art forgery as
pseudohistory
baked clay, wood, brass, matcha
coffee, carbon powder, wax,
mordant, pigments, oil, dust
2024
This work consists of two identical sculptures modelled after his sculptural style, where every detail, from the cracks in the clay to the holes left by wood-eating insects, is identical in both. The only difference lies in the brass plaques, where the spectator can see that one sculpture is titled “Wounded Fascist,” while the other is “Wounded Partisan,” creating a subtle tension between opposing ideological narratives and the role that art plays in them. The title “Art Forgery as Pseudohistory” presents the two forgeries and the act of forging itself as tools for manipulating history through fabrication. The term “pseudohistory” is used by historians to describe objects or theories created to deceive, manipulate narratives, or challenge established interpretations by introducing contradictory artefacts.
Doubting the current relevance of these sculptures and their connection to twenty-first-century political ideologies, I have repurposed them as cup holders: each one now supports a matcha latte, a Japanese-inspired beverage with a modern twist, often associated, according to Google, with mindfulness, energy, and craftsmanship.