the candle

sculpture / assemblage / burning object: mixed media
2013
40 x 50 x 10 cm

The object “the candle” is an assemblage from 2013 and was created against the backdrop of a time of riots. In the years before, the protests of the Arabic spring had showed the fuel for conflict which lay under the calm surface of these countries. 

A golden petrol can, written across it is „inflammable fuel“. A small flame is leaking from it. The energy is hidden, invisible, but it is ready to erupt. Inside the can, the fuel has already caught fire, an explosion can happen anytime now. In its bold and simple language, the object takes up the topic in an easy-to-grasp way, while pointing at further meaning in a play of contrasts.

The embracing, concealing form of the container highlights the aspect of not being able to see, or not wanting to see, while the title and the surface of the object play with the possibility of belittlement and sugarcoating. The cute little flame evokes connotations of romantic candle light, at a peaceful evening at home, or in a cosy restaurant. It is in heavy contrast with the explosive power inside the petrol can, and its rude and stinking of kerosine reality. Using the petrol can as a symbol of the industrial world hungry for oil, the object also points to the aspect of ecological destruction. This is further reflected in the shiny golden surface, connecting the object to the aspect of consumerism, and the explosive problems that emerge from its thoughtlessness and ignorance. 

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