PICCININI 1999.061

Patricia Piccinini’s Lustre 1999 reflects on contemporary consumer culture and its desire for perfection. The film shows an ambiguous form with a smooth, metallic surface reminiscent of luxury items, such as cars and jewellery. At first, Piccinini invites viewers to marvel at the mesmerising reflections in the surface, which promise an escape or respite from the worries of daily life. However, as the object rotates, its pristine surface is overwhelmed by a kind of rust, representing the impossibility of perfection. According to the artist: 

The point of course is to acknowledge – even revel in – the impossibility of such a perfect surface. The lustre is just a thin veneer – beautiful but easily displaced by whatever 'reality' lurks within.