LEATHER
by Karol Moralde
Leather
2021, Airdry Clay
6 x 7 x 2 inches
The sculpture presents a leather bag with a protruding cow head on its side. The bag is spotted and colored in the same brown and white color scheme of a cow. The sculpture is intended to address the exploitation that cows face for the harvest of their leather to be used in accessories such as luxury bags and garments in the fashion industry. The artist was influenced by “Kitsch” artwork and “chachkis”, which are often very maximal, excessive, and jarring. The artist used this kitsch influence to convey the message in a “camp” (a term for excessive art/performance) fashion in order to juxtapose the luxury and beauty of leather bags to a kitsch art style that is considered cheap and poor taste and frowned upon by art critics.
