USD Mouse 2021

Curator: At first glance, there’s a certain starkness that I find quite striking. It seems both playful and incredibly serious. Editor: We’re looking at Sergey Piskunov’s "USD Mouse," created in 2021. The artist employed a mixed media approach, particularly an assemblage technique incorporating found objects. It is rather kitsch in nature. Curator: Kitsch is spot on. The use of gold leaf alongside what appears to be actual currency certainly elevates what would be a somewhat tawdry sculpture into an ironic, biting commentary. I'm thinking about Midas here, how what seems precious can imprison us. Editor: Indeed. The symbolism here is quite layered. The mouse itself—often a figure of smallness, hidden activity—is now literally stuffed with American dollars. It's practically overflowing, bulging even. Do you see the almost aggressive nature in it? It looks trapped by wealth. Curator: Precisely! The way the money is literally bulging out... it recalls a certain unchecked consumerism, maybe even a critique of value itself. This isn’t some heroic or romantic symbol. There's a grimness present, as this modern folk figure—mouse—takes on symbolic importance tied to both childish associations and financial obsessions. Editor: This grimness makes me think about what other meanings might reside there. With art being subjected to economic forces within the cultural world, are the actual objects used making the comment, and at whose expense? The audience's or the artwork itself, made out of this? Curator: It becomes a vicious cycle. The piece acknowledges, maybe even participates in, this commodification. Still, there's something admirable in its transparency. Piskunov highlights that loop to create, precisely, that folk appeal with the serious intention you mention. Editor: So, beyond its immediate visual impact, this sculpture demands we consider the underlying relationship between desire and disillusionment. It's a sharp, provocative piece, full of cultural anxieties and concerns. Curator: Absolutely. An unsettling reminder that sometimes the most playful images carry the weightiest messages.