Olivia Bax – Cartouche (2023)

Olivia Bax (b. Singapore, 1988) is inspired in her practice by the work of the American science-fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin. It is often thought that the spear was the very first human tool, but in her influential essay ‘The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction’ (1986) Le Guin disputes this idea. It is not the deadly weapon that was our ancestors’ greatest invention, but the carrier bag: a pouch in which early human beings could carry more than in their hands alone, to keep it at home or to share with others.

While the spear follows one straight line to its target, the contents of a bag are considerably messier. Le Guin’s account shifts our understanding of humankind as isolated, destructive and dominant creatures to a notion of humans as intimately intertwined with their environment on many levels.

This idea also resonates in Bax’s sculptures, which can be taken apart, packed up, shipped away and reassembled. Bax recycles the various elements of her works, connecting them in a range of different ways. By doing so, she draws dividing lines between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ and between ‘process’ and ‘final result’.

The old crate that Bax used to transport her sculpture to De Oude Warande did not end up in storage after arrival. The artist, in fact, made it a part of her work, pouring the same paint over it. The artist allowed the dimensions of the crate, and therefore of the work, to be dictated by the dimensions of her studio door.

‘Where do organic and manmade structures meet?’ the artist wonders. When you look at her work, your eye traces a network of nodes, curves and funnels. This is a small cave system that reflects the countless ways in which we humans, too, are connected to our environment.

“ I have titled the sculpture Cartouche. In French, it means cartridge or container. In English, it has many meanings. It is a cooking term for stewing and means false lid. I have been reading Derrida's description of ‘Cartouche’ in The Truth of Painting – it is illustrated by some beautiful sketches of boxes, with items coming out. And finally, Cartouche is a term for enclosing hieroglyphs, frames and tablets. I think all the meanings work with the sculpture,”, so the artist says.