Luc Vassort

PRODUX
11.20–12.21.1997

Drawing inspiration from the manufacturing and marketing processes of consumer goods, Luc Vassort employs their aesthetic parameters as critical criteria; he fabricates objects that shift the meaning of forms into a state of ambiguity. These objects bear the imprint of manufactured shapes and packaging, yet they are duplicated, rearranged, and subverted in terms of their utility. They represent commodities that—thanks to a fluid materiality (glycerin and gelatin) and vivid, translucent colors—take on the appearance of confections. Establishing a renewed sense of conviviality with the viewer, the work invites an irrepressible desire for tactile interaction: touching the objects and experiencing their softness and lack of structural rigidity turns the arrangement of the “kit” or “shop” into a form of play. Echoing this, the spatial arrangement of stacked empty packages—bearing real or invented handling jargon—frames these imperatives of care and attention as absurd slogans; they invite us to laugh, to play at consuming, and to let the objects cast their spell over us. Vassort’s work raises questions about models of representation and our relationship to the world and material things as mediated by manufactured objects. It highlights the paradox of their ubiquity and mass-produced nature set against their allure—a seductive appeal aimed at the consumer and the viewer alike.

Patrice Duhamel