Snowman of Quotes
>> at Eduards Smiļģis Theatre Museum
Vanitas was a genre of art developed in the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries. It traditionally presents a still life and deals with the ephemerality of being, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. Snowman of Quotes, an ice sculpture inhabiting the fridge, is a sort of contemporary vanitas. Because it is made of snow, it requires constant care to maintain and “keep it alive”. The only solid part of the work are the snowman’s buttons. They carry the quotes from Meditations by the Roman Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius, known also as a stoic philosopher and a protagonist of self-restraint, duty, and respect for others. The Snowman of Quotes appears on the stage of a theatre museum, almost quoting another on-going practice of Dawicki. In his numerous performances, the artist is apologizing: Coming to the stage and making excuses for being there, again and again. Exposing vulnerability, sensitivity and humour in the machines of representation.