Image of the box
The wooden box is covered on all sides with rubber, the top with a mat woven from rubber strips. The wood on the inside faces is covered in gold leaf. The faces do not touch, they are protected by small circular rubber guards. The object in the box is a plaster cast, painted in acrylics. On it are mounted six shark teeth.
The top of the box is held open by a thin tranparent perspex tube.
“What fascinated me was the purity of the reflection of gold-in-gold. Then came the fascination with the contrast of the gold with the blankness and feel of rubber. The somewhat erotic associations with the content of the box enhance the feeling of a hidden secret, discovered when the box is opened.”
The ‘Treasure Box’ both protects, hides and exposes.
Inspiration for ‘Treasure Box’ are the discoveries in the tombs of the ancient egyptian kings. Profane and alien objects, passed from an extinct culture to ours. Their context dramatically changed by the passage of time and space.
The meaning of the ‘Box’ is unclear, as are of course all things inspired by Nouveau Nihilism.
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Martin Helm 