CHIQUITO
2021
Acrylic, gouache, india ink and pencil on linen canvas
49 x 42 x 5 cm
RT4A2101
Private collection
Courtesy of the artist
Audio
rt4a, Chiquito, 2022, 03’11” ©rt4a
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The title Chiquito refers to a tiny Jacquemus bag and the canvas features a black Telfar Small Shopping Bag on top of a vibrant green backdrop, reminiscent of the binary code rain from The Matrix (1999).
The accompanying song borrows elements from The Matrix theme song and melds them with beats inspired by Teardrop by Massive Attack (1998). The French lyrics offer a description of the Telfar bag’s features, translated from Telfar’s official website.
The artwork probes a complex nature of identity, with cues taken from The Matrix interpreted as a declaration for trans rights. The bag, a creation of Liberian-American designer Telfar, stands as a symbol of inclusivity and a challenge to conventional fashion normativity. The choice of portrait orientation prompts reflection on whether items, like the Telfar bag, as a code, could take on identities or personas.
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