2021
Private collection
The idea for “Three Not Pipes” and “Three Not Pipes II” came from the observation of my everyday environment. In the studio, on a dusty shelf, next to a few books and a couple of jars of pencils, was a real pipe. I bought it when I was in my second or third year of studies. The image of a thinker walking around and puffing on his pipe seemed very romantic at the time. However, after trying the pipe, I realised that this was not for me and that the pipe was just a pretty little thing with no place or purpose. An object without a function. Looking at the pipe as an aesthetic object, its form seemed complete and perfect. The unused pipe on the shelf reminded me of Magritte. It was no longer a pipe. At the same time, the anthropomorphic aspect of this object was interesting: the part where the tobacco is inserted is called the pipe head. I decided to make a human-sized non-pipe. Three non-pipes – like three human beings wagging their massive heads. At the same time, the work looks a bit like poppy heads. It’s a humorous parallel – poppies, like tobacco, are used for intoxication – to achieve a dreamlike state of consciousness. It’s close to the Surrealist artistic tradition, which I’ve always admired and drawn inspiration from - especially the work of Giorgio de Chirico and Rene Magritte. These influences are also reflected in the latter work.
