Soundproof Aesthetic of Luxuriety 1976

Lubo Kristek made this assemblage, "Soundproof Aesthetic of Luxuriety" from found materials. What strikes me is its process, the way Kristek's combined all these small, identical block forms, it looks like he's arranged them to create a canvas, almost a woven surface. The material aspects of this piece, the textures and arrangement, is so important. I’m interested in the way the beige, padded frame contrasts with the grid, it's luxurious, but restrictive, the objects held within are uniform and identical, a real visual contradiction. Look closely at the rusted metal 'T' shape. It bisects the composition, running right down the centre, piercing the surface. There's an incredible tension here; between luxury and decay, repetition and individuality. It reminds me a little of Kurt Schwitters' Merzbau, which was a lifetime in the making, where his use of found objects became a total environment, blurring the lines between art and life. Just like Schwitters, Kristek isn't afraid to find art in the everyday, and to show that art can embrace ambiguity, and exist in the spaces between definition.