HEART REIFICATION
"In the modern world, everything is subjected to processes of commodification, where everything assumes value based on its potential to be sold and generate profit, benefiting the producer in return. The concept of reification indicates the depletion of sensitivity and the principle of authenticity upon which human relationships are founded, which, from being a distinctive trait and privilege of human beings, devolves into a mere procedure of opportunistic and speculative buying and exchanging of goods."
The unquestionable value of human relationships is no longer a priority today and is no longer considered valuable because it cannot be quantified in terms of revenue and economic profit. What doesn't yield profit isn't deemed advantageous and therefore worthy of pursuit, especially when it comes to intangible goods like feelings such as friendship. Such a sentiment, as a noble emotion in itself, is deemed misleading by many when stripped of its opportunistic charge. In such a case, it's no longer perceived as an innate socio-relational need but rather as a strategy to gain advantages from interactions with others. The idea of approaching and engaging in relationships as mutual active participation for mutual understanding and personal growth is no longer of interest. In its place, the palace of opportunity and the conversion of feelings solely to satisfy selfish needs is erected, fueled by a context that places individual utility at the center of everything. To represent this concept, a heart, as the symbol of love par excellence, has been used. However, it's portrayed as misled and perverted from its biological nature, depicted with bionic features and cement powders, aiming to show its new biomechanical nature. An artificial, robotic, almost quantum computer-like heart, composed of parts of mechanical and metallic equipment, electrical cables branching out from the structure itself, distorting due to interference effects—the same interferences reflecting the contrast between two distinct needs: the need for pure love on one hand and the need to fulfill material desires on the other. These are two conflicting tendencies coexisting within us, altering the perception of our feelings and deviating their mode of expression.
Link to the artwork:
https://www.irevals.com/gallery/heart-reification
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