One Minute Sculpture. Bananas 2017

Editor: This is Elina Brotherus’s "One Minute Sculpture. Bananas" created in 2017, a photograph of what looks like a performance piece. The bananas immediately draw my attention and the hardhat contrasts the decay of the wallpaper. How do you interpret this work? Curator: I see this work primarily through its formal relationships. The yellow of the bananas against the dull greys of her clothes and the decaying wallpaper create a visually jarring juxtaposition. Consider the implications of these sharp contrasts, it creates tension, does it not? Editor: Yes, the placement of the bananas – one in the mouth, others attached to the t-shirt and jeans -- definitely adds to that tension and feels performative, almost absurd. Curator: Precisely. The composition is almost symmetrical, with the figure centered, which brings to question, does it reinforce or undermine this feeling of unease that comes from the tension? Editor: It reinforces it, I think, as that balance highlights the absurdity! It directs our gaze directly toward the unsettling placement of the bananas, amplifying their significance. What do you think is the role of the dilapidated wallpaper in the composition? Curator: The decaying wallpaper provides a rich textural background, highlighting not only the process of aging and entropy, but also enhancing our understanding of the banana as a transient item as well. It serves as a visual metaphor for fragility and impermanence. Do you agree? Editor: I do. The way it counterpoints with the sharp lines of the safety helmet... The temporality and texture are something that will stay with me, thank you. Curator: And for me, understanding how those lines both oppose and engage can now create more compelling observations in future artworks!