29th January to 9th March 2000
Opening Saturday 29th January 6-8pm
Press Release
Hadrian Pigott's first solo exhibition in Italy at Galleria Marabini is a culmination of the artist's investigation of the fetishism of domestic manias and the associated lunacy of consumer choice, the social implications of consumption, waste, fashion and taste.
A set of beautiful flesh-pink-musical-instrument-type cases represent the ultimate in pure desire, the obsessive neurotic's dream. Totally devoid of function, these metamorphic fantasy objects bear the stylised outline of the humble domestic appliances they might contain (a washbasin, a vacuum cleaner, an iron, a floor polisher). They exist in a form of non-digital virtual reality &endash; these oversexed, glossy, utopian objects are like mid-90's Japanese versions of 1950's American Design and exude total consumer confidence in their dysfunctional glamour.
Other work in the show, such as the pink and blue 'gender soaps', question and play with product colourcoding and consumer stereotyping. Blue 'BOY' and pink 'GIRL' soaps appear as re-branded products in large light boxes. The images could be close-ups of viruses or mutant cells or medical pills.The two images appear to be identical at first sight but on closer inspection a gender switch is apparent.
The exhibition also includes the 7 minute film "Dream" (1996). A dream turned nightmare where the act of hand washing drifts into an intimate activity of a rather different sort - a strange twist or response to the anthropomorphism built into products in the name of ergonomics and style.
Hadrian Pigott was born in England, in 1961. He graduated from the sculpture department at the Royal College of Art before winning the Withworth Young Contemporaries prize in 1993. He has since had several European solo shows and appeared in numerous group shows, the latest of which include "Sensation, Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection, (Royal Academy London, Hamburger Bahnhof Berlin, Brooklyn Museum New York) and "Officina Europa" in Italy last year.
Galleria Marabini is open Tuesday to Saturday 3,30 to 7,30 or by appointment.For further information contact Marina Marabini or Marco Romagnoli at:tel/fax: 0039-051-644.74.82
G A L L E R I A M A R A B I N I Via Nosadella 45, 40123 Bologna Italy tel/fax: 051-6447482
e-mail:galleriamarabini @iol.it http:// users.iol.it/galleriamarabini/
