Table, covered with cloth, mirror with integrated monitor, 3 bulbs with food colouring (yellow, red, blue), glass-condenser, pipettes, fashion jewelry, lipsticks, childrens' toys (doll, soft toy, cooking pan, plastic animal), dentures
Table 80 x 120 x 120 cm
Acquired with funds from "Stiftung Freunde des Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein"
Schminktischchen mit Feedback (Makeup Table with Feedback) consists of a table with a three-panel mirror with a small monitor integrated into the middle section. The table and the upper part are covered with fabrics in pastel pink and yellow. The companion round stool, that echoes the materials and colours of the table in reverse order, allows the sitter to be at eye level with the monitor in the mirror. On the table are various objects associated with women, including lipsticks, earrings, necklaces and bracelets. In addition, three Erlenmeyer flasks with food colouring solutions in yellow, red and blue, a glass condenser and pipettes are laid out ready for use. Playthings can also be seen—a little saucepan, plastic animal figures, a cuddly toy and a little doll—along with a dental impression.
Utensils of childhood, long gone but so formative, are spread out here together with objects that serve to beautify the adult, but also to differentiate his or her role in society. What of the objects associated above all with science with their coloured solutions—are they an indication of the human ability and creativity to shape the future?
The video that appears in her own reflection illustrates Rist's versatility as a director, camerawoman and female lead. With her cheerful, colourful, seemingly naive and sensuous-distinctive manner, she explores the relationship to her own body, investigating the relation between sexuality and technology and hinting at the question of gender difference and identity.
Schminktischchen mit Feedback is a work from the early days of Rist's art that already bespeaks the development of her further objectives.
Christiane Meyer-Stoll / Denise Rigaud
