German artist Tobias Rehberger creates sculptures, objects and installation environments that he “appropriates from mass culture.” Pilar Corrias gallery states that he “translates, alters and expands ordinary situations and objects with which we are familiar.”
Through this lens, pornography could qualify as something familiar. It is abundant. It is legion. You could watch it until the heat death of the universe and not see the same film twice.
Rehberger worked with Fondation Beyeler of Switzerland to bring a large pornography mural installation to this month’s Art Basel Miami. The mural is titled, 1661-1910 from Nagasaki, Meiji, Setti. Like trying to load a dirty picture on a 56k modem back in the day, the image is heavily pixelated. According to Dezeen, the image on the walls remains blocky noise until it is photographed and seen on a smaller screen. How many people passively walked through the installation without realizing all of the risqué things they were seeing?
From Dezeen:
The tiles cover three walls of the booth, with each surface showing a different blurred scene and sexual position.
Due to the size of the tiles, the images are difficult to make out when stood in the space. However when viewed on a smartphone or tablet screen, the promiscuous pictures become more clear.
Plinths, planters and benches are strategically placed around the space. Also covered in tiles, these elements blend into the scenes when viewed straight on and add extra details to the images.
“By virtue of their colours and forms, various objects placed around the room are integral components of the mural,” said Fondation Beyeler. “The objects concerned are vases, benches and an ashtray in a camouflage technique that project the mural out into space.”
Love (scandalous) contemporary ceramic art + design? Let us know in the comments.
Click to see a larger image.
Photographs by Marco Andres Argüello.
Add your valued opinion to this post.