Et in Arcadia ego

Two corresponding wall pieces for a private living and dining room, Berlin 2005/06

The living room as a place of leisure is re-interpreted as arcadia in a contemporary setting. At the same time, the work relates to the patron’s professional background (as a Latin and history teacher).

Part I is thematically related to the dining table: plates with the flags of the world’s poorest countries, “islands” in the shape of domestic animals (pig, cow, chicken), board game grids. Part II relates to the sofa: an emblematic fretwork piece on the theme of leisure/freedom/idyll (exotic motifs, dancers, television, etc.) that lends visual expression to its historical and cultural dimension (the holy family) as well as its status as seemingly self-evident.

The task was to conceive two works that would not be infringed upon by the existing furnishings. The wall’s ornamental design can also be appreciated in partial sections and is not obstructed by the dining table or the lamp. The intention was also to merge the different functional areas (eating/living) into an integrated whole. The motifs and colours in both works mutually correspond (the wall’s design echoes the patterns on the figure’s clothes, the cutlery refers to the plates and the dining table, etc.). Art comments on life in the space between.