reward I & reward II, 2024
reward I: EPDM granulate (blue), roebuck antlers, glow-in-the-dark spray paint, wood, Ø 30cm and with metal stand 21 cm height
reward II: EPDM granulate (apricot), roebuck antlers, glow-in-the-dark spray paint, wood, Ø 30cm and with metal stand 27.5 cm height
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The two objects reward I & reward II seem to be in a kind of suspended state, while at the same time, as a work consisting of two objects, they enter into a dialogue with each other.
The antlers of a young roebuck sit in the middle of one of the two circular objects made of EPDM granules. Like tentacles or a plant, they wind their way out of the light blue and apricot-colored, abstract bodies of artificial material. The organic shape of the antlers is contrasted with something unnatural, almost fragile, by the way they are divided into individual “horns” on the bodies. This transformation is a reference to a certain liminal moment or state in which the growth of the not yet fully formed antlers of a young roebuck is halted and it is declared a trophy by hunters and collectors. However, the alienated antlers also return here in their new form as a new version of naturalness, which describes an all-encompassing originality and at the same time our omnipresent capitalist world, namely through time. The individual antlers on the round disk, which are positioned unnaturally and vertically, are also reminiscent of a horizontal sundial. Despite the natural progression of the shadow caused by the sun's rays around the attachment point of the vertical antlers, the antlers in reward I & reward II glow out of themselves and transcend time - through the day, the night and the darkness.
The basis for reward I & reward II can be found in my research work on forms of ADHD, the increased occurrence of ADHD diagnoses coupled with the treatment with appropriate medication, as a phenomenon, as a sign and in the face of our capitalist world, as well as the special consideration of the USA and the development history of the drug Adderall.
And so, behind the choice of color and material for the round disc plateau made of EPDM granulate in reward I & reward II lies a specific history and a preoccupation with it. In 2024, the year reward I & reward II were created, the "Pantone's Color of the Year 2024" was "Peach Fuzz," an apricot shade that could be described as the color of the 2020 pandemic in the USA. The light apricot shade was found in so-called "fake Addies" on the illegal street market and in the wake of the shortage of the prescription-only light blue original Adderall. The counterfeits were made with methamphetamine or fentanyl as the potent main chemical, along with gasoline and phosphorus. Ironically, at the time when Adderall was cheap and plentiful, it was sometimes used to enhance fake meth. For example, it's also said that Adderall is meth for the rich (and meth is Adderall for the poor). It's not just the most powerful minds from Silicon Valley to Wall Street who fly through advertising agencies and newspapers at prescription speed and in the spirit of hyper-productivity. However, these very minds induce a certain set of behaviors—a passive-aggressive management style, a manic discourse, a sarcastic affect—that threatens to coalesce into a pervasive culture when the number of users reaches a critical mass. Moreover, prescription amphetamines—like their counterpart, pharmaceutical opiates—have further blurred the lines between medication and street drug.
The chalky consistency, similar to roughly crushed pills, and the colors of faded (fake) apricot and light blue are also found in reward I & reward II. The industrially and synthetically manufactured material EPDM is used as granules in places of performance, such as sports fields and running tracks, or in places of childhood and parenthood, such as playgrounds. Here, as a circular section of a complex structure in a state of suspension, it refers to the individual experience of ADHD, as well as the collective and structural effects of pressure to perform, capitalism, and (drug) addiction.
The contrast between the fragility of systems and the all-encompassing nature is like part of an unexpected infusion of geometry mixed with emotions that reach us.
Photos: Selma Gültoprak
Installation view: Petershof, Group Show – porous repair
Curators: Mira Siering, Jonas Habrich