Business As Usual

1/5

Business As Usual

Smashed Mirror, Acrylic, Steel

The expression Business as Usual describes the continuation of what has always been. It is the constancy of our behaviour and lack of reflection that this artwork emphasizes with sadness and irony. Whether mounted as a sign on the frontage of a renovated shop or displayed as an exhibit in an art gallery, it is a feeble cry of normality despite all the circumstances suggesting otherwise.

Looking at all sectors of our lives in the global dimension, such as trade, security, education, natural resources, environment, technology or health, we are living in a critical moment of the development of our civilization. All the predicted planetary and human tragedies; the extinction of millions of species of plants and animals, air pollution, climate change leading to natural disasters, wars, rising poverty levels, food shortages, have been occurring in rapid succession for years. Despite this, we refuse to re-evaluate our priorities in the face of the changing world.

Here, the artist has flipped the slogan, mirrored and shattered it, literally and metaphorically reflecting that we are all, in fact, inside the chaos, acting as if nothing has changed while trying to ignore the cracks.

Photography: Alicja Kielan and Colin Davison