In the age of Globalisation, once described as the latest name for imperialism by Clifford McLucas, the world has changed dramatically and rapidly, affecting economic, social, political and cultural aspects of life, which have brought not only opportunities but also challenges. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” by Walter Benjamin states that the mass reproduction of art has a consequence on the “aura” of the art itself. In other terms, the existence of an artwork in time and space gradually loses its function as an individual unit by means of reproduction.

All Fun And Games Until Someone Gets Burnt… focused on the reinterpretation of materiality and the context it plays in the 21st century, featuring emerging artists that work across disciplines such as installation, painting, sculpture, video, stitching and works on paper.

The use of materiality, value, use of consumption and acquisition of goods played a significant role in the exhibition, which acts as a social commentary on the contemporary art market, mass production and fabrication of artworks, and further explored the materiality used in relation to the value of the object. In this context, the idea of belonging and ownership also played an important role when relating to status and self-identity. The artists in the exhibition centrally explored and critiqued these concepts with a multifaceted approach, often featuring sites of consumption, acquisition of goods and tracing the histories of objects in their work.

Photo Credit: Copyrights to Open Space