Livia Marin
FORM FOLLOWS VARIATION

Born in Santiago, Chile
Works in London, United Kingdom

Two common threads unite Livia Marin’s sculptural installations. The first is her interest in transforming commonplace objects. The second thread is the tension that occurs between the singularity of an object (even a manufactured one) and the effect produced when objects are displayed en masse. Much of the power of her work comes from repetition, sometimes to vast proportions.

Marin works with objects whose importance is often dismissed because of their ubiquity – bottle caps, plastic cups, and in Ficciones de un uso, 2214 lipsticks. When a friend pointed out that each woman wore her lipstick down in a different fashion, Marin began to explore whether lipsticks could function as a sculptural work that emphasized individuality over uniformity. They came in a cohesive color palette designed specifically to attract attention. They could be molded like ceramic, plastic or glass into whatever form she chose. The tubes could function as pedestals when the pieces were on display, and double as protective containers for storage and shipping.

Presented in Manuf®actured in a curving arc formation, unbelievably, no two lipsticks are the same – each varies in color and form – proving that endless differentiation was possible within even a narrow product category. Ficciones addresses the formal issues of minimal art at the same time that it provides subtle commentary on societal questions of beauty and individuality. By transforming each individual lipstick from a standardized tool of cosmetic beauty to a curiously compelling sculptural icon, Marin capitalizes on the power that comes with re-making the ordinary into something spectacular.

WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION

Livia Marin, Ficciones de un uso, 2004; 2,214 lipsticks;
Collection of the artist