As a seasoned observer of contemporary art and a survivor of the corporate jungle myself, I must say that Jacopo Pagin’s “Office Illusions” at Make Room Los Angeles resonates deeply with my own experiences and reflections on the turn of the millennium. The sterile, distorted office landscapes in his large-scale paintings are a stark reminder of the seductive allure of corporate power that consumed the 1990s and early 2000s – a time when I was climbing the corporate ladder, albeit with a slightly less surreal perspective.
Make Room LA is currently displaying “Office Illusions” by Jacopo Pagin until December 17, 2024. This exhibition represents the artist’s second solo show with the gallery. In this work, Pagin skillfully merges the boundaries between myth and actuality. He delves into the ethos of the turn of the millennium, a period characterized by an alluring vision of unending advancement and dominion.
In his collection of grand paintings, the artist transports viewers into surreal workspaces, populated by twisted desks, computers, and pens. Cold and clinical, these reimagined items echo the glossy appeal of corporate dominance that was prevalent during the 1990s and early 2000s, while signaling a warning from a future where promises of prosperity and security seem increasingly empty.
In this exhibition, ordinary seating pieces take center stage. Scattered throughout the gallery, an arrangement of black office chairs creates an interactive path for visitors to glide and wheel around the artwork. These chairs serve as a blend of power and satire, acting both physically and symbolically as a means of transport, navigating through the conflicts and disjointedness embedded in employment, finance, and corporate hierarchy.
In simpler terms, the gallery states that the art on display has an impersonal style that feels both familiar and nostalgic, stirring up collective memories of a bright future we now understand was overly optimistic, manipulative, and based on a single perspective of power. The artist, Pagin, invites us to examine the deceptive aspect of progress and the boundaries of our self-created stories by exploring the haunting traces of contemporary culture.
Make Room Los Angeles
6361 Waring Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90038
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2024-11-05 21:56