Exhibited in conjunction with the second ArtPrize, at the Women’s City Club in Grand Rapids
This installation consisted of blotted lipstick collected from willing participants, which were displayed as a frieze along the walls of the space. The centerpiece featured a giant lipstick molded from donated discarded lipsticks.
The catalyst was a news story stating that in times of financial duress, there is a marked increase in the sales of make-up, especially lipstick. Both the lipstick and blots are a metaphor for mortality. The lip prints record an action that is paradoxically unremarkable and poignant because they represent a moment or trace–the presence of an absence.
There are two sources of inspiration for this project: Camille Grey’s, Lipstick Bathroom installation in Woman House (1972), and Komar and Melamid’s Most “Unwanted Song” (1997) since the resulting hue can be considered the collective ‘least favorite color.’
