In his latest show “The Return Project”, Babak Golkar has devised a novel way to examine and question the systems and structures of the global consumer economy and of contemporary art practices. The Vancouver-based artist, who is of Iranian origin, bought various objects from large stores in his neighbourhood. In his studio, he photographed each object, and then dissected, collaged and reconstructed it, while taking care to keep the original tags and labels intact. The object in its new avatar as a piece of art was once again photographed, and then returned to the store for a full refund, within the time frame of the store’s return policy. It thus re-entered the inventory and was again available for sale at a price determined by the store. However, the new object had a note hidden inside certifying it as an original work of art.
Later, the artist created a collage from the leftover pieces or “surplus” of the original object. Each artwork presented in his show is a triptych, comprising life-size images of the original object and of the reconstructed and returned object, displayed along with the collage. By manipulating the marketing systems of global corporations, switching everyday consumer items with “art” objects, and presenting images and assemblages based on ordinary objects in a gallery environment, the artist questions the structures and strategies that drive consumerism and determine the value of various objects. He operates within, and also disrupts, the limits of policies in systems that offer goods in a competitive market — both in the context of everyday retail and elitist art galleries — in an attempt to expose a flawed consumerist culture defined by excess, consumption and ambitions of global dominance.
Adding another layer to this work is the fact that the objects Golkar purchased and reconstructed were carefully chosen to comment on contemporary issues, ranging from geopolitics and the global economy to cultural shortcomings and limitations of art history.
“The idea behind my performative process is to understand the system by becoming part of it. I first experimented with this concept in 2003, by buying an Ikea vase, and returning a porcelain piece made from a mould of the vase, complete with the ‘Ikea Made in China’ embossing. I have developed the concept further by documenting the original and new objects, and keeping some surplus in the form of the collage to create an economy around these objects and to comment on the importance of creative economy. I even invested in tagging and shrink-wrapping machines, and I work within the time frame of the store’s return policy because it is very important that I get my money back. The overarching theme here is about turning the whole economy on its head by transforming an object that cost a few dollars — which were refunded — into a work of art that sells for a few dollars anonymously, and yet despite the absence of the actual object, it has a much higher potential value in the art economy,” Golkar says.
The artist’s unique methodology gave him the freedom to work with various media in terms of the objects purchased, and to deal with a variety of contemporary issues through the modified works and assemblages. The very first object he bought was a metal model of an aeroplane. He modified it by ripping off the wings and bombs, scorching it with a blow torch, and gilding the base with gold leaf. The resulting “artwork” looked like a tarnished trophy and was titled “Backyard Wars”. From the leftover parts of the aeroplane, Golkar created another trophy-like sculpture titled “A Monument to the Cold War”. The resulting triptych comments on Western economic policy in the developing world, and the competition between superpowers for dominance of global markets.
In another work, the artist used a print on canvas to examine the very notion of fair trade. “The store was trying so hard to pass off a print as a watercolour. So I decided to give them an original watercolour painting,” he says. But he replaced the print of a peony flower in the original frame with his own botanical painting of the anatomy of a poppy flower. Titled “Fair Trade”, the work alludes to the opium trade from Afghanistan. Golkar used a cut-out of the flower from the original print in an installation resembling an opium pipe titled “Assisted Reconstruction”. “These works draw attention to the increase in the export of opium from Afghanistan since the start of the US-led war on terror, while billions of dollars have been poured into the country to rebuild infrastructure. They also speak about our society’s addiction to buying junk items such as this fake print, ” he says.
Other works include a traditional Asian wooden mask from which a piece has been cut out to make it look like a Batman mask; and a candle with a few inches removed from the bottom. The mask looks at shifting cultural narratives and their modification to suit consumerist agendas; and the candle titled “Spring” is accompanied by a cast of the artist’s hand made from the remnant wax titled “Mission Accomplished”. The piece refers to events in this region and to art history.
“These works are about the conditions of our times; and it is very important to me that they speak about how systemic conditions created by us are now overpowering our basic human condition. I want to show that as individuals, we still have the power to deconstruct and restructure systems. By putting the objects back into the system, I have broken down the boundaries between art and the retail market, to reflect a pandemic of mass-produced and ‘borrowed’ concepts that are recycled and trickle down into the common market. I hope this show will make people look at objects available in the market differently,” the artist says.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts enthusiast based in Dubai.
“The Return Project” will run at The Third Line, Al Quoz, until November 8.