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Haim Steinbach — 'Objects, commodity products, or artworks have functions for us that are not unlike words, [and] language. We invented them for our own use and we communicate through them, thereby getting onto self-realization.'
Haim Steinbach

'Objects, commodity products, or artworks have functions for us that are not unlike words, [and] language. We invented them for our own use and we communicate through them, thereby getting onto self-realization.'

A pristine plastic-laminated shelf serves as a stage for three ordinary kitchen utensils — a cheese grater, a cup, and a garlic press — elevated through deliberate arrangement into objects of contemplative significance. Steinbach's meticulous presentation transforms these mass-produced commodities into a kind of visual vocabulary, inviting viewers to consider the deeper social and cultural meanings embedded in everyday consumer goods. Like words in a sentence, each object carries its own weight and resonance, collectively speaking to the ways in which material culture shapes and reflects human identity and desire.

Medium
Plastic laminated wood shelf; plastic cheese grater, plastic cup, acetal resin and stainless steel garlic press

🔨 Auction Lot

Contemporary Art Day Sale

February 13, 2015

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About this work

Haim Steinbach, 'Objects, commodity products, or artworks have functions for us that are not unlike words, [and] language. We invented them for our own use and we communicate through them, thereby getting onto self-realization.'

A pristine plastic-laminated shelf serves as a stage for three ordinary kitchen utensils — a cheese grater, a cup, and a garlic press — elevated through deliberate arrangement into objects of contemplative significance. Steinbach's meticulous presentation transforms these mass-produced commodities into a kind of visual vocabulary, inviting viewers to consider the deeper social and cultural meanings embedded in everyday consumer goods. Like words in a sentence, each object carries its own weight and resonance, collectively speaking to the ways in which material culture shapes and reflects human identity and desire.

Medium
Plastic laminated wood shelf; plastic cheese grater, plastic cup, acetal resin and stainless steel garlic press
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Analytical Mood, Consumer Culture, Conceptualism, Minimalist Aesthetic, Male Artist, Sculpture, Conceptual Art, Readymade, Three-Dimensional Assemblage, Contemporary Artist, Appropriation Art, American Artist, Three Dimensional Work, Shelf Installation, Neutral Palette, Everyday Objects, Late 20th Century, Neutral Tones, Neutral Mood, Israeli-American Artist, Found Objects

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