Synthetic Seduction, Off Beat Box, Bangkok, Thailand
Playing with the aesthetics of luxury and the fine line that separates it from kitsch, Elissa Ecker presents Synthetic Seduction. Through an exploration of home and the value given to its contents, Ecker creates objects that question function, comfort and value. In a come hither motion the exhibition becomes contemplative of both the lure and trap tied up in homemaking. Manicuring, manipulating, upholstering, scratching and dissecting are just a few of the techniques used with a critical wink and a playful nod
PAINTINGS: In these small works, Ecker explores the role of the objects of inheritance when there is little left to give. Taking inspiration from both of her grandmothers and what was passed down she contemplates the role of keepsakes and bestowals through their personal stories of labor and love. Small sausages are individually unwrapped becoming what Ecker describes as “something between a dick pic and a love note”. Through the careful dissection of a plastic hand, pearls are revealed.
VIDEOS
Cradle, 5:20, single-channel video, 2017
Unwieldy and ornamental patterns are created, reminiscent of sequencing string games, in ‘Cradle’. Contemplative movements create a kaleidoscope of uncomfortable configurations. Musing forms are created as echos to time spent as reflections reliant on mirrors for answers.
7 year back scratch: shades of grey, single-channel video, sized and scaled to wall, 2019
Grey is currently the most popular paint color for the interior of homes. The numerous shades are soft, sort of stylish, and most importantly neutral. The safety and variety of a grey wall is a lure to security. In 7 year back scratch; shades of grey the safety of a grey wall adorning a room is interrupted by something between whack-a-mole and wallpaper. A persistent protected hand scratches at an unintelligible itch that is never satisfied. The hand remains protected from the surface it continues to explore.
OBJECTS
A Manicured Picnic, 2019
-Bespoke chandelier, plastic beads, custom acrylic fingers, approximately 60cm at its widest, 900 cm at its tallest
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. Through repetition and replication, the finished object resembles a chandelier that outgrew the home it never had.