Gabriel Kuri untitled vertical scratch lotto and oyster shells vitrine, 2023
Magnetic stainless steel vitrine, light, oyster shells, scratch lotto tickets, magnets
150 x 100 x 8 cm (59 x 39 3/8 x 3 1/8 in)
In a lit stainless-steel vitrine, Gabriel Kuri houses an assortment of scratch cards and empty oyster shells. Arranged in a loose grid, some of the colorful cards are paired with bright empty shells that add an organic element. The configuration of the objects in the vitrine suggests an oblique message, reminiscent of an illuminated board with announcements or a display of enigmatic trophies. In fact, the arrangement is determined by self-imposed rules: generally, the artist uses the winnings of the tickets to eat oysters.
The cards thus have been scratched off, making the card unusable. Functionless, the tickets are re-imagined as artifacts, future remnants of a capitalist economy and reminders of human striving for financial gain and the pursuit of happiness or luck.
Gabriel Kuri’s oeuvre takes discarded objects seriously, mining their forms and their presence as indicators of previous actions: a ticket indicating the time spent waiting in line; a sales receipt the commercial transaction; or in this case empty oyster shells, a person consuming its contents.
The work weighs 45 kg approx.
The cards thus have been scratched off, making the card unusable. Functionless, the tickets are re-imagined as artifacts, future remnants of a capitalist economy and reminders of human striving for financial gain and the pursuit of happiness or luck.
Gabriel Kuri’s oeuvre takes discarded objects seriously, mining their forms and their presence as indicators of previous actions: a ticket indicating the time spent waiting in line; a sales receipt the commercial transaction; or in this case empty oyster shells, a person consuming its contents.
The work weighs 45 kg approx.
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