Long Term Pillow 1997

Editor: This mixed-media assemblage from 1997 is titled "Long Term Pillow," and it's the work of Tony Feher. It has a somewhat whimsical feel, a colorful display that still has a raw, almost unpolished foundation. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I'm drawn to the intentional clash between the manufactured and the natural. Consider the labor involved in both producing artificial flowers—the factories, the materials sourced, the often exploitative conditions—and the implicit, romantic association of fresh flowers. It's this juxtaposition that fascinates me. Editor: So, it's about the means of production? The artist is calling our attention to the materials themselves? Curator: Precisely. Think about the base, for example. What appears to be rough and cheap is, in essence, providing the groundwork for something "beautiful," asking us to reconsider what we value in the object-making and object-consuming experience. It really calls into question these entrenched divisions between the “decorative arts” and the accepted canon. What does the title suggest to you? Editor: “Long Term Pillow” makes me think about permanence versus the ephemeral nature of real flowers. A "pillow" suggests comfort, a constructed safety, an artificial place. Curator: Yes, and a mass-produced comfort too. Consider the conditions in which people make that pillow, and how they can seldom afford the same comfort. Perhaps that’s an overly didactic take, but, for me, the artwork resonates powerfully when viewed through that lens. Editor: I hadn't considered the manufacturing processes at all. Thinking about it as a comment on labor and class…it does change the way I see it. I like it even more, actually. Curator: Exactly! By focusing on material conditions, we’re engaging in a far deeper conversation than just appreciating surface-level beauty. It makes you ponder consumerism in a new way.