Batia Suter
道具 / Tool
2022
Four posters printed in offset on 70 kg Araveal paper, folded kannon-ori style, and placed in a box covered with Satogami tobi paper
Posters: 48 x 30 cm (unfolded)
Box: 13 x 31 x 2.5 cm
Edition of 80 copies signed and numbered by the artist, plus 8 artist’s proofs
道具 / Tool consists of a set of four printed images of forks (two made of silver, two of plastic). Dramatically enlarged and slightly deformed, the utensils stand against a black background, strongly affirming their presence—until they are folded and put back in their custom-made box.
As in some of her previous works, Batia Suter is dealing here with typology and objecthood. These four images—which the artist photographed from her own collection of absurd cutlery—look like samples from a kitchenware catalogue focusing as much on the common features of forks as on their potential deformities and eccentricities. Recalling Karl Blossfeldt’s close-up photographs of plants, they highlight the specificity and variety of forms hidden in ordinary things, as well as the strange, almost threatening nature of these “predatory” tools.
In Japan, a country where craft traditions are so valued—and where chopsticks are favored at table—these isolated objects also take on a particular resonance; they emphasize how the context can inform the interpretation of even the most common items.
Batia Suter’s exhibition took place at Keijiban from February 15 to March 14, 2022.