“In her work, Messager activates the many possible meanings of words: to name, to categorize, to appropriate, to lie, to deceive, to flatter, to exaggerate. For Messager, the slightest alteration, even the inversion of two words, can transform the meaning of an entire paragraph. String, fabric, photographs, newspaper clippings, stuffed animals; all are given the same importance in the artist’s work. They are the materials of life, and for the artist, represent the plurality and mutability of the individual. “[In my work] I use the sort or things you might keep around the house- things that are familiar, useful. At the same time they are also always worn, they are never new, they have lived a life. Also all of these household materials, and especially stuffed animals, seem cuddly and nice, yet it takes a simple shadow to transform them into something disturbing. For me it’s everyday objects that are the most troubling and strange, not supernatural things.” In Messager’s oeuvre, materials are simply a means to an end.” (credit)
Category Archives: Animals
Cosima von Bonin, “LE PRIMITIF DU FUTUR” (2008)
LE PRIMITIF DU FUTUR, 2008
Cotton, wool, metal, glass
57.09 x 106.3 x 125.98 inches (145 x 270 x 320 cm)
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
“Cosima von Bonin was born in 1962 in Mombasa, Kenya. She came of age in Cologne during the 1980s where she was part of the booming art scene; she still lives and works in the city. Most well-known for her sculptures and installations created from fabric and readymades, she often uses comedy and pop culture to question social constructions and relations.” (credit)