Zirkusgasse 38
Juiced
December 14 - January 10, 2023
“J-u-i-c-y” spells the bedazzled, black and shiny velvet trousers of an unnamed character. Airpods in ear, a mysterious green liquid in a mason jar sippy cup in hand. A brief visit to the Urban Dictionary might elucidate the choice of the term as title for this exhibition. As slang, Juice pertains to manifold scenarios. This term is not concerned with the fruits and sugars that assemble this beverage, but rather liquid matter itself, its fluidity and conductive potential. Juicing regards grinds and gears. It is electricity current, symbolizing power in an electrical and cultural sense - to “have the juice” is colloquially known to demand respect, have influence and authority - to own something that others might want to have a taste of. Juice is booze, smooch and snooze. To be Juiced, is to be on steroids.The works in this exhibition are built from liquid matter that hardens. Sophia G. casts the external appearance of a body, Moritz F. fabricates the very core of one, imprinting it with an outer layer of skin on its surface. In both cases, the employment of negative-positive techniques leads to boosted physiques that seek to perform juiced activities. Sophia’s motorcycle seats are macabre cyborgs in which the body becomes one with the apparatus. This particular juxtaposition implies the individual as a cog in a machine, exploited in the name of progress. Those who carry out the physical labor of technology seldomly get to ride the vehicle. Her use of extensions with prosthetic function point out similarities and discrepancies in the ongoing enhancement of bodies and machines alike. Moritz’s sculptures outperform one another in posing and muscular composition. Inspired by steroid-abusing bodybuilders, these massive builds are inflated and lizard-like. These bodies have abjectly gone wrong, becoming mutants from too much Juice.
In the milieu of bodybuilding, those who do not partake in steroid consumption are said to be Natural. Nonetheless, these sculptures are not a refusal of the natural word, they are a semblance of it. What one would find in a forest in the aftermath of a nuclear event. In this state of affairs, humans want to execute like machines. Desiring exponential improvement in order to reach their truest full potential and cross all borders known to mankind. To be optimized, tweaked, fine-tuned and upgraded. This desire is powered by the narrative that people’s lives are continuous personal growth journeys. The sensuous works in this exhibition appear as a reminder of how alluring peak performance is, only to reveal it as a sterile and nefarious pursuit.
Exhibition text by Sofia Mascate
Photo by Maria Belova
Exhibition text by Sofia Mascate
Photo by Maria Belova
Wide open, 2022resine, glass fiber, ink, metal, motorcycle parts
Drift 01, 2022silicone, ink, glassfiber, pu, textile, rubber, motorcycle seat, metal
Beneath your skin 02, 2022resin, glass fiber, pigment, metal, motorcycle parts
Drift, 2022silicone, ink, glass fiber, PU, metal, motorcycle seat