static — betulaksu

Betül Aksustatic
2022
Sculpture, visa papers & galoshes
25 x 20 x 20 cm
Part of officialese series, produced at School of Commons residency

static is a papier-mâché sculpture of a pair of feet. The paper used to shape the sculpture comes from the artist’s own visa application documents, submitted in order to travel to the exhibition in Zurich. Covering the sculpture is a pair of blue plastic galoshes, the kind often worn indoors to protect what is considered clean, sterile or sacred.

The work reflects on the conditions of mobility and access within the art world, and the contradictions faced by artists navigating borders. Standing still, static suggests the absurdity of protecting a space from the very presence that was invited in, present yet restrained, caught between invitation and containment.