Who still believes in the “American Dream”? A nice suburban home with a well-kept front lawn, a happy couple with children, burgers and hotdogs barbecuing in the backyard, the sun shining while the Andrews Sisters play in the background — you know the story.
Well, it’s not quite dead yet. Artist Pia Sawhney revived the myth and created her own version of the “American Dream” postcard in the form of an immersive sculptural installation at Parasol Projects’ 208 Bowery location.
“I want to evolve the way we consume fine art since we’re in an era where people live on their phones and want to frame their photos and be a part of the picture,” explained the artist. “Making realistic paintings is technical for me, not creative, since I use a reference — so I wanted to creatively challenge myself to mix building an immersive and interactive environment for my work.”
And immersive it was. A synthetic lawn filled with hidden visual messages and burger candies greeted onlookers, while the closer you looked, the more twisted this replica of a typical suburban house façade became. Through the door, viewers found themselves in a pink bedroom adorned with a giant American flag sculpture made of AK-47s and hand grenades.
While the allusion to American firearm controversies is not so subtle, Pia considers herself a visual artist whose work is first and foremost about form. Other works in the bedroom included a giant wink to Warhol’s Campbell soup paintings, a fully set table and chairs mounted on the wall, and paintings of various American delicacies so detailed you were sure to leave the exhibition hungry.
As her first pop-up experience, The American Dream Room, 2018 was a large success she is likely to recreate. Why undertake such an ambitious project? Mostly to challenge herself and reach a wider audience.
Pia Sawhney @ 208 Bowery · September 19 – 23, 2018