Make it up !

The group exhibition Make it up! negotiates through different artworks and the intervention of mirrors notions of (self-)invention, manipulation, control, make believe and femininity. Several mirrors mingle in the exhibition. The artworks are partially reflected in the mirrors and thus merge into them. Loucia Carlier's oval work Dimanche moves between sculpture and painting, evoking the image of a dreamed intergalactic landscape. A fantasized miniature world that, through different materials and compositions, creates a fictional narrative of interstellar, witchy, and volcanic scenes. ...you ever watched the hairdresser in the mirror cutting your hair, taking his concentration as an opportunity to inappropriately stare at him? Yes you look ridiculous with your wet spaghetti hair and your unflatteringly brightly lit face, but at least you can observe him through the mirror without getting caught (maybe you will though). Kavitha Balasingham’s flower sculpture holds as the pistil (the female reproductive part of the flower which is typically found in the center of the flower) a phone playing a video of a butterfly flying in a loop. The sculpture provokes in the stark contrast between its natural subject and its techno-aesthetic realization, yet it succeeds in conveying the fragility of its model. ...my mother had her room hung full of mirrors as portals for her nightly mind trips, the overwhelming amount of clothes that had taken over her room in the meantime, granting her only a narrow strip on the bed, transformed in their reflection into a soft cloud-like mass that finally let her feel the warmth she hoped her purchase would bring. Hanging from the ceiling but drawn to the mirror on the floor, Emma Bruschi's garment appears as if it's seeking to reassure itself of its own delicate appearance – carefully crafted embroidery on antique second-hand fabrics – evoking a nostalgic longing for lavish haute couture aesthetics and traditional craftsmanship in equal measure. ...there was a queen who left her palace with only a small mirror in her hand, not to make sure of her unique beauty as it was perceived by her entourage, but to see what was happening behind her and thus protect herself from attack. Such an attack never happened, but the queen caught her lover cheating on her with another woman. So I heard. Screen Mirroring by Temitayo Shonibare features the artist modeling in a UV printed leather jacket under the direction of a production team. The placement of the camera and the lack of frontal confrontation with the subjects suggest a voyeuristic position of the viewer; it is not clear whether he is invited to watch or remains a secret observer. ...my gynecologist has this huge mirror in front her desk and when she explained possible diagnoses or procedures she’d always look at herself. While she’s in the position of overseeing everything the patient is seated with his back to the mirror, it made me feel so insecure until I realized that she was the one being insecure, desperately seeking control by always checking the mirror. Leila Niederberger’s Alligatortears reveals itself to be a poetic reflection of beauty tips, which, upon reading, is reminiscent of amateur advice found in online makeup forums. With the initial line, the pseudo-poem evokes a form of tension that collides with the apparent irrelevance of the content. ...I was 18, when I was putting on makeup using a small mirror at the kitchen table during pregaming and one of those tormenting guys who didn't wear shoes after being in South America or Asia, started to vent about the superficiality of putting on makeup. I saw no point in enlightening him about his misleading existence. Maya Shoham’s silver arrow appears in a sleek, clean and metallic manner, without any visible traces of manual execution. It resembles a media control icon that, now decontextualized and oversized, demonstrates its aesthetic potential. Less than a button that we operate, however, its size and clarity now suggests a directional statement that instructs us. ...“Place it near a chandelier to reflect its light.” “But will it reflect its warmth as well?” “No.” “If the view’s nice outside, place the mirror opposite the window so that the view gets reflected, this also opens up the space. Or place your favorite artwork opposite the mirror.” “But then it changes the perception of the artwork, I feel like everything becomes so indirect, even deceptive...” “Well I don’t know about that...if you are a believer, place it according to good feng shui or Vastu principles...” “But will I still look at the artwork or will I look at me how I look at the artwork?.” The paintings of Héloïse Chassepot are sewn together canvases showing suggestive forms of flowers that dissolve into blurred colors and abstract shapes. The use of different colors and distorted areas that flow into each other thus create psychedelic compositions that seem to speak directly to the viewer’s subconscious. ...after I had a couple drinks I sat down on their kitchen table, facing their window which reflected the interior because it was dark outside. He made fresh pasta and she talked about K’s influence on him and her... I wanted to join the conversation but I kept looking into the window and saw how the reflection of my face blurred with the bare trees outside. An enormous crow appeared and carried me away into the night. Zoë Lang