Manicured Picnic, 2019
Faux grass zebra rug 8”x 10”
Bespoke chandelier, plastic beads, custom acrylic fingers
In a city of persistent movement and concrete finding respite from the constant buzz is built into the fabric of the city. Bangkok has created pockets of space and time in its hectic surroundings. One can get a manicure in a train station and sit on something resembling grass 45 stories above the city. The replication of luxury takes on its own aesthetic that is neither kitsch or contrived. It instead becomes something completely its own. Cheap materials morph into opulent objects. Crowded places into moments of singular solitude. A manicured picnic presents cascading individual faux fingers cast from the same plastic manicure practice hand rest upon a baby zebra artificial grass rug. A site it set for a picnic devoid of fresh air and bugs. The audience is encouraged to take a seat on the grass and gaze up at the hands that made the space to sit and ponder a cakewalk.
installation at Art Lit Lab, Madison WI as a part of per se per form
photo credits: Jennifer Bastian, Andy Manis