Chinoiserie
Mala Voadora

Sinopsis

Chinoiserie is the second show from a cycle about identity. It has as its starting point the phenomena of constructing cultural identities. The manipulation of bibelots is used for this purpose: small objects that are useless except to provide an aesthetic experience, just like works of art do. Bibelots have a political dimension insofar as they mirror or produce culture, that is to say, “exotic” culture. The history of chinoiserie – a decorative style – is a history of appropriating traditions, of counterfeits, of originals that serve as a model for copies, of copies that serve as a model for originals, of Western misconceptions about the Orient, of Oriental misconceptions about the West, and of the natural exploitation of trading opportunities, which also produce culture themselves. Nowadays, what is manufactured is not exactly chinoiserie, but the souvenir industry continues to be a good example of how, through its representations of tourist destinations, the international trade in objects produces an imaginative visual culture.