Some countries have recently increased the percentage of funding devoted to the production of armies. In Italy it was 2%, now it is 5%. The government justifies the increase and says that the armaments will offer a more efficient national security towards (yet unidentified) enemies. By doing so, nations produce sugar-coated atrocities with the illusion of being on the right side. Similarly, the crocodiles and the tigers are colourful, eye-catching and attractive, they apparently sleep with wide-open jaws. As our armies, are the animals protecting us from enemies, strangers and criminals? Or, as soon as we turn our gaze, are they ready to swallow us up in one bite?
The installation is composed of nine sculptures (five tigers and four crocodiles); each sculpture is made of painted plugs and extensions. A grotesque elegance and irony linger in this work, where absurd, disturbing, yet attractive elements blend together to create an imagery that appears dystopian and plausible at the same time. Technology and electronic devices offer many benefits and comforts; at the same time, what we create seems to backfire in the long run. Through a vocabulary made of fragility and danger, the artwork offers a sharp perspective to analyse the present age.
The vimeo link shows more details: https://vimeo.com/1102907103?share=copy
Size of the purple crocodile: 142 x 20 x 5 cm
Size of the pink crocodile: 152 x 20 x 5 cm
Size of the light green crocodile: 142 x 20 x 5 cm
Size of the dark green crocodile: 152 x 20 x 5 cm
Size of the tigers:
13 x 83 x 5 cm
13 x 120 x 5 cm
29 x 47 x 5 cm
13 x 43 x 5 cm
5 x 95 x 52 cm
Each extension: 300 cm