Troika, Pile of Salt, 2023

2023

Medium

Salt and stainless steel

Dimensions

112 × 112 cm

Status

In Gallery Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-156088

The sculpture "Pile of Salt" (2023) is composed of salt crystals that form an interconnected pyramid and cone. Although they share a common sculptural body of salt, they seem like two entities, each with its own starting point and acting separately. However, a metal plate forms the common layout onto which the fine crystalline salt is poured and, following the laws of gravity and self-assembly, forms their shape. The geometric shapes of "Pile of Salt" stand for mathematical systems and a rational approach to thinking that helps determine the perception we have of our world. Troika contrasts this with an imaginative narrative through the fusion of pyramid and cone, in that it is not clear in which direction the shapes shift and what forces emanate from the salt crystals.The mutation of geometric forms can also be found in Troika's "Perspective Sculptures" series, in which the perceived shape of sculptures changes depending on the viewer's point of view, demonstrating Troika's interest in perceptual shifts in spatial and temporal contexts. "Pile of Salt" is also part of Troika's constant exploration of salt crystals as a driving force in humanity's evolutionary history. Through a series of works, the collective bridges millions of years in which salt has become a tool for control, domestication of nature, and alteration of our environment, as well as contributing to today's technological advancements. The title "Untertage" includes a series of works related to this debate, in which Troika attributes an independent effective power to salt and examines it as a formative actor of civilizational developments.