Grand Habitat Horror Vacui - Agata Madejska
11th Jan PV. 12 Jan - 18 Feb 2024
Essentials
Leatherette, plywood, underlay, steel, ring pulls, marbles, money, glitter, keys, whistles, toy cars, personal and found objects
I said to Agata, it seems in the press release that many of the materials that were chosen are highly symbolic. I asked how much they were chosen for this, and how much the other way, chosen intuitively and the logic of representation came later?
She says yes, of course, that’s not how you choose, you are thinking about something and the materials come later. The project started with an advert that you can invest your objects - your gran’s CDs, say, not just money. And that thinking about the value of objects, and motherhood, the floor has this chanel handbag quality.
I asked what was the first object that came to hand, then?
She said, probably toy cars. But now they are silver so they have no value for collecting, she has stripped the paint off.
I said, they still play though, they have this value?
And she says yes, some of them. Some of them are useless now.
Her aide Toby says: well, now it’s a different kind of play. Grown-up play.
Also, corresponding with the Face/Mind/Brain/Body/Hand of Flat Time House, and with photographic angles, we sort of start in aerial view, we have a few different angles.
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There’s some questioning of value and ersatz glam here. Also, questioning and representation of power structures.
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Idea, minor performance: re-performing Abramovic’s two people in a doorway thing in corridors at private views. The person you are talking to doesn’t know they are performing.