'Plain X'

'PLAIN X'

243 x 103

A lamp/sculpture made up of welded wire, metal net, and papier-mache, covered in acrylics. Suitable for large halls, indoor public spaces.

The ‘Plain X’ sculpture was part of an exhibition in Otaniemi Campus, Espoo, Finland (14th to 25th of Feb, 2017). The idea of it was born in the Sculpture workshop of AALTO Art and Design department. The workshop is well equipped with metal processing facilities, which I used to create the structure out of metal wire, covered with metal net, and then applied the papier-mache on top, covering it in acrylics. The result is a suspended puppet-like sculpture. The controversy lays in the provocatively rigid shape, which contradicts the basic idea of a puppet. The rag’n’bone figure is otherwise submissively hanging from the ceiling, looking downwards to the viewer. There’s a sexual tension like in the Japanese bondage tradition Shibari, which confuses the viewer even more. The metallic acrylic glaze suggests meteorite-like matter, which adds an outworldly appearance to the body. It’s not my first time, trying to convey the complicated female situation, alienated and charged with blame and guilt by religious biases, as well as social pressure. The light bulb coming out of the skull symbolizes the internal light, opposing all life’s struggles.

The name comes as a surprise, given the complicated message of the work. ‘Plain X’ suggests anonymity, as well as discrimination practices. Suffering turns us into statistics, into an X, deprived of personality. Last, but not least, the body’s silhouette also reminds the shape of the letter X.