Yeux de Paon – Olaf Nicolai

Olaf Nicolai’s work series Yeux de Paon is an artistic examination of the processes of modernization. Nicolai takes as his starting point the ”peacock eyes” motif, a pattern that can be traced back to traditional Bulgarian ce- ramics. When the tourist industry in Bulgaria began to take off in the 1970s, this folkloric motif was used in the mass production of ceramic articles. Rather than establishing a contrast to the forces of modernization, these anachronistic forms are essentially the result of them. Nicolai’s work takes the form of seven large silk curtains, which were put on display at the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz. In conjunction with the exhibition, an artist’s book was produced that delineates the history of Chemnitz / Karl-Marx-Stadt in the twentieth century in the form of lists. The lavish publication with its three-colour silkscreen cover and pages with multiple folds tells of the fickle synergies between economics, politics, and culture, which together constitute our experience of modernization.