THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE COME WRAPPED IN CELLOPHANE

 

Linoleum floor advertisements of the 50s, sculpted pillars of Cambodian ruins or fluorescent painted pigments on the walls of an Indian temple; they may be separate in gods and goods but they all share the promise of the Utopian dream. There is something better, something newer and something newer again. The Best Things in Life Come Wrapped in Cellophane explores ideas around the interplay between human values and the material world.

 

“I remember three or so years ago having a conversation about ‘newness’”, says Jade. “The term sounded gross to me… Do we need a new word for newness? But I was living in London and new is all anyone cared about. We wanted newer Nikes even though underpaid underaged workers made them.The newest Hermès bags when we can’t even afford lunch. Must haves, must buys, top 10, a checklist of things every person must have in one’s lifetime. We aren’t ignorant to the truths of our consumerist cravings and we have been schooled on the power of print, yet we maintain momentum for the unrealistic ideals perpetuated in movies, mags and more.”

 

Jade employs direct mediums such as collage and other lo-fi techniques to analyse processes of transformation, renewal, decay and transcendence. Small painted studies on lino tiles sit between hand-cut vinyl designs and floor installations which the audience is invited to walk on. Jade also deliberately uses fluorescent tapes in specific sections that will fade over time. Paintings hang like sheets or flags, unframed and simply pinned to the walls encouraging natural ripples and folds in the canvas.

 

Text: Wellington City Council, Toi Poneke

 

Toi Poneke Gallery, New Zealand