Supreme Mouse 2021

Curator: Let's explore Sergey Piskunov's "Supreme Mouse" from 2021, a mixed-media piece that incorporates photography and sculpture elements. What are your initial thoughts on this work? Editor: It strikes me as… suffocated. That glossy, packaged surface speaks volumes about materiality and consumerism, even before considering the Louis Vuitton and Supreme logos plastered all over. Curator: Precisely! Piskunov masterfully utilizes appropriation. The "Supreme" branding, combined with the luxury emblem of Louis Vuitton, immediately injects themes of consumer culture, status, and the ways in which these emblems become signifiers of identity. Editor: And the choice to depict a kind of generic cartoon mascot form also speaks to a very canny relationship between the culture industry and infantilisation of desires. It makes you think about the labor behind both creating the form, stuffing the logos into its material shell, and also our endless consumption of brands as surrogate identities. Curator: Absolutely. Consider also how the black Xs for eyes visually silence the figure, further commenting on agency within these imposed systems. Who gets a voice in this conversation? Editor: It's a stark visual choice, definitely disrupting the initial impression of playfulness with an undercurrent of discomfort. Curator: Ultimately, Piskunov's "Supreme Mouse" becomes more than just a decorative art object; it's a cultural critique rendered in glossy, marketable form, inviting viewers to reflect on the structures and values we often take for granted. Editor: Right. It presents the actual making of the art object as intrinsically linked to an implicit argument on commodity culture. A fascinating paradox in this piece. Curator: Indeed. "Supreme Mouse" offers rich insight into today's visual vocabulary and invites viewers to think about our current sociocultural obsessions through its materiality and imagery. Editor: Exactly. It makes me more aware of the ways that materiality carries ideas and arguments of its own, challenging the ways we often think about labor, product, and critique.