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The playful sculptures of Alexandra Subota (1994) stem from the small desires and disappointments in everyday life. For instance when you treat yourself to candy floss, only for it to start raining causing your pink dream to tragically melt away. Infused with lots of humour and irony, she depicts our continuous pursuit of small pleasures – and how this endeavour is often thwarted by mundane everyday setbacks.
Her work is characterized by saturated candy colours, an excessive use of glitter, soft fluffy materials, and rounded shapes. These are elements she misses in the urban environment, where grey dominates. Subota encourages us to hang on to our playfulness and just make the most of things, especially in times like these, which are not always easy. Her sculptures serve as a counterbalance, offering a small break from the constant stream of disheartening news.
Subota’s new sculpture at Prospects consists of a towering cocktail glass, filled with an appealing pink drink. The ultimate holiday dream, fancy and festive. Her golden room promises luxury and extravagance as well. As always, however, here too disappointment is lying in wait: the glass turns out to be leaking, causing the pink substance to irrevocably trickle away. Furthermore, on closer inspection some elements would sooner resemble sad remnants of a party than actual extravagance. How long can we continue to believe in the ideal picture? And when will bittersweet reality come knocking at our doors?
Text: Esmee Postma
Translated from Dutch by Marie Louise Schoondergang (The Art of Translation)