Monocular Symbiosis

Lena Goral

In my series „Monocular Symbiosis,“ I utilize the aesthetics of Arthouse Horror to dissect the depths of human nature and the fragility of masculine authority.
For me, the historically burdened uniform serves not as a political statement, but as a purely visual instrument. It represents a mask of order, coldness, and absolute discipline. My artistic goal is the deconstruction of this rigid form: when the cool severity of the fabric meets a „subtle, maniacal smile“ or a „morbid tenderness,“ horror erupts from the facade.

My works are to be understood as psychological chamber plays (Kammerspiele). I deliberately avoid narrative battlefield scenes or heroic glorification. Instead, the uniform becomes a costume for archetypal traits—authority, systemic loyalty, and dehumanization—which I render absurd through individual facial expressions and the physical scars of my characters.

It is the contrast between the flawless shell and the „surgical“ impairment of these „living corpses“ that creates the oppressive atmosphere of my vision. In this niche between beauty and decay, the viewer becomes a witness to a symbiosis that has long since left humanity behind.
The uniformed duo is bound by a bizarre ritual: the sharing of a pupil-less glass eye. With surgical precision and a subtle, unpredictable smile, they celebrate their disfigurement as a sign of an exclusive intimacy. The gaunt, almost claw-like anatomy deliberately breaks with the rigidity of the military aesthetic, revealing the madness lurking behind the perfect facade.