Zoe Williams: Soft Paste
SWG3, Studio Warehouse, 100 Eastvale Place, Glasgow, G3 8QG
Curated by Camille Le Houezec & Joey Villemont
16 June - 6 July
From the Press Release
Soft Paste is Zoe Williams’ first solo show in Scotland. This installation revolves around a new video piece, which acts as an advert mysteriously promoting the handcrafted and readymade objects displayed in the space.
The exhibition soundtrack is remastered from an advert for GUCCI Flora perfume and acts as a dark church choir, drawing a line between the club and a place of worship. The video languorously discloses shapes and textures directly echoing the other pieces. I Feel Love could find its origins between the abstract gimmicks of car advertising and ironic teleshopping. Although it doesn’t properly sell anything, it is easy to perceive the fetishisation and adoration of such product representation.
The show plays on several dimensions of reality; from the objects extracted from the film to the polished plinths referencing car bodies or haute couture fashion displays. These objects are shiny, precious and smell good but as attractive they can be, but cannot be touched. Therefore, frustration is an important aspect of the experience. The incense smoke and the soap cast from a 3D, combine with the soundtrack to create a perfect atmosphere inviting us to connect our spirit to our body in a very slow dance.
Zoe’s installation immerses the visitors into a world where lust, fetishistic objects and the world of fashion advertising collide. Her glamorous aesthetic turns the gallery into a dark club where ambiance, attitude and body language play a decisive role.
