Prophylaxis/Hygiene 1999
The body in relation to nature, anxiety, transcendence, and purification; all human psychological conditions, are examined through the metaphor of water in installations such as “Prophylaxis/Hygiene”.
Porcelain tile is most often found in locations involving water and the body, such as bathrooms, surgeries, kitchens, pools, etc. My tiles evoke notions of similar places while the surface images are concerned with the psychology of water, cleansing, hygiene, and contamination. Porcelain can appear antiseptic, cold, and sterile. Contamination at some level, both physical and psychological, is inevitable. The search for transcendence and purification are perpetual endeavors of the human condition but perhaps impossible to attain.
The association of white porcelain with hospitals, bathrooms, and laboratories is evident in this monochromatic, elegant installation with an aura of tension and anxiety. I have always felt that pure material; porcelain for example, can affect us psychologically. Material purity, minimalist elegance in installation strategy and cultural and psychological issues of contamination and cleansing raise interesting questions for me.
