Manufactured Affection (2002)

Manufactured Affection was a body of work exploring the idea of affection, in the form of a kiss or a nose rub, being mass produced and distributed. The idea for the work was influenced by my experience of working in the gift and homewares industry, where I experienced the commercial aspects of human emotion as an industry. I was interested in representing the concept of commercialised affection as a dislocated and detached object, leading to these sculptural forms. The work was shown in an exhibition Artificial Happiness (2004) at RMIT Gallery, Melbourne curated by Zhang Zhaohui alongside contemporary Chinese artists. Images: Olivier Krischer.