Atelier (2013)
MIXED TECHNIQUE
Johan Muyle's room provides a glimpse into his creative universe. The studio is papered with newspapers full of faits divers; among all kinds of tools and materials, the objects he has carefully collected meander. The skull is a classic vanitas symbol, dolls refer to the carnivalesque, a piñata and a globe add cultural diversity as a layer of meaning. That Muyle does not shy away from art-historical references either is evident in the electromechanical version of Duchamp's famous readymade Roue de bicyclette (1913). Two skeletons bearing the artist's head refer to works from 2006 in which the artist performed Rwandan prisoners accused of genocide. The pink color of their uniform is imposed. Because the family must provide it, some form of uniqueness is possible, but it is immediately negated by the skeletons. On the left is Q-ch-i mangerà, vivrà, a monumental work from 2001 that invites the viewer to put his head in the artist's mouth. With the original, the eyes open and close, echoing the Italian battle song “Bella Ciao.