working Studios

TIFA Artist Feature - Dimitri Shabalin

Dimitri Shabalin is a mask maker from Moscow, Russia. Dimitri began his creative journey in 2013 when visiting his mother; he used his old childhood toys and some of his mother’s jewellery to make his first mask. At the time, he was working as a Fashion Editor at Numero and Interview magazines. Dimitri crafts bejwelled sculptural masks that can be worn as accessories or exhibited as wall art. He uses a wide variety of materials from jewellery to old toys and memorabilia, a unique way of upcycling, where the old meets the new and behind the jewelled facade is a more meaningful evocation of the past. Dimitri seeks to give a new lease of life to the pieces he collects; reawakening the era they come from and telling the stories of their owners through his masks. He is fascinated by old civilisations and has a particular intrigue for Soviet era memorabilia, and the social and political experiences of that time. He approaches his work as an archaeologist. Dimitri hopes to inspire creativity, curiosity and an adventurous spirit through his pieces.

The bright, sometimes defiant, sometimes even frightening masks of the artist Dmitry Shabalin are in demand among collectors and are successfully sold at modern art auctions. In his hands, household items are formed into fantastical fairy compositions that you want to look at and consider.

He says “Because a mask is a full-fledged piece of art, with its own history and mythology, and only then an accessory. For me, this is a reflection of my state here and now, an imprint of the moment, collected from improvised objects. At the same time, a collage and a portrait, which, as an art object and a trophy, can decorate the space of a house, filling it with new meanings.”

01. Videogames 101
Ft. SirViktor
Prataprao, also known as SirViktor in the online gaming world who is currently residing in California, USA. He is currently employed as a software engineer for a corporation with more verticals than he can care to count. He was born in Mumbai, but he considers Pune to be his hometown. Gaming and messing around with electronics, in general, has been a part of his life since his family got him his first personal computer. Presently he is a proud owner of a kickass PC with an Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card, and a PlayStation 4 Pro. He has a special bias for role-playing and strategy games.
What were the best video games of the year 2020? Talking about Cyberpunk 2077, Ghost of Tsushima, Last of Us Part II, etc. Talking about different genres in video games, MMO, MMOBA, Game-plays, etc. Discussions on Modding and how that opens up creative avenues within the game. Covering some game aesthetics and the immersion it brings with it.

Image Credit: Monument Valley
Link: www.ustwo.com/work/monument-valley-mobile-games

Cyberia Festival is curated by Anokhi Shah , Curator at TIFA Working Studios.
In collaboration with Goethe Institute, Pune

Special thanks:
Ria Rajan .studio_
Anuj Nakade
Siddharth Merchant .wut

www.tifastudios.in

Futures of Intimacies - Amay Kataria
Mom I’m Safe - Link in Bio

Amay Kataria repurposes technology to create systems that are inspired by the state of “being” and “time”. In his creative acts, he combines philosophical research with the context of human situations to explore impermanence and the fleeting nature of time. He utilizes the craft of code, algorithms, and computer-aided tools to create systemic metaphors about time and human empathy. His works take the form of time-based media installations, prints, or sculpture. He holds an MFA in Art & Technology Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He was the recipient of the media arts residency at Art Center Nabi in Seoul, South Korea and has exhibited at Vector Festival, CADAF, Electromuseum, Ars Electronica, Bronx Art Space, TIFA Studios, and Experimental Sound Studio, among others.

momimsafe.live ran as an active live-stream of my home studio space from March to August 2020, where I spent the majority of my time during the pandemic. It was developed in response to the covid-19 lockdown with an urgent need in mind; to be visually and physically accessible to all my friends and family globally; especially my mom, who has been concerned about my safety and health. 

Curated by Aditi Rakhe