hold on
marble, [215 ×] laser prints on paper, artificial leather, furniture stuffing, emulsion paint, one colour silkscreen, stainless steel, bronze, brass, photographic research and archival research, steel, florescent lights, HD video
Stedelijk Museum Bureau, Amsterdam, 27 November 2015 – 10 January 2016
Installation of a group of oversized soft sculptures based on the artist’s hand, in which visitors may literally place themselves in their palms. Sets of photographs, collected in clipboards cast in the materials of public monuments, marble, bronze, brass and steel, are scattered throughout the installation. They highlight a range of subjects: from contemporary graffiti on public buildings and monuments in Athens, to the archives of Constructivists Gustav Klutsis and Lyubov Popova, in which the artist’s hands return, thumbing through them casually or casting playful shadows. The walls and ceiling are covered in a space filling painting based on the ‘Safety Square’ or ‘Fire Diamond’, which identifies the risks posed by hazardous materials and is often seen on cans of tear gas. In some areas the paint has been sanded back to reveal hands mimicking the gestures performed by politicians. The exhibition’s title ‘Hold on’ is shared with a series of wall mounted handrails that encircle the installation. Realised, like the clipboards, in marble, bronze, brass and steel, they suggest another consideration made for viewers in need.