Ratonera
Self-adhesive vinyl on wall, digital print on cut acrylic, bleached plastic heads of different Mickey Mouse dolls, acrylic boxes, acrylic shelves, objects
Variable sizes
Ratonera Exhibition, Balmaceda 1215 Gallery, Santiago, Chile
2008
The main goal of the series titled Ratonera (Mousetrap) is to generate a space in which to re-observe certain images and objects that have been set in motion by the multiplicity of modes of communication that surround us. This series focuses on work with the image of one character in particular: Mickey Mouse. This character was selected because of its enormous status as a highly recognizable figure and because of the infinite number of graphic and physical versions present in the culture. My interest in this diversity of representations lies precisely in the repetitive nature of the image, and the way in which its iconic nature can potentially be diluted through repetition.
This installation is also related to aspects of collecting since both the graphic images and the objects are the result of a large process of picking and gathering objects in second-hand stores and flea markets throughout the city. Once selected (around 60 Mickey Mouse plastic dolls), I then washed the color off the objects and organized them in pairs so they could later be inserted into acrylic boxes. This procedure situates the objects in a new place of observation and simultaneously parodies the initial state of new toys. Through these operations, I am interested in bringing the Mickey Mouse image into a state of strangeness in order to change the perception of this well-known figure.
[ read text for the exhibition* ]
*Only in spanish
