Hoist

Hoist
2019
Sculpture
Dimensions: 200cm x 73cm
Evian bottle with two necks (plaster cast), Fishhook, Galvanised spike chain, Decathlon punching bag stand

Taking inspiration from the French libertine novel, Le Sopha: A Moral Tale (1742) by Claude Crébillon, Hoist explores the intersection of anthropomorphism and erotica. In Le Sopha, a voyeuristic courtier—the narrator—is condemned to inhabit the form of a sofa until two virgin lovers have consummated their passion whilst sitting on him. Throughout the novel, the sofa recounts episodes of salacious activity he witnesses, ridiculing the hypocrisy of virtue, respectability and devotion he observes in 18th century France. Crébillon’s combination of voyeurism and satirical impulse is reflected in the now torturous and harsh figure of the hoist. A half-filled Evian bottle with two necks made from Venetian plaster is hung by a limp galvanised chain and fish hook. The body is pierced by the exertion of the equipment’s armature but remains unable to rise, vulnerable and exposed. The libidinal energy of the sofa or chaise lounge is substituted for the obsessive character of fitness, discipline and corporate self-help.

(By Charlie Mills, Collective Ending)

Exhibited at Bold Tendencies, 2020. Photography by Damian Griffiths. Courtesy of Bold Tendencies [2020]

Bold Tendencies, 2020. Photography by Damian Griffiths. Courtesy of Bold Tendencies [2020]