Playground of the Rich
‘Violence isn’t really a disruption of club life - it’s the climax.’
In Playground of the Rich, I created ceramic sculptures from photographs of exaggerated, staged “non- moments”, deliberately unattainable by anyone else. Their bodies are a central feature of these mise-en-scenes and their physical experience of the moment is blasted at the viewer.
The shiny lusciousness of stoneware combined with its lumpy texture exaggerates the dichotomy between flesh and glamour.
I am interested in the extreme states of being that we are taught to aspire to by Western media that if sustained over time create insanity: luxury, fame, extreme wealth, hyper-sexuality and other physical sensations not felt in ordinary life by ordinary people; the intersection points between capitalism-induced desire, exclusivity, materialism, and violence.
In Playground of the Rich, I created ceramic sculptures from photographs of exaggerated, staged “non- moments”, deliberately unattainable by anyone else. Their bodies are a central feature of these mise-en-scenes and their physical experience of the moment is blasted at the viewer.
The shiny lusciousness of stoneware combined with its lumpy texture exaggerates the dichotomy between flesh and glamour.
I am interested in the extreme states of being that we are taught to aspire to by Western media that if sustained over time create insanity: luxury, fame, extreme wealth, hyper-sexuality and other physical sensations not felt in ordinary life by ordinary people; the intersection points between capitalism-induced desire, exclusivity, materialism, and violence.
As states of consciousness, these sensations are inherently subjective and impossible to share in their totality. By consequence, we tend to hear details about the events that inspire the sensations rather than the sensations themselves.
I use art as a medium to bridge this gap of subjectivity, trying to provide access to the sensory qualia of these extreme states.
This interests me because inequality is generally framed materialistically, in terms of possessions, and rarely in terms of qualia, but, as an increasingly atheist society, the range of sensations we experience is the essential barometer of the quality of our existence.
I use art as a medium to bridge this gap of subjectivity, trying to provide access to the sensory qualia of these extreme states.
This interests me because inequality is generally framed materialistically, in terms of possessions, and rarely in terms of qualia, but, as an increasingly atheist society, the range of sensations we experience is the essential barometer of the quality of our existence.
The solipsism of these qualia creates enormous tension with social cohesion. Many are associated with taboo activities and harm to others. Giving audiences a deeper experience of the sensation itself liberates their judgement from a one-dimensional social-critique, allowing them to consider whether the richness of the qualia warranted the violation required to attain it.
Exhibited:
Rosenfeld Gallery - Introducing Nuno Gil, Dene Leigh, Lydia Makin and Ioana Maria Sisea 3.08 – 8.10.2022 - London, UK
Press:
Rosenfeld Gallery - Introducing Nuno Gil, Dene Leigh, Lydia Makin and Ioana Maria Sisea 3.08 – 8.10.2022 - London, UK
Press:
https://galleryrosenfeld.com/exhibitions/63-introducing-nuno-gil-dene-leigh-lydia-makin-ioana/overview/
https://www.artsy.net/artist/ioana-sisea
https://ocula.com/artists/ioana-maria-sisea/
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stoneware, glaze, luster
30x15x20 cm
Private Collection
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stoneware, glaze, luster
30x15x20 cm
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stoneware, glaze, luster
30x25x30 cm
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stoneware, glaze, luster
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stoneware, glaze, luster
40x15x30 cm
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stoneware, glaze, luster
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stoneware, glaze, luster
30x20x12 cm
Private Collection
2022
stoneware, glaze, luster
30x20x12 cm
Private Collection