Andreas Slominski

The exhibition comprises a number of projects, from Christmas illuminations and traps to television films and constructions, created expressly for the occasion, and produced using a host of different materials and techniques. The project for this exhibition, as devised by Slominski for the Fondazione Prada, is not limited to the internal space but extends beyond to the urban territory through the execution of certain events. Thus the exhibition becomes a collection site, the final act of different processes initiated in different time phases: a fluid ensemble of large and small traps interwoven with videos of events that have already taken place in Milan, operations on walls and windows and actions that actually happen during the inauguration.
The show displays traps based on the models of those used for capturing such animals as rodents, birds, dogs and cats. Some of the constructions presented, such as Vogelfangstation (Birdstation, 1998-2002) and Falle für Kampfhunde (Trap for combat dogs, 2001-2002), can be extremely large and have a very aggressive appearance, while other smaller formats, such as Vogelfalle (Bird trap, 2000-2001), look like everyday objects and often actually seem like toys, such as a small model car or a rocking horse ? Lieferwagen für Mäuse (Van for mice, 2001) and Mausefalle (Mousetrap, 2003) ?, or are inspired by musical instruments:Bass für Mäuse (Double bass for mice, 2002). Each trap is the result of a mixture between playful object and dangerous instrument, and was designed for the capture of specific kinds of animal, such as leopards, snow-grouses, goshawks and marmots.
These objects are arranged on the floor of the space, which becomes a sort of minefield that compels visitors to tread with care. Dominating the entire arrangement is a piece that hangs from the ceiling, Merry Christmas from Belfast (2003), a series of Christmas illuminations and decorations that provide another trap, this time mental, because of their playful yet threatening associations which surprise visitors, catching them unawares with the combination of festivity and tragedy.