Ou la mort
Balaskas, Bill (2014) Ou la mort. [Exhibition/show, Installation]
- Details
In 'Ou la mort' (Or death, 2014), a modified French typewriter from the late 1960s is transformed from an object of everyday use into a symbolic gesture that appears to question the universality of Enlightenment's principles and their continuity to the present day. At a historical conjuncture in which extreme-right parties and policies re-emerge emphatically across Europe, Balaskas highlights not only the undermining of democracy, but also the dangers posed by the underminers' methods, who systematically conceal the very existence and current relevance of values such as freedom, equality and togetherness. The artist's poignant, yet humorous visual language invites us to rediscover those ideals and draw deeper connections between today's socio-political events and historical precedence.
The work was a new commission presented in the context of the group exhibition 'The Small Infinite' at the John Hansard Gallery, University of Southampton.
Curated by an international curatoriate led by Lanfranco Aceti, the exhibition constitutes a reflection on a globalised world in which worth and value are represented - it seems - only through the most disproportionate of terms. By celebrating perception, attentiveness, intimacy and close reading, 'The Small Infinite' foregrounds how the representation of difference can be achieved through concentrating upon scale and dimension.
Balaskas provides an allegorical interpretation of the exhibition's theme without departing, however, from the political character of his recent works, which have received wide international exposure. The artist continues his investigation into utopianism – a concept that has informed his practice ever since the outbreak of the global economic crisis, as well as the research that he is currently conducting at the Royal College of Art.
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