ethnic set

Part of global tourism is the reference to mass production and commercialization of local traditions and customs. A significant example in this context is the labeling of a set of (industrially produced) tea glasses as ‘etnik’ (ethnic). While this word is intended to connect with and preserve the traditional culture of tea drinking, it also appeals to the global souvenir-seeking visitor –a similar mechanism can be seen in contemporary art from the so-called peripheries.

The project questions this production of ‘ethnicity’ by proposing a petrification of the mass-produced tea glasses as if they were unique archaeological findings. The mold, however, is not of stone but of technically produced plaster.

Pera Museum ‘PƎRⱯ Reverse‘ exhibition