Crater, 2021

Artists Joanna Tochman
Genre Installation
Edition Survival 19
  • installation

An object made of stones and pigment, from which steam bursts out every now and then. It is unclear how it appeared in the abandoned factory, or when exactly it happened. The work is inspired by the so-called energy points and chakras. These sites and objects are shrouded in mystery. The secret of their potential magical influence is a magnet that often attracts crowds of tourists. Formally, the object refers to the aesthetics of early computer games, in which the characteristic “ritual places” constituted an important element, both in the plot and in terms of influencing the overall aesthetics of the game. The fairy-tale nature of Joanna Tochman’s work is also associated with the artist’s fascination with all sorts of conspiracy theories and made-up stories, as well as with the mechanisms that make people believe in them. This issue has come to the foreground during the coronavirus pandemic, when bizarre and irrational theories and stories allowed a large part of society to get used to the new reality.