Nothing says real love like arguing about who left the cap off the toothpaste, proper? From a darkly comedic perspective, Stephanie Shih explores the a number of meanings of “domestic bliss” in a social panorama fraught with consumerism and clashing politics.
It began with the 1998 self-help guide, Divorce for Dummies. The sardonic humor of a goofy cartoon character exclamatorily holding up a finger providing counsel to 1’s damaged marriage—for the completely cheap worth of $19.99—was a catalyst for Shih’s curiosity within the capitalist absurdity that got here with the divorce increase of the Nineteen Eighties and ’90s.
Shifting social and cultural components, such because the introduction of no-fault divorce legal guidelines and emergent waves of feminism, drastically impacted the outlook on divorce in America. Rising individualism, disillusionment with the thought of a nuclear household, and the reclamation of female independence all performed a component in annulment charges doubling for these aged over 35.
In Shih’s solo exhibition aptly titled Home Bliss, the Brooklyn-based artist spotlights what the gallery, Alexander Berggruen, describes as “artifacts of a single household.” The array of objects evoke the fact of a time when materialism, distorted expectations, and self-loathing created an ideal storm.
A Thigh Grasp one probably ordered from QVC within the deep hours of evening sits alone on a pedestal, epitomizing the methods during which client tradition preyed upon insecurities, solely to promote ladies the phantasm of management. “Prisoner of Desire” rests face-down on an ironing board to carry one’s place as escapism is interrupted by the mediocrity of chores. TV dinners stack atop a glowing microwave to indicate energy dynamics, a considerable portion of Hungry Man reserved for the daddy and the smallest field reserved for the mom.
Increasing upon her earlier home sculptures, every ceramic object evokes a way of realism, due to the artist’s thoroughness. Because the exhibition textual content explains, Shih “scoured eBay listings for photo references and exact dimensions of discontinued packaging in order to faithfully sculpt each object in its era-appropriate likeness.” A spread of supplies and strategies are then utilized to every kind, equivalent to hand-painted underglaze, dyed resin, and even electrical parts like lighting. Each step of the way in which, the artist skillfully instills the mundane with liveliness.
Home Bliss is on view at Alexander Berggruen in New York Metropolis via February 26. Discover way more on Shih’s Instagram and web site.
