Have you ever won one of those cheap plastic cups, when you were a child? I bet it felt good. These trophies do not own any real value, they just act as Memorabilia to remind you that once you’ve been better than someone in something. They incarnate the need to feel better than someone else. This addiction survives the growth and becomes a fundamental issue also in adult life.
Complimenti!
We are competition junkies. We need to excel in things such as sexuality, work, hobbies, sociality. The liberal, capitalist economy teaches us that if you don’t compete you are worthless, so you have to buy the right clothes, to own the latest smartphones. The contemporary art system too, incarnates this dynamic in every level. Artists need to feel better than other artists, galleries need to build better reputation than other galleries, just like curators. This system reaches its apex with art collectors. The concept of owning art from an auction summarizes perfectly the idea of art as a trophy, to show off just like a lion head on the wall after a safari.
These cups were born from a semiologic twist. By keeping the signifier, the shape of the trophy, and reversing the meaning I obtained, as a result, a cup that has no value at all. A bread crumb trophy rots, becoming something repulsive. A melted tin cup looks like silver but has no value at all. A poorly drawn relic is almost a waste of paper.
By gifting these cups randomly to people, by congratulating with anyone without any reason, the concept of constant competition loses its meaning. Just like a junky can get an overdose, I intend to collapse the need of constant confirmation in us.
2020 - Didò, Metal Wire, Hemp String, Hot Glue
2020 - Didò, Cardoard
