"A thread that connects Sasraku's work is an interest in raw materials; specifically, how they connect with landscapes and how they operate within works of art. In the past she has used ancient pigments foraged from different corners of the British Isles. For the work seen here, Sasraku's starting point is another primordial substance: crude oil, which becomes a vehicle to explore themes of national identity and conflict."
"Over the past two years I've been collecting both personalised military ephemera-morale patches, medal ribbon bars, hand-painted armour, scrapbooks-and corporate mementos and trinkets from the oil industry, specifically these crude-oil filled paperweights. The phrase "morale patch" felt like a term that united the functions of the paperweights and, particularly, the ribbon bars. Both are distributed to veterans of those industries to try and attach meaning and order to working lives which are defined by the chaotic whims of politicians and bureaucrats."
An ICA London exhibition features Watchlist, a collection of branded trinkets from oil companies, and Subdued Morale Patch, experimental works on paper produced using a novel water-and-ultraviolet printing technique. Sasraku prioritises raw materials and their links to landscape and art-making, having previously worked with ancient pigments foraged across the British Isles. Crude oil functions as a primordial starting point and a vehicle to examine national identity and conflict. The practice includes collecting personalised military ephemera, medal ribbon bars, hand-painted armour, scrapbooks, and crude-oil filled paperweights that mediate meaning for industry veterans.
Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events
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