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Homecoming (III) 29-30/3/2019

Art installation by Michal Makaresco

Curated by Tal Gilad

The Nordic Guest Studio at Malongen

 

Makaresco’s interests stem from relationships, boundaries of risk and danger, desire for romance and darkness. This is the third part of a trilogy of solo exhibitions. “Homecoming” (2019)  is following “Would you walk me home?” (2017), and “ALL THE FLOWERS ON THE WAY TO YOUR HOUSE” (2018).

 

The site-specific artworks were made during the Artist Residency Program period (2/3- 30/3/2019) and are exhibited in the same space where they were created. The Nordic Guest Studio, that combines a work and living space, accommodates Makaresco’s practice. Makaresco often creates in her Tel-Aviv apartment and her studio is more nomadic than permanent. Malongen became a temporary, private and intimate home-like habitat and when the project slowly came together,the ”home” became uninhabitable. The artist-curator relationship was in the same kind of state of diffusion as the friendship is intertwined with work.

 

Makaresco creates mixed media sculptures using store-bought and DIY decorative objects combined with organic material such as fruits and flowers that are in a state of decay. She also uses party related objects such as balloons that are water filled and spray painted, and half emptied alcoholic drink bottles. Both objects are echoing anatomy, dripping, leaking and are about to burst. Pearls, ribbons, candles, makeup, perfume - all combined and played with in a manner that marks strange aftermath.

 

The sculpture/objects are placed around the apartment on living space surfaces covered with green felt, that simulates some form of Table Game like Poker or Pool. Those games involve gambling and the underworld, and potential for significant winning exist underground absent the supervision of official gaming laws. Although the surface of the display is laid as a “masculine game”, it is played with “feminine objects” and domestic appliances. The rules are definitely unclear, perhaps two players are playing different games on the same arena. Inviting to poke fun at the perception of gender or to communicate a game played by women in a man's world.

 

The symbolism of vanity, decoration of life/death, as well as grave danger, are repeating elements in Makareso’s work. Another elements are raw finish and aesthetics that create a somewhat uneasiness as things are about to come undone, fall apart. They are not there to impress but to counter craft and awake something dormant within.

 

Photographs from previous projects are printed on various sizes and hanged around the space as pictures, in which the fragmented body is literally objectified as an element of a living sculpture. The pictures are placed like sweet mementos (rather than trophies), and complete the attitude towards the male form as a game sphere. Played with fun, not just sport.

 

The Nordic guest studio is treated as an exhibition space in its entirety. Some rooms and niches are transformed by minor interference that is hardly noticeable at first glance, in an effort to create a total experience for the viewers as participating guests, rather than merely visitors in the installation.

 

Homecoming (νόστος /nóstos) and Pain (ἄλγος /álgos) are created from the Greek compound for Nostalgia. Homecoming is best known to be the tradition of welcoming back former students and members to celebrating an organization's existence. In this short period, the guest studio was a temporary home and it is displayed as such. This period ends, there is a moment of reflection about the social behavior, bonds formed, experiences shared, and events that took place- art, life and emotion which now become past.

 

Special thanks to Liv Strand, from the NKF, Alex Hochstetler from the Israeli Embassy.

Liat Greenberg, Inbar Kemp, Douglas Andersson, Isabella Tjäder and Didem Yıldırım.