Group show, THIRTIES: Colour Codes, cur. Sabina Oroshi, Kunsthalle Trier, Trier, DE, 2024
Podium, Serious People, 300 x 900 x 500 cm, installation, wall painting, collected objects, dispersion on collected furniture, oil, acrylic, dispersion, graphite, charcoal, marker on linen and canvas, lacquer on medals and plaster, 2024
Podium, Serious People is a multifaceted installation that delves into questions of ceremonies, labour, sports, self-expression, and performance. The site-specific installation consists of a wall mural, paintings, a canvas roll, plaster casts, furniture, and urban objects found in Trier.
Podium, Serious People, exhibition views
The selection of objects, as well as the figures and masks depicted in the paintings, evoke various facets of life. It also incorporates historical elements, such as the city‘s industrial past as a city of workers, notable public monuments, tourist attractions, and the geographical and cultural connections to neighbouring cities.
(l. to r.) Untitled, 20 x 5 x 1.5 cm, collected metal key, 2024; The Masque of the Red Death, 850 x 25 x 0.5 cm, short story by Edgar Allan Poe handwritten on linen scroll, dispersion, glass, aluminium, wood, 2024; The Court Jester 4, 74 x 33 x 2.5 cm, oil, ink and graphite on canvas, walnut stain on wooden frame, 2023
The primary colours of the installation – red, yellow, black, and white – are inspired by two different cities: Trier, the birthplace of the work, and Geneva, where the artist currently resides. These hues are directly derived from the flags of both cities. Additionally, black, and white are used to symbolise the figures and objects depicted in the coats of arms of the cities. The colour palette of the objects conveys a sense of hierarchy and underscores their significance, while their arrangement suggests a mysterious organisation reminiscent of artefacts on an eccentrically designed stage.
Podium, Serious People, exhibition view
The installation challenges traditional norms of museum presentation and spatial organisation and is reminiscent of practices that are common in artistic, scientific, or sporting institutions. The placement of objects and artworks within the installation constructs an imaginary inventory whose meaning may not be immediately apparent to the viewer, yet whose forms remain clearly recognisable.
Sabina Oroshi
Photography: Lukas Matuschek
SYLVAIN GELEWSKI 