ARTS & CRAFTS > BACK IN FIVE
First iteration of “Back in Five”
In my senior year of college I found myself amassing quite a lot of disposable coffee cups. I’d collect them from 7-11, the school cafeteria, local coffee shops, other artists and friends- my studio space became a shrine to caffeine consumption, fueled by the anxiety of graduating and losing studio access. I came to think of this collection as a self-portrait of sorts, a physical manifestation of my mind state stacked upon one another, half full/empty of various roasts and mixtures of espresso, each signifying a different day and time, a different attempt at staving off sleep a little longer. At the same time this shrine was being built I was becoming increasingly jaded about, well, most things in my life. It’s safe to say I was burnt-out. This burn-out loomed as I saw peers make wonderful conceptually grounded and technically impressive work- a blessing and a curse to be surrounded by talented artists. All of these feelings culminated in a massive wish~
I wanted to make a mess.
I wanted the time spent covered in plaster with a respirator leaving indents on my forehead and cheeks to come through the work, to physically show the imperfect process, the breaking of form and dirtying of concept, tired of attempts at perfection and failures to perform.
“Back in Five” is a culmination of burn-out, play, and breaking form- quite literally. Much like the collection of cups this piece was born from, I consider this my first and only self-portrait to date, a semi-accurate depiction of my mind-state at the time of creation.
Disposable coffee cups lay where they ‘fell’
Coffee cups, lids, and sleeves are strewn about and piled upon each other
Having toppled and spilled their contents, cups and lids lay in disarray, crunched after use
By EROS C BACKUS | eroscbackus@gmail.com | porcelain coffee cups, lids, cup sleeves, and sticky notes, a stoneware thumb tack, borrowed lipstick, copious amounts of ceramic stain
Originally Made: February 25th, 2024