Vivarium
Episode 4
Cinema Il Sogno: La Luna
2020
Edition of 4 + 2 AP
Dimensions: 164cm x 100cm
Archival pigment print, custom glass panel with cutouts, tabernacle window frame
EPISODE SYNOPSIS
Bright Italian sunlight illuminates the box office of cinema Il Sogno, or The Dream. Surrounded by empty pistachio shells, movie props and 20-year-old awards, sits Andrea, the owner. Only two films to choose from: A blue ticket or a pink ticket. The sunlight also reveals what we were not supposed to see: leftover traces of red nail polish.
How do we give in to our deepest desires if they conflict with society’s norm? We search for a way out, an escape. Some seek refuge in movies where we can identify with its protagonists, and through them, play the role we long for. Similarly, the peephole in the door provides a passage to the alternative reality of Episode 5, Cinema Il Sogno: La Stella. Together, these Episodes constitute one world in opposite appearances: from day to night, and from reality to desire.
VIVARIUM
Vivarium is an ongoing series of constructed dioramas, called Episodes. With his socially engaged tableaux Hardy studies the complexity and coherence of today’s pressing issues. In the creation of these worlds Hardy fuses his imagination, observations, personal memories and true events. Every Episode has its own topic, such as conspiracy thinking (Episode 11), modern working conditions (Episode 9, Free Delivery), racial profiling (Episode 6, On Guard) and gender roles (Episode 4 and 5, Cinema Il Sogno).
Vivarium is an ongoing project, started in 2018. Every world you see once existed in Hardy’s studio. For each Episode, he meticulously designs, builds and photographs a new world. Hardy creates meaningful narratives through the use of characters, objects and their composition. The final works are full of detail and displayed life-size - one-to-one - in a window frame, sparking a direct encounter between the viewer and subject.
It takes 3 to 4 months to complete a tableau. By addressing a different topic in each Episode while applying a consistent working method, Vivarium is an expanding multiverse of portals where life takes place.
In addition, Vivarium Self-Portraits provide a glimpse into Hardy’s constructed worlds and working-method. They are rooted in his urge to understand and empathize with his characters.
Episode 4 Installation view
Episode 5 Installation view
