Sparks Fly and The Heavenly Fight Cloud (2022) shown as part of From Dust till Dawn at The Balcony, Den Haag, alongside works by Frank Halmans and Wouter Huis.

Exhibition Text:

With the third chapter of The Balcony’s inaugural program The Promise of Ruin(s), the attention shifts on the domestic space that, far from being a safe place, is not exempt from the grip of capitalism. From vacuum cleaners to vinyl players, kitsch and decorations are a mirror of ourselves and our identity, free subjects in the free market. To quote Richard Hamilton: “Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?”

Dust is often seen as dirt, an unwanted sign of passing time, a contamination of boredom and decay upon the world of the living. In the words of cultural historian Celeste Olalquiaga:

“Dust is the most tangible aspect of the new historical time, a thin patina of shattered moments remaining after the frenzy of multiplication has subsided or moved away.”

Walter Benjamin, in his writing Dream Kitsch (1927) associates vanished dreams with the colourless state of dust covering forgotten objects. Dust is the added value of time upon matter, where “faded dreams and touch intersect”.