Petra Schoenewald, DE
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For several years I have been collecting images of temporary installations that serve not as art but retail. I photograph the windows of flagship stores: Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Celine, Prada… They are all decorated very artistically. It is remarkable that almost every other window uses references to nature and naturalness. Growing, blooming, sun, moon, stars, clouds, water, animals... the longing for contact with nature is very peculiar in these extremely artificial places. Just like the Nina Hagen song, desires are being expressed that can never be satisfied by buying a pullover or toothpaste.
"Ich möcht ein Fisch im Wasser sein im flaschengrünen tiefen See, ich möchte an Wasser mich berauschen und Blasen blubbern lassen“. “I’d like to be a fish in water, in a deep bottle-green lake, I want to get high on water and blow bubbles”. Who wouldn’t like that too? The contradiction between the shop window serving the purpose of selling new shoes or other things and the decoration taken from nature frustrates me, but at the same time I am full of admiration for the high quality of these artificial installations, which are often much better than art installations! I can see a fish swimming in water, a fish made of rubber, but it is sealed in a plastic bag - no way out. An advert for expensive toothpaste, made with sea salt. I translated the shop window images into paintings and placed them into small snow-domes where they look touching and melancholic, like a votive or an altar. WORKS "Schaufenster/shop window" Media: misc. objects. Materials: mixed media, acrylic painting on linoleum and PVC in snow-domes. Measurements: 5 artworks, each 1,30m x 0,13 x 0,13m. CONTACT [email protected] www.petraschoenewald.de |
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