“Heatwave” started from an anthropological perspective on beach culture, which I view as a microcosmos of contemporary consumer society. Each year, the photographic series expands with installation elements made from discarded inflatable beach cushions — objects purchased for short-term use, quickly degraded, and discarded. They function as symbols of consumerism. This year’s works are based on cyanotype photos (2025), further altered through light bleaching and coffee toning. The colored dots are cut from remnants of plastic inflatables and painted in various hues, referencing point-density maps used to visualize population distribution. Through these interventions, I highlight the scale and ubiquity of plastic in everyday life. The series continues my critique of consumerism and its consequences.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Katarina Kolenc (1994) graduated in photography at the Faculty of Applied Sciences in Ljubljana.Her original projects are based on documentary recording of everyday moments which she later develops into documentary and/or concept stories.
